mechaniac86
Active member
Not exactly garage related, but my question is whether or not I can close in my back porch to make either a home office or a nursery. Is it possible? Feasible? Do I need actual footing?
Possible to close in back porch?
- Thread starter mechaniac86
- Start date
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
mechaniac86 what you are proposing is entirely feasible just ensure that it is within your local building code.
Regards
Regards
matt_i
Well-known member
My opinion is that you don't need footings. The roof load is already supported by the column. The walls themselves are relatively smaller weights.
It might be a good idea to lay 1 course of concrete block along the perimeter where no doors are planned, to help get your framing wood higher than the ground, plus if you are in termite country, give yourself a vertical break where you can see if they are actively trying to attack your house.
Imo the difficulty will be matching the new addition to the rest of the house in color and coating, etc.
It might be a good idea to lay 1 course of concrete block along the perimeter where no doors are planned, to help get your framing wood higher than the ground, plus if you are in termite country, give yourself a vertical break where you can see if they are actively trying to attack your house.
Imo the difficulty will be matching the new addition to the rest of the house in color and coating, etc.
I would guess that was built like the rest of the house. Where I live that would require the same as the house because it supports the roof, you can't have the porch heaving from frost if the house roof is connected.
Where you live codes are different I'm sure.
Where you live codes are different I'm sure.
fourjeepin
Well-known member
+1. I enclosed my shop which was a carport and it was exactly like your porch. I didn’t know any better at the time and just built walls with pressure treated bottom boards.
OP
mechaniac86
Active member
Would I need a moisture barrier before putting in any floors? I wanna say I've read something about porches and garages not having a moisture barrier. I'm in Louisiana, which is extremely humid.
Also, do I attach my framing to this trim piece shown below? Or do I need to remove the trim piece and attach to joists?
what type of concrete block? like pavers?
Also, do I attach my framing to this trim piece shown below? Or do I need to remove the trim piece and attach to joists?
what type of concrete block? like pavers?
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tapered-pin
Well-known member
what is above the porch, do you have a photo of the porch related to the rest of the house?
Is the roof of the porch insulated?
How would you condition the new "office"?
Have you ever had any flooding issues on the porch?
How much lower is the porch than the interior of the house?
the answer to these questions could make the enclosure to conditioned space much easier, or much more difficult.
For the slab, you can buy moisture mitigation membranes that are liquid and will effectively "roll on" and prevent moisture and vapor transmittance through the slab.
always connect framing members to other framing members (all that trim should come off so you can verify the structure underneath is without rot/decay).
Is the roof of the porch insulated?
How would you condition the new "office"?
Have you ever had any flooding issues on the porch?
How much lower is the porch than the interior of the house?
the answer to these questions could make the enclosure to conditioned space much easier, or much more difficult.
For the slab, you can buy moisture mitigation membranes that are liquid and will effectively "roll on" and prevent moisture and vapor transmittance through the slab.
always connect framing members to other framing members (all that trim should come off so you can verify the structure underneath is without rot/decay).
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OP
mechaniac86
Active member
So my original plan was to make a door into the backyard from the new "office" area. However, I've come up with the idea of possibly turning the kitchen windows into french doors walking out onto a rear deck. This would give me more room in the office. How difficult would it be to turn these windows into doors?
No insulation above porch.
My buddy owns an A/C company and told me it would not be difficult to split a duct to run a/c to the new area.
During heavy rain, water tends to puddle due to the splashing of nearby rocks/pavers. I would like to take as much precaution as possible to keep water from getting in.
Do these pics help answer this question?
Thanks for all the advice! Here are some more pics from above the porch...
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matt_i
Well-known member
I was thinking more like the 8x8x16 hollow core "CMU" blocks that you butter with mortar, set vertical rebar pins, perimeter bar along the top by chipping the webs, and then anchor bolts for the bottom plate.
As far as your question converting windows into doors, there does exist a header but I don't think its wide enough. So it becomes a project of building an auxiliary structure to hold the roof up (typically temporary stud wall or an internal or external flat-header like an LVL or a 2x10/12 that's screwed to every stud on the surface) while you remove and widen the existing opening and replace the header. Size for the door unit you will put in, flash, etc. The most tedious part might be repairing the stucco back and then probably a repaint of the entire wall to make the repair blend. Its a bigger job and not one that typically impresses the ladies in your life with the great outdoors staring them right in the face, with no mitigation, at times during the process....not to mention the dust + dirt generated.
OP
mechaniac86
Active member
Ok. I'll look into that.
Lol the lady in my life will certainly not be impressed with a gaping hole in the back of our house.
Anyway, the window opening is 70.5H x 59.0W. What if I just wanted to put one single door? Could I just put the door in the middle of the opening and frame in the left over space without having to build an auxiliary structure.
tapered-pin
Well-known member
with regards to replacing the kitchen windows with french doors.. it's easy
***unless you've got electrical that runs under the window***
Murphy says you do..
but if you don't, just remove the windows, remove the stub wall under them, and make sure to order doors who's rough opening matches your window's rough opening.. (slightly smaller door isn't terrible, slightly larger door complicates the replacement by requiring you to modify the existing header that goes over the window and the jack/king studs that support that header)
***unless you've got electrical that runs under the window***
Murphy says you do..
but if you don't, just remove the windows, remove the stub wall under them, and make sure to order doors who's rough opening matches your window's rough opening.. (slightly smaller door isn't terrible, slightly larger door complicates the replacement by requiring you to modify the existing header that goes over the window and the jack/king studs that support that header)
TractorJeff
Well-known member
Termites will crawl up the insides of those hollow CMU blocks
Deej-79
Well-known member
If you're asking all these questions you should stop and hire a contractor. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but cutting a hole in the side of your house is a bad idea if you don't know what you're doing.
