We are in the (very) beginning stages of planning on re-doing our front porch, and I am looking for any "extras" people can think of that can/should be added when we redo it.
It is a covered (via overhang) front porch with approximate dimensions of about 30' x 7'; it has two ceiling fans/lights in the overhang (maybe overhang is the wrong word - it does cover the entire porch). We use it during spring, summer, and fall.
We are going to redo it (most likely in a composite material, e.g., Trex, depending on price). As we are thinking of redoing it, my wife asked if there was anything extra fun-type things we can add. One thought was to add in a watering system to water some hanging flower baskets we put there in the warm weather (my wife is not tall enough to reach them to water them, and I always forget to water them). Anyone have any other ideas of things they wished they put in, or that they did put it? (Or things you put in that were a bad idea to do?) Its really just your standard front porch.
Oh, whoops. Good idea. Here are two showing slightly different views. Hopefully that gives you the idea. I can take others later tonight when I have a chance, if that would help.
I do like that watering bottle - I may look into getting it so that my wife can do the watering of the baskets that she insists on buying every year!
As for the skylights - I like the idea, but I don't think it would quite work with the way the set-up is. The windows right above where the skylights would be are bedroom windows, and it just seems like an odd placement. Also, I think of skylights as ways to get natural light into an area - but the front porch is open and gets a lot of light as-is.
So, thanks again for the ideas - anyone have any others? Anyone know if radiant heat under Trex would work? Or do composites not really transmit/transfer heat all that well?
Radiant heat under the porch floor would not work very well especially through Trex. The underside would have to be closed and insulated. The heat would have to be on a long time before (or always) to heat the floor enough to be effective.
A better option would be a wall (or ceiling) mounted radiant heater like this. Smaller units are probably also available and without the swivel bracket. Would need a dedicated circuit and could be controlled by a switch, timer, or motion detector. (Although if you are sitting still the motion detector alone might not work.)
Always have to think about lighting. Recessed lights are always a good solution, but if you want to add some color-selectable LED strips along the inside front edge you can add some mood lighting or holiday colors as needed.
Hello
I'm redoing my backyard. We just did an extention. The place our old deck was, we made into a room connecting to our house. Now we want to make a backyard patio. We do have a downward hill in back about 10ft from our new extention. Our contractor recommended we do a deck since it will be easier and cheaper overall. We wanted to do paver and extend our land by filling 5ft more to get a 30 by 15ft back patio. But contractor said that will require a retaining wall since the soil in my back isn't settled and too close to the house. Could cause problems with the extra weight from the pavers. After doing some research. I do see if I dopaver, their is chance of uneven paver in future as the soil settles overtime. Would it be be wise just to do a big deck instead of a back patio then? I see that pvc deck can last 25 to 30 years without much maintenance compared to wooden deck. At the same time, I do see their is issues with pvc deck like molding, fading, etc. Any concerns of going with pvc deck? Even if I choose to do deck. He will still put some kind of retaining wall to hold the exciting land. Appreciate in advance for advice.
Hello all, I have a 70 lb 5-ft porch swing I'd like to hang with [url=https://theporchswingcompany.com/collections/hanging-hardware/products/barn-shed-play-4-hole-heavy-duty-hangers-and-springs-porch-swing-hanging-kit]these very heavy-duty hangers[/url] from the covered porch of my very old house. The joists are 2x6 and run parallel to the direction I'd like to hang the swing (there's really no better place to put it for several reasons). I have reservations about loading up a single 100+year old 2x6 joist with 70 lbs of swing+5 lbs of hardware+weight of several adults. Hangers are 5" across and came with the necessary lag screws. Would the following setup provide adequate support:
perpendicular to the joists (and the swing), install four 8' long 2x4s or 4x4s to span 3 joists on end. At the center of each (well, the center of each couple) I'd attach the hangers parallel to the joist and swing/perpendicular to the run of the support board. This would distribute the load more evenly across several joists, I'm thinking, like a set of cleats. The ceiling is finished/I don't have access to the joists, so this would also help me ensure I hit the center of the edges with my screws. a) would this work? and b) what kind of hardware should I use to install these supports?
03-03-21, 08:45 AM
