Victorian Remodel: The Porch

The original porch

This is the porch as it appeared in the late 1800's to early 1900's. When we purchased the house the porch had been removed and there was a cement slab the width of that portion of the wall. The transom over the front door had been sealed off and shingled over with rough cedar.

Note shingled transom

One of the positive aspects of our purchase was that the previous owner had to put on a new roof. In the process the old layers had been torn off but when the new shingles were laid they now fell short of the gutters and consequently all the moisture dripped between the shingle edge and the gutters. The house faces north so we had serious ice buildup on our porch. To solve the problem that first winter I quickly put up what we called the stable. It looked fine for Christmas but other than that I'm sure the neighbors wondered what the new owners were planning!

The Stable

We initially hired a contractor to help get a garage built and an elevator installed and he suggested that instead of rebuilding the original porch we enlarge it and make it L-shaped to give us more usable space. We thought it was a great idea and I drew up plans for a building permit. During this time the Anderson's began attending our church; she was on sabbatical from a college back east for the school year and he came along with her since he was an independent remodeler and could work anywhere. He hadn't found much work and was getting bored sitting in their little apartment so we hired him to do some of the bigger building jobs we were undertaking - one was framing the porch.

We decided to not pour a cement slab as a base but instead to use Trex for a more traditional wood look. So here's photos of the rough framing.

During this time I was also able to find composite molding that matched the window trim so I was able to cleanup, trim and paint around the front door as well.

The cat came with the house

The porch remained essentially in this rough condition for about two years while we worked on other projects. It was framed during the Spring of 2005 and when I retired/took disability in September of 2008 I started working on the finishing details. For all intents and purposes it was finished in the Fall of 2010 but a few small finish details remain. We've found 3-5 years from start to finish on one of our projects is not unusual.

Between cost and liking to work with my hands we determined I would construct the spandrels and railings myself. Again the internet was invaluable as I found oak balusters for $1 a piece and was able to buy dozens of turned dowels at very good prices. Next I'll show how I built jigs and constructed the spandrels and railings.

Jig for dowel spacing

I centered the first dowel on each spandrel
and worked outward for balance.

Bought the curved quarter sections at Lowes

A paint sprayer and son-in-law helps

Will eventually add lattice-work underneath

Four jobs remained at this point, an inset pattern on the front triangle, lattice trim at base, interior ceiling and refinishing the exterior of the door. The door had carved features, some parts missing and other parts cracked and separating and the finish was seriously deteriorating. Some parts I was able to fill and missing parts I hand carved to match. If you look carefully you can see that the etching on the glass matches the wood carving. As I mentioned in an earlier blog the stained glass in the transom made by our oldest daughter also repeats the pattern.

For the interior ceiling we went with bead-board paneling for appearance and cost saving (that not unlimited budget) but we're very happy with the look.