How to Frame a Veranda

Sketch the size and shape of the wraparound porch. Design the roof to slope at least 30 degrees and allow at least 8 feet for the porch depth -- the perpendicular distance from the wall of the house to the edge of the porch. Build the overall dimensions to complement the house design, taking into account placement of doors and windows. Select pressure-treated redwood, cypress or cedar lumber to construct the framing.

Dig the footings for a concrete or wooden porch below the frost line, using a trencher. Install concrete, reinforced with metal grid, at least 8 inches deep to support the porch weight. Cut wooden posts from 8-inch-square post material using a circular saw. Frame the floor area using 2-by-8-inch boards, mitering the extreme corners so framework and floorboards fit a 45 degree angle in each corner.

Install joists with hurricane clips to the ledger board that you will bolt to the house framing. Place the floor joists perpendicular to the house walls. Cut support framework in the porch corners to provide significant strength to floorboards. Install cut framing boards in corners using 4-inch screws driven in toenail (angled) fashion with a electric driver; this will keep the veranda from having a spongy walking surface when the flooring is in place.

Build the roof framing and attach it to a top ledger board with bolts or lag screws. Cut the framing with a circular saw, angling the roof rafters to slope at the proper angle to fit with the house roof. Install roof rafters on 16-inch centers, in which the distance between the center of one rafter and the center of the next one is exactly 16 inches. Support the roof framing with temporary support posts so you can add premade columns or posts later.

Install floorboards with bugle-head deck screws. Allow two screws for the width of each board, driven every 7 or 8 inches. Lay a corner board at the porch diagonal corner from the house façade to the extreme corner. Cut the outer corner shape to a point that will fit the L-shape design, using a compound mitre saw. Trim the boards in varying lengths to fit the 45 degree angle formed by the diagonal board.

Cut fascia boards to cap the ends of the porch floor joists. Use high-quality wood for the fascia boards so there are no dents or knots showing from any angle. Paint the fascia boards to match the floor posts or columns you will install.

Finish up the roof sheathing, install flashing with tar, and add asphalt shingles. Nail ½-inch plywood over the roof rafters before smoothing on tar with a trowel along the house seam. Cut and fit metal flashing and nail it into place. Apply more tar and install shingles.

Cut porch post material and install it on top of the finished porch flooring, allowing floor boards to overhang the fascia board by 4 inches. Add railings or decorative trim. Be sure to install molding next to the house wall edge at the floor level to hide rough floorboard edges.