Can I Enlarge My Raised Concrete Porch With Paving Brick?

Raised Concrete Porch Construction

• Concrete porches are usually covered with a roof. This means the porch has to bear the weight of the structural members for roof support, and the roof itself. A raised concrete porch is built with a footing and foundation wall system, with a slab poured between for the porch surface. Depending on the height, it may also be built using piers -- concrete posts -- to support the slab. Framing for the roof is constructed on the foundation.

Brick Pavers

• Site preparation and construction for brick and concrete surfaces is similar, differing mainly in the material used for the surface. For raised structures finished with brick pavers, such as above-grade patios, a retaining wall is constructed. Retaining walls are either gravity walls, with no footing, or a footing and foundation wall system. Retaining walls are built from concrete or segmental brick. A raised porch carries the weight of the vertical structure as well and requires a stronger retaining wall than a patio.

Enlarging the Concrete Porch with Brick Pavers

• Enlarging the raised concrete porch means adding another footing and foundation wall, whether the surface is concrete or brick. For a covered porch, a concrete foundation is the strongest choice. The new foundation is doweled into the existing foundation with reinforced steel bar (rebar). The void between the walls is filled with granular material and bedding sand, and the brick laid on top, flush with the existing concrete porch floor.

Additional Considerations

• It's possible to enlarge a raised concrete porch with brick pavers, but it's not necessarily easier or less expensive than concrete, depending on the height of the retaining wall and whether it's a covered structure. Regulations may limit the size of the porch, leaving less room for the brick. An alternative is to use brick for the walkway or apply brick veneer for the porch foundation, for a pleasing complement to the concrete porch.