Hello!

I am a first time homeowner and I am hoping to find a bit of help. The house we bought has a sinking porch that I am getting bids to replace along with the walkway, but the two beams under the porch or garden area are 1) sitting on a cement block in the dirt, hardly even inserted into the opening and able to move a little back and forth, or 2) right on the edge of the sinking stair corner, causing the top underhang framed out portion (now covered with aluminum material) to sink in a bit.

I have yet to pull the covering off, but I did peep up in there behind the upper framed portion that the beams are connected to and it just seems to have pulled away from what my not so knowledgeable self thinks is the actual roof framing. I have a couple questions and ill try to be brief, i rally appreciate anybodys time who helps solve this!

How do I find out if they're load bearing? The beams are not anchored or bracketed or have any type of cement foundation that they've been attached to in years past from what I can see. As it's a 1966 ranch. The reason I feel like they're not is because the rest of the roof and all associated pieces, in fact, the whole true roof itself is not bowing, just the framed portion that is above the post by the front door.

So, if it's discovered they're not load bearing, can I lift the roof with a tool or jack for this and put two 6x6 angled cedar brackets up for a better look, which would be attached to the brick? Hope that makes sense.

I think the posts are ugly and if they can be removed with no falling of the overhang it seems much easier to put two cedar brackets up and maybe take the covering off and have a wood finished look.

Id much rather not have the stair and patio fixer people deal eith or calculate the beams into their estimate 😃 Either way, thanks for the guidance!

CJ

 

Easiest way to tell is stick your head into the attic and see if your roof was framed onsite with dimensional lumber or if it is engineered trusses (unlikely). If it is stick built then those posts are/were probably load bearing. My guess is that you will not be able to remove the columns.

 

Those 2 posts are weight bearing. The weight consists of the roof section, from the wall containing the door to the gutter and from the flag to the left corner, and whatever is attached to the underside of the roof in this section. The front step needs leveling (not a DIY job) before that post is replaced. The post on the end corner need a weight bearing sono-tube pier. The bottom of the pier should be installed deep enough so as not to be affected by frost and top high enough to allow the post bottom to dry after a rain

 

Can I use brackets or cantilever instead of these two beams? They are completely rotted put and literally hanging and pulling just the wood framing down, not the roof itself. The overhang isn't very far from what I can tell but I'm a new homeowner with little experience. My father said that the support beams are likely not structural since one is on a cement block that was never poured or on a foundation, just in the dirt.

Thanks!

 

I took the aluminum off and the box framing that goes horizontal is completely detached in the middle, like hanging off and the outside beam is hanging, rotted completely. The roof, however shows zero signs of any sagging. Am I able to rebuild the bosex horizontal frame the beams are soer of attached ro, remove them and replace with large cantilever, like two where the columns are from brick to porch roof?

Thanks all!

 

Combined like threads.

 

Aint that some ****? The roof under that is perfectly level on the corner, no sign of stress.

 

Odd a section of the horizontal header rotted out since the header is set back from the front gutter. Is the header trim vented on the bottom? If the hole in the center of the cement block is a thru hole, the junk in there probably acted as a wick to keep the end of the post wet causing deterioration. The cement block would be able to move vertically due to frost if you are in a frost climate.

 

I do not think you can use a simple bracket to the house to support the roof. Your brick is most likely a veneer with an air gap between it and the house's framing. So, you can't put a side load on the brick with a bracket. There is a way but it would require some careful thought (Engineering).

You probably could do braces all the way down to your foundation. Being so long you'd still have a column look but they wouldn't be bearing on the ground.

If you stay with vertical columns I would investigate the footers for the columns. I would probe or dig down to confirm that there are footers. Then I would fill in the pockets on top or cut off the top so the post base is flat. Then anchor a post bracket to the concrete. This will hold you new post off the concrete to prevent moisture from wicking up into the wood which should extend it's life greatly.

 

So the simple solution is to keep the posts and ensure they are reinforced correctly? I'm not sure how the braces would look. Thanks so much for the kind feedback.

Chris

 

Posts are posts. They don't get "reinforced". Depending on the material (wood, steel, aluminum, composite...) you will need to paint or otherwise protect them from weather.

A very important part is a base bracket for the new posts so they aren't touching concrete. The base can help prevent the rot that killed your old posts.

 

Sorry I missed this...there were no vents, just 4 boards nailed together to make a box that the posts connected to. The area where the posts and horizontal supports are seem to have pulled away from the roof, but the overhang hasn't budged. I took the back and bottom board off, and in fact there are not even top boards to make a complete box. Sorry if I'm not using proper terms. What you're seeing is a ceiling with the soffiting removed and where the center post, attached to two sides of wood from each side of porch, are pulled away from ceiling due to lack of support and weight.

 

The photo in post 1 shows there is roof overhang trim from the fascia board to the framed box and from the framed box to the brick wall. Can’t see enough of the roof overhang trim in the photo in post 12 to determine if it is one or two pieces. If two pieces, my guess is the box section provides vertical support for one end of the roof overhang trim pieces. Since the photo in post 12 show the post is not in contact with the roof overhang framing, I doubt is it bearing any roof weight. The only possible way is if the box’s outer board (vertical) is in contact with the roof rafters and nailed into this post and the one in the outer corner.

 

For now everything is off so I can get a fresh start. Have a company coming to do a complete demo of front stairs to do stamped concrete walkway and stairs. Once that's done I can put anchors in and have them pour a new fresh spot on the corner for a bracket.