Concrete & Brick Porch Details

Porches

• Porch design often reinforces the form and theme of the main house, especially in the front yard. Side and rear porches tend to be less imposing and formal. Porches are usually built with the same materials and quality of workmanship as the rest of the house, though wood is the most common material for porch construction. A porch roof is typically finished with similar trim and ornamentation details as the house's main roof.

Porch Design

• Roofs on porches need foundation support, consisting of concrete piers or footings and foundation walls for raised porches or slab-on-grade for porches at ground level. Brick may be installed on the foundation of a raised structure, and even on posts and pillars, to complement a house that's finished in brick. For period architecture, columns and posts are character-setting features for the house, often elaborately detailed and finished with complex woodworking techniques in the trim work.

Maintenance Matters

• Exposed surfaces, such as stairs and railings, are subject to moisture penetration, which can lead to degradation of the material. Mortar joints in brick will erode and deteriorate. Vigorous cleaning of bricks, such as sandblasting, can remove the protective cover, leaving the brick exposed to moisture that eventually migrates to the porch foundation. Spalling -- or flaking -- of brick and concrete surfaces results from moisture. Concrete stairs become a hazard to walk on once surface defects set in.

Repair of Brick and Concrete

• Undertake repair of concrete and brick materials on porches with care. When mortar joints have receded to 1/2 inch or more behind the surface, they need to be repointed, using the same mortar mix as originally applied. Often low-strength cement mortar is more appropriate than modern high-strength cement. Concrete stairs are difficult to repair once they've deteriorated and should be rebuilt instead, staying close to the original design. Make sure surfaces are pitched to shed water.