How to make a porch at home

The construction of a country house or cottage is completed, as is known, with the manufacture of a porch, which, in addition to its direct purpose, also serves as an element of the design of the facade of the building. That is why the question of how to properly make a porch at home deserves your special attention.

The choice of design

Experts recommend making a porch with the house, because in this case, both buildings will have a common base and a single waterproofing system. Such an organization of construction will allow avoiding problems with “subsidence” both of the base platform of the porch (base) and its individual steps.

Works on the construction of the porch usually begin with the preparation of a sketch of its appearance, which should organically fit into the design of the facade of the entire building. Naturally, against the background of a log, timber or shield structure, the traditional wooden porch will look the most organic. If your building is made of concrete or brick, then its porch should be constructed of the appropriate material.

At the same time, one should always remember that the main condition for a successful design is compliance with the necessary proportions and maintaining a sense of proportion. The dimensions of the porch should correspond to the overall dimensions of your country building and should not be lost on its large-scale background. At the same time, a “scanty” entrance with three steps, stuck to a huge stone cottage will look, to put it mildly, not quite aesthetically pleasing.

When choosing the design of the porch, you may encounter many different options, some of which will be discussed below. Most of the known structures suggest the choice of the following forms of the foundation of such a building:

• rectangular;
• trapezius;
• square;
• round ground

Layout and preparation of the material

Before the start of the excavation work, attach the base of the future porch to the construction site, marking its location with wooden pegs. Decide "in place" with the orientation of its steps, which can be located directly or sideways, with their number, as well as with the need to arrange the fence (rail).

In addition, you should prepare the entire volume of the material corresponding to your project and all the tools needed for the work. It should be borne in mind that the porch belongs to the structures operated in the open air, and for years will be under the influence of bad weather. That is why all building materials for it must be of the highest quality.

Making a porch

In the conditions of the Russian climate, the solution of the question “how to make a porch at home correctly” presupposes the arrangement of a capital foundation for it. At the same time, simple laying of concrete slabs on a sand pad may not be enough. Spring waters and prolonged rains easily wash the soil under such a base that with time it will certainly cause its bias. Therefore, you have to make under the porch a capital foundation according to all the rules of the arrangement of the latter.

The choice of the type of foundation will depend on the level of groundwater, on the type of local soil, as well as on the dimensions of the porch itself. The most convenient option for preparing the base for dry sandy soil is the arrangement around the perimeter (at the corners) of the platform for the porch of small holes, which are filled with sand, and on top of them are laid square stone slabs.

Before starting work, do not forget to prepare a tool with which you can control the verticality of the building. For these purposes, you will need a building level of any type or a simple plummet.

During the construction of the porch, try to follow the basic requirements of building codes to structures of this kind. These requirements are as follows:

• the height of the porch riser should be in the range of 140-170 mm;
• its tread width should be 300mm;
• handrails must have a height of at least 0.9 meters;
• the overhang of the porch visor should cover its working area with a reserve.

In that case, if you plan to make a porch of wooden material - it is necessary to process the blanks (in order to protect them from fungus and rotting) with a liquid antiseptic and a special water-repellent compound. It is enough to treat a brick building with a special impregnation protecting it from so-called “efflorescences”, significantly spoiling the appearance of the brickwork.

For the final (finishing) finishing of the porch, you can use the entire arsenal of materials existing in our time, ranging from ondulin, siding and metal tiles and ending with natural stone, composite decking and natural tile. 

Video

See how the porch is built by professionals: