rotting portch?

Question

Just moved into this house less then a year ago, I have a small portch that is rotting away. The portch is only few square, feet enough for a door to open over and take one step out onto the portch before you get to the steps. I lifted up one of the wooden boards on the portch and saw that is rotted and I can look down into the courner of my basement.
What is the best way to fix this, what type of wood, what type of paint or is there a nice plastic type of good waterproof solution to this porblem? I live near a lowes, so anything I get would be from there. I basically have no idea what Im doing, thanks for any help!

Answer 1

I agree with him, u need to fix this problem quick before it becomes a bigger problem..always use treated wood out side,,

Answer 2

A couple things to add to the other answers:

This is usually a rather easy fix. Even without blueprints, if you just remove things carefully and sketch how they were set up, you can usually rebuild it just the way it was.

It MIGHT require a building permit in your locality. You should check on that. Permits are a pain, but they help ensure a safer project, and make it easier should you decide to sell later.

If you decide the job is too big or your skills are not up to it right now, consider contracting it out to a small home improvement company or 'fix it guy'. Often, by the time you buy the tools and supplies you need, and factor in the nuisance value, it is sometimes just easier to hire it out instead of doing it yourself.

Finally- beware the Old House Curse. The older the house, the bigger pain even a seemingly simple project can turn into! You might find that the porch is connected to a rotting foundation, or that there is some non-standard element that turns out to be almost impossible to replace or replicate.

In an older home, EVERY project takes longer to do and costs more than it should because of the Curse!

Answer 3

The first thing I would do since it is a small porch would be to take exact measurements of every piece of wood on the porch. Then remove it. Take care to see how it is attached to the house. because you'll have to attach the new porch the same way.
Then go to Lowe's and have the same pieces cut to length in pressure treated wood. Then assemble the new porch using either spiral deck nails or galvanized deck screws.(Lowe's usually has a 12 volt Ryobi screw gun on sale for about 60 or 70 dollars.)

Answer 4

Take your dimensions to Lowes,they will set you up with a plan or blueprint,and the required lumber. Be sure to use treated lumber. It can be stained or painted after it weathers a month.

Answer 5

I guess you could also use plastic deck planking if you didn't want to use treated wood. Remember to use the correct fastners for the type of wood you use.

Answer 6

If the wood is rotted all you can do is to rebuild the whole thing. I would suggest using pressure treated (Wolmanized) lumber.