front porch + extended deck

Started by chrisbrowning, May 31, 2005, 11:01:19 AM

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chrisbrowning

I would like to add front porch + deck to front of 12 x 18 cabin. In other words from ledger of house will have 12 ft wide deck. 6ft (from house)will have upper deck covering it. The rest of the deck (6 more feet) will NOT have any cover. The whole thing of course will be 18ft long. Believe me there are many reasons to all this madness. One being that it will add a level surface for us to sheath the front roof of the house since it is a bit rocky and at a slope.

Questions and questions will follow.

I have the walls and the roof framed with the back half of the roof sheathed. Should I now sheath the front of the house attach the ledgers. I guess there will be a top and bottom ledger right?
I am a bit unclear on the posts coming down from the porch upper deck. Do they come from the bottom of the upper platform and go directly into the deck block?  Then I would probably need four beams that run perpendicular to the ledger (would 2-2x6 glued together work?  I am sure that you have a better way to tie all this in.

John Raabe

I would suggest sheathing the house and then putting up the ledgers for the porch rafters and the deck joists. In the Enchilada detail (E-4) the posts are continuous to the footing block. You could do this as well and then nail off the deck joists to these posts and let them extend on out for the open deck.  The support beam would have to be below the joists and bolted into the posts.

At the outside lip you can support the beam with another row of footing blocks and run the joists over the top of the beam (assuming you have room for this) or hang them from joist hangers.
None of us are as smart as all of us.


chrisbrowning

#2
Since the length is 18 ft how many posts will I need along the front of the porch? Remember that this porch cover will be an upstairs deck (people will be walking on it)

And only two rows of decking blocks running parallel with the length of the cabin will be needed right?

John Raabe

#3
Chris:

I cannot really design and engineer a custom deck on-line here, but - to keep things simple - you could duplicate a foundation structure that has been used somewhere else in the design. Recycling a beam and pier support for one of the walls should have more than enough strength for your deck loading.

If your roof will be a second level walking deck be careful about giving plenty of support to the ledger. I would suggest two lag screws into each stud. Also, you may want to have 45º angle brackets or metal caps on the tops of the porch posts to counteract sway and wind loads of the deck.

When you get this laid out I would suggest having it reviewed by a local professional (or at least the building inspector - even if you don't need a permit!)  :o

None of us are as smart as all of us.

chrisbrowning

Thank you John for all your help.

I think my biggest challenge will be the top ledger.
And where to place it. Because I will need the end blocking on the outside of the sheathing I probably need to change this to a 2x6 instead of a 2x4. My question here the ledger board will be a 2x6 butted up again a interrupted run of 2x6 to allow for the insect screens. Will  this be ok?


John Raabe

By far the easiest way to do this roof will be to pull the porch ledger further down the wall and don't try to make it transition into the main roof. The upper roof needs to be vented, you may want an overhang, etc.

The rafters of the porch roof can just rest on the continuous wall ledger or be hung from it.
None of us are as smart as all of us.