The porch near the entrance to a private house is the visiting card of the owners. Practical and comfortable staircase leading to doors, not only pleases the eye, but also gives a finished appearance to the entire site. Make a porch with your own hands from concrete, metal or tree even a novice in construction can do it. How to do it correctly and quickly, read on.
Content:
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What is the design for?
The adjoining structure performs both protective and decorative functions.
A porch is a structure erected near the entrance to a private house, which consists of a platform and stairs. It is built to perform the following functions:
- Provide safe and convenient access to the house in cases where the entrance to it is located above ground level (in buildings with a basement)
- Protect the door from precipitation, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, mechanical wear
- Serve as an element of decoration of the facade of a residential building
The advantages of the building include:
- additional sound insulation and heat preservation
- the ability to leave outdoor shoes and ensure that the house is kept clean
- additional place for rest and placement of necessary utensils, household items
Porch with railing
So, a porch with stairs and railings:
- They do not lay in the plan when building a house due to possible difficulties with uniform shrinkage of the building
- Do not build if the door threshold coincides in level with the ground surface
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Depending on at what stage of the construction of a residential building, the construction is carried out, the structures are:
- simple (a platform with a ladder on a built separate foundation)
- built-in (the porch is designed and built capitally together with the whole building)
- attached (modified structure of a simple type, which is easy to disassemble and assemble elsewhere in the house)
Covered porch often transforms into a veranda
The following options for the design of the adjacent porch are possible:
- Staircase with upper and lower platforms. The most common modification: there is an approach to the steps and an exit from them to the door
- Area. It does not involve the installation of stairs (railings and steps) or merges with it structurally. A large area often turns into a veranda where outdoor furniture is installed.
- Closed space. Glazed or fenced with other material veranda, which serves as a dressing room
- Porch with canopy. The site becomes covered when a visor is mounted above it
- With the addition of a balcony. A balcony attached from above serves as a visor above the upper platform, and its supports become structural elements of the stairs.
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Material selection
The choice of porch material depends on the needs of the residents of the house and the overall design of the site.
Depending on what material is chosen for construction, the porch is:
- concrete
- wooden
- metallic
- stone
- brick
The advantages of a concrete porch include durability, high resistance to wear and temperature changes, strength. The weak side of the material is the tendency to absorb moisture.
Porch railing options
Brick sites are not as strong, but they are cheaper than concrete ones. It is important not to use old brick, which can freeze and collapse. The surface can be lined or finished at the request of the owners.
The porch made of metal is durable and can fit structures of any design.. However, such structures are expensive, need protection from corrosion, and are prone to icing in winter.
Wooden structures are the most common, they look solid, they are easy to mount and convenient to use.. However, the wood must be additionally impregnated or covered with protective solutions from moisture, fire, insect pests.
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Marked area in front of the door for pouring the foundation
Whatever materials and structures of the porch are chosen, before their construction, a prerequisite is the pouring of the foundation.
When designing and building a porch, they are guided by the following rules:
- The depth of the foundation for the extension should be on the same level as the foundation of the residential capital structure. The difference in levels will lead to a power load on the foundation of the porch and its subsequent destruction
- For a light wooden porch, a concrete cushion is enough, and for structures made of concrete, stone, brick, the foundation is reinforced
- When designing a canopy on supports, the dimensions of the foundation are increased by 20 cm on each side
- For any type of soil, except for rocky, formwork is made. All soils without exception need waterproofing.
The process of building the foundation under the porch
When building a foundation, the order of work is as follows:
- They mark the area opposite the front door to the house, remove a layer of soil of 15–20 cm
- Along the edges of the dug recess, formwork is made of wooden blocks on supports.
- At the bottom of the pit, a layer of fine river sand is covered with a layer of 5 cm, spilled with water. The role of drainage will be performed by a layer of crushed stone of 10–15 cm
- The recess is covered with a plastic film for waterproofing, if necessary, a reinforcing mesh and building beacons are fixed
- Fill the hole with cement mortar, bayonet it, level it
- After drying, beacons and formwork are removed, the first three days the surface is watered
- After the cement is covered with polyethylene and wait 7-15 days until the coating is completely dry. The finished site is primed and leveled
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Building a porch step by step
Options for the design of steps on the stairs
The optimal parameters for structural elements for any type of porch are as follows:
- The slope of the stairs is within 35–40 degrees (a flat staircase will be long, and too steep will be uncomfortable)
- The height of the steps of the stairs is not less than 10 cm (if the family has children and the elderly) and not more than 20 cm. The minimum width of the structure is 35 cm, it is better to lay the size 80-100 cm
- The depth of each step is 35 cm, the slope is 3 degrees (so that precipitation does not accumulate, but flows naturally)
- If the upper platform is located at a height of 1.5 m above ground level and above, then the stairs are equipped with railings 85–110 cm high
- The platform will be comfortable if 2 people can comfortably fit on it. On average, it is 1 m2, but it is better to provide a large area
- The distance to the door threshold should not be less than 20 cm
- Minimum number of steps - 3
The finished wooden structure is coated with a protective varnish
The given sizes are adapted for people of average height (from 160 to 180). In each case, the height, width and angle of inclination of the stairs leading to the door are adjusted for the person who will use it.
from wood
The process of erecting a wooden staircase to the front door of the house
A wooden porch is built like this:
- Support platforms are dug into the ground and fixed to the cement - pedestals, which account for part of the weight of the structure.
