I’m building a wood porch that will abut up to existing concrete steps. Question: how tight to put the beam up against the steps – real tight and caulk and hope no water gets in between, or leave a gap (how wide?) and allow water to drip through and air dry?
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I think you need to leave a 1/4 inch gap, enough that water can't 'bridge' it. No way would I rely on a tight fit and caulk. The wood will expand and shrink, the caulk will fail and you will have to replace, rebuild etc.
Let it breathe.
my suggestion....allow water to escape whenever possible
Hey Shel,,when we do this we tapcon the cca frame right to the step,,moisture is not going to hurt the framing,,of course I am thinking this is a lower step right, not a second story? and I agree,,calking will not help at all,,John Hyatt deckmastersllc.com