I am planning on adding a concrete slab under my existing deck in my back yard and building a screen porch on the slab. I am in Minnesota, so the slab will have some movement with frost, but the deck is build on 48″ deep footings. Is there a proper way to attach the screen to the deck to allow movement?
Thanks,
Scott
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Replies
Scotty
I am not by any means the concrete expert but if you properly prepare the bed for the concrete you should have very little movement, stone road mix sand layers so water drains well and compacted well, in lifts. Others with more knowledge in this area will step in. But I think your planning should be how not to make the slab move verses, how to make the screens handle movement.
Wally
I've done few screened porches on slabs. The last one was late 70s/early 80s, so I'm a bit hazy on details. I think the slab was pre-existing, with full footers.
But the detail we used was a 2x4 rails let into 4x4 posts. The bottom rail was 1 1/2"-2" above the slab, and after stapling the screening to it, we tucked the screen (cut maybe 1/2"-1" overlong) in so that it rested on the slab. It both looked and functioned fine.
AitchKay