How To Expand A Porch

Expanding your porch to make additional living space doesn't require a lot of experience beyond a few basic carpentry skills. Follow these suggestions and you should be able to finish the project in a few days.

Things to Consider First

Consider the current style of the porch you have. If you want to expand it without a lot of renovation to what is already there, you will need to make sure all the materials and colors, and you may want to consider extending the roof to cover the rest of the newly added porch.

Large wrap-around porches may require additional entryways from your home as well. How extensive would you like to get with the new porch? Your options are only limited by your desires and budget.

Check with Local Zoning Boards First

Before you begin construction on any kind of addition to your home, even a porch, you need to check with local regulations to ensure you are able to build it. You also want to call local utility companies to have electrical, water, and gas lines marked. You don’t want to run into trouble by digging through a line by mistake.

Stake out the Expanded Area

The first step to the actual construction project is to stake out the area you want the expanded porch to occupy. You can stake with some basic garden stakes and string between them. This will give you a visual guide of what you are working with, and will allow you to see if any land needs to be graded or leveled.

Remove Railings

Once your area is staked out, you can start removing the railing from the existing porch. If you are only extending the porch on one side, then just remove the railing from that area. You can take a portion of the old railing with you to the hardware store to purchase more if you are going to stick with the same design. If you are going to replace all of the railings, take measurements and pick out your new railing.

Prepare Ground Area

If you are adding concrete to your extended porch, you will want to go ahead and prepare the ground and framework for this. This usually only needs to include a very basic frame to pour the concrete

If you aren’t using concrete, but rather a wood or stone floor, you can go ahead and prepare the ground for these. Just follow whatever directions you need for the type of ground you will be laying.

Set up Railings

Once you’ve completed the floor or groundwork, you can move on to the railing installation. If you have extended the roof or you have any existing roof overhanging the porch, install large posts. The railing can be attached to these posts as you work around the porch.

Extending a porch can be a simple project depending on what you choose to do. You can always check with a local hardware store expert for advice on where to start.