- A kosour (bearing structure with sawn teeth) is made from 3 wide beams of durable wood. They are installed on the foundation and the pedestal along the corner diagonal at a distance of 50 cm from each other
- A bowstring is mounted along the edges - bearing thick beams interconnected by transverse elements
- On the upper part of the bowstring, on both sides, ribs for steps are cut with a square. The height of the teeth must be the same so that the lags do not sag
- Steps are screwed onto the notches with self-tapping screws. The openings between the lags on the front side are closed with risers, which are also mounted on self-tapping screws
- The structure is varnished or stained
Structural elements of stairs made of wood
Concrete
Filling with cement mortar steps
You can make a porch of concrete on a finished foundation yourself, following the instructions:
- From the segments of the reinforcement, the frame of the future staircase is welded to the steps, installed on the foundation
- Mount the formwork of thick plywood 20 cm above the level of each step. Between themselves, the shields are pulled together with metal plates
- or propped up with wooden blocks. The inner walls of plywood are coated with oil
- The frame is poured with cement mortar in layers: first, the first step along the entire length, after drying, the second step. Each element is supported by formwork from the front side.
- Concrete is bayoneted with reinforcement, leveled and allowed to dry completely (the process will take 10-12 days)
- Finished steps are primed, rubbed, finished with tiles, bricks, decorative elements
Finished concrete stairs and porch deck
metallic
A variant of the finished metal porch on channels
With the ability to work with welding, it is easy to build a metal structure: the principle of operation is similar to the manufacture of a wooden structure:
- Kosour is made of 2 metal channels, the length of which is equal to the length of the future flight of stairs
- Channels are placed parallel to each other between the upper and lower platforms.
- Metal profiles are cut into pieces along the height of the step. Their number is equal to the number of steps multiplied by 2
- From the same raw material, cuts are made along the width of the steps. Weld together a long piece and a short one in the shape of the letter G
- The resulting metal frame for the base of the step is welded to the channel: the long side runs parallel to the floor, the short side is perpendicular. Repeat the action for each step on both channels
- The surface of the steps is made of metal sheets or wooden blocks.
brick
Brickwork is too difficult for beginners, it is better to brick a concrete staircase
Working with bricks is the most time-consuming option. For its implementation, it is better to work in tandem with a person who will knead and bring the cement mortar.
Brickwork is performed in the traditional way for building structures, but this method is not suitable for beginners, since without skills it is difficult to lay the brick evenly.
In this case, experts advise building a concrete staircase and finishing with a brick. This cladding looks just as presentable, but it is easier to perform.
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The railing on the stairs can only be done on one side.
For the installation of railings on the ground and the upper platform of the porch, metal support posts are installed. Their length should be related to the slope of the stairs.
2 pipes of a smaller section are welded to the upper and lower ends of the racks. The upper one will serve as a handrail, and the lower one will additionally strengthen the structure.
The visor is most often made of wood, plastic, polycarbonate, metal, plexiglass. This element is installed on piles, which are laid at the stage of pouring the foundation.
Polycarbonate visor decorated with metal elements
It is best to choose a pitched structure, to the ends of which weld gutters at a slope to drain water without splashing.
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It is important to ensure that the steps have the same height and angle of inclination.
In order for the porch to become a functional and convenient element of the design of the house, practitioners recommend adhering to the following rules:
- The dimensions of the upper platform should allow the front door to swing open freely without going beyond the porch.
- It is customary to make an odd number of steps on the stairs: at least 3, most often - 5-7
- If a smooth material is used to finish the steps (ceramic tiles, laminate), then an additional anti-slip coating must be provided (polyurethane pads, rubber strips, mineral spraying)
- When building stairs, it is important to control that the height and angle of inclination of the steps are the same. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient to use such a lift.
A do-it-yourself porch near the house is the pride of any owner. It is not difficult to build this important structure, knowing the features of working with the selected material: concrete, brick, metal, wood.
The most important step in the work is to correctly calculate the parameters of the future site and the dimensions of the stairs.. Further steps are performed according to the step-by-step guide described in the article without unnecessary expenditure of money, time and materials.
How to make a concrete porch yourself, is described in the video -
Do-it-yourself house porch BUILDING FOR YOURSELF
Do-it-yourself porch attached to the house: the secrets of building reliable structures made of concrete, brick, metal and wood | 60+ Photos & Videos
Instructions for the construction of a brick building are given in the video -
How to make a porch for a brick house
Do-it-yourself porch attached to the house: the secrets of building reliable structures made of concrete, brick, metal and wood | 60+ Photos & Videos
A wooden porch with a ramp is easy to make by following the instructions in the video -
Do-it-yourself porch with a wooden ramp
Do-it-yourself porch attached to the house: the secrets of building reliable structures made of concrete, brick, metal and wood | 60+ Photos & Videos