As far as enclosing the porch, again, I'd say hire a contractor. Your hvac buddy is going to make two rooms uncomfortable by splitting a feed line.
As far as enclosing the porch, again, I'd say hire a contractor. Your hvac buddy is going to make two rooms uncomfortable by splitting a feed line.
tapered-pin
Well-known member
while I certainly wouldn't recommend cutting into structural members unless you know what you're doing (or have a thorough understanding of transfer of loads)..
I do not see anything in the "enclosure of the porch" that would require the work/expertise/cost of hiring a contractor.
adding outlets and/or modifying electrical circuits - yeah.. call an electrician
adding bathroom or otherwise modifying the flow of waste out of the house - yeah.. call a plumber
but there's nothing about the work that OP has described that sounds like the only way to go about it is hiring a contractor.
I do not see anything in the "enclosure of the porch" that would require the work/expertise/cost of hiring a contractor.
adding outlets and/or modifying electrical circuits - yeah.. call an electrician
adding bathroom or otherwise modifying the flow of waste out of the house - yeah.. call a plumber
but there's nothing about the work that OP has described that sounds like the only way to go about it is hiring a contractor.
Deej-79
Well-known member
How is he going to ensure no water intrusion in the new room? Is the soffit vented in that part of the roof? Hvac requires a feed line and a return line, how is he going to plumb the return?
Those are just points my not yet coffee fueled brain can come up with this morning.
Those are just points my not yet coffee fueled brain can come up with this morning.
For me I would say just the opposite and have done so. I let someone in the know do the wood and structural and I do my own plumbing and electrical.
For converting the window to a door it sounds like you have the height and for 60" width consider a door with a side light to fill the space. Less interior and exterior finishing. I just did that in my house and a 42"door and a 14" sidelight = 60" opening.
Another thing looking at your pad, does it have a slope to it? How you going to deal with that?
lg
no neat sig line
tapered-pin
Well-known member
just a thought here, but why not rip sleepers to install so that the addition and the existing home are at the same elevation? Notching the bottom of them every 16" will allow for cross ventilation and I'd vent the edge at the bottom along both sides of the new exterior wall.
plywood subfloor would be installed over the sleepers
Deej-79
Well-known member
Not a bad idea but there's also no insulation under that pad and you didn't mention it either. That means that room will be cold in the winter, though I forget where the op is located.
There's a lot that goes into making a porch into a 4 seasons space. I've seen it done wrong more times than not, and it always leads to problems down the road. For instance, the kitchen I redid where I had to shim the cabinets up 2 3/8" so the floor of the porch could be floated to be level with the rest of the house.
There's a lot that goes into making a porch into a 4 seasons space. I've seen it done wrong more times than not, and it always leads to problems down the road. For instance, the kitchen I redid where I had to shim the cabinets up 2 3/8" so the floor of the porch could be floated to be level with the rest of the house.
southalabama
Well-known member
He's in Louisiana it appears.
The porch is likely sloped. While it may not look like much now put a straight edge on it and see how much. You will want to correct that if you are going to make a home office. Don't want to roll down hill. Doing it correctly will take someone with some experience IMHO.
Car ports and porches converted to livable space is the oldest form of addition. My great grandfather enclosed a back porch in when the toilet came inside.
Demolition is going to require a sawzall. There isn't anything overly complicated with what you are wanting to do. Doing it correctly will require some skill and knowledge.
Good luck.
The porch is likely sloped. While it may not look like much now put a straight edge on it and see how much. You will want to correct that if you are going to make a home office. Don't want to roll down hill. Doing it correctly will take someone with some experience IMHO.
Car ports and porches converted to livable space is the oldest form of addition. My great grandfather enclosed a back porch in when the toilet came inside.
Demolition is going to require a sawzall. There isn't anything overly complicated with what you are wanting to do. Doing it correctly will require some skill and knowledge.
Good luck.
James-W
Well-known member
Before doing anything else, I would have a talk with the local building office having jurisdiction and see what they say. They may have rules/codes/stipulations that you are not aware of. Once you know what you and can't do, then you can proceed to come up with a plan for doing what you want done. If your local building department is anything like ours, you will need detailed drawings stamped "approved" before they will OK it. What you want is certainly doable, it's just a matter of getting it approved and the cost of doing it. When it is done it would no doubt be really nice.
tapered-pin
Well-known member
insulating that area isn't critical if he uses carpet or wood for the finish flooring material (each of those will resist cooler temperature infiltration through conductance).
as another member said, enclosing a garage or carport is the oldest form of addition that residential construction has ever known.
he'll be alright, assuming the circuit he plans to use for powering the room isn't overloaded already.