How to Build a Wooden Entrance to a Mobile Home

Use graph paper to draw a stand-alone roof space. Draw the roof area to extend over the mobile home edge, so that the door area is protected. Don’t necessarily attach the wooden entrance structure to the house structure, unless the home is on a permanent lot for years to come. Sketch the roof shape to look harmonious with the outline of the mobile home. Use a hip roof with three sloping sides or a timber-frame gable roof to cover the porch structure.

Draw the decking and railing. Don’t plan elaborate railings in most cases. Use simple square balusters and basic 8-inch square posts. Create the roofing and deck space as one unit, which will rest on a concrete foundation. Give the decking dimensions to accommodate seating in a 9-by-12-foot area, for example. Plan steps that lead to the driveway that are wide enough for two people passing. Make the steps as wide as 4 feet, if you have room.

Install the concrete foundation sections or deck pilings first. Create a concrete footing to hold the deck support posts by using 2-by-6 boards to form 12-inch square boxes. Dig out the dirt for the concrete slab sections and build the boxes even with ground level. Pour concrete 6 inches deep in each slab box.

Cut the deck floor joists from 2-by-12 boards with a circular saw. Create the floor framework by placing joists on 16-inch centers. Use 8-inch square post material to cut deck support posts. Get friends to help assemble the floor framing. Install floor joists using 4-inch screws and joist hangers. Go back and install the deck floor covering as a DIY project, cutting enough 2-by-6 boards to fit the entire walking area of the deck. Build basic wooden railing or install premade metal railings.

Run electrical wiring to the new porch space. Use conduit for post lanterns you want to install, for example.

Build the deck roof area after the deck floor boards are in place. Construct the roof support posts to rest on deck flooring versus tying them in with railings. Build the roof separately, so it can have more architectural details for its support posts -- instead of looking like part of the deck railing. Purchase premade exterior post material to support the porch roof, making all cuts on the bottom of the posts only. Use a circular saw to cut the roof rafters and ridge board. Assemble the roof sections with bolts to prevent strong winds from dismantling it.

Cover the roof with ½-inch plywood and add metal roofing or cedar shakes. Install guttering and downspouts to shed rain. Enclose the underside of the porch with bead board paneling for a finished look.