How would I properly wall in and put title this front porch?
VimVom67
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I’ve got a front porch that gets soaked every time it rains. I’d like to close it in. It’s an add on hollow(from what I can tell) cinderblock build with a concrete slab on top. It’s attached to my foundation. Is this safe to wall in and is there anything I should do before doing so to make it last as long as possible?
Height is 2ft from footer to top of the slab. It’s a rectangle, dimensions are around 7.5 x 12.5
Trying to figure out if it’s worth my time and how much work I have ahead for this project.
Replies
How deep is the frost depth where you live? If it is deeper than your porch footings, you will probably want to assume that the porch deck will move relative to the house.
Are you looking to build full-height walls, or half-walls? Lots of widows, or no?
I'm doing a similar project with my back porch--turning it into a sunroom, basically, with several large windows starting halfway up (I need a solid lower half to keep my German Shepherd from darting out to bark every time a leaf moves or some critter runs past in the park behind the house). Since the slab is only 4" and I plan CMU walls, I'm digging 8x12" footings around it--about a foot off the current slab--building a CMU foundation wall, and pouring a new slab section between (either connecting with epoxy and anchors, or leaving as a control/expansion joint; I haven't decided yet). Either way, I need those footings to support the walls and new metal roof. I'd make sure yours are sound and deep enough, as UncleMike42 said. (I'm in TX, so the 8x12 footings should be fine for me.)
I'm not sure if you meant "put tile" instead of "put title" in your subject line there, but if you did mean tile, you want to make sure the existing slab doesn't have any dips/birdbaths in it, especially if you plan to use a large-format tile. Just make sure you use the proper thinset, *not* mastic (never mind what the sales people tell you; you do not use mastic on floors!!), and you might want/need some kind of bond break between the slab and the thinset (and/or insulation, depending on how you plan to use the "room" you're creating). If you've never done any tiling before, I recommend the John Bridge forums; it's been a while since I've done any tiling, but I did a lot a few years ago, and that was an invaluable resource.
Looking forward to hearing more about your project!