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Porches & Decks

updating front stoop, concrete

17 years ago

Hi,

I just bought a little bungalow that is in very good shape, with the exception of the front porch/stoop. I have arranged to replace the wooden steps, but I'm wondering what I should do with the concrete part.

It's very solid and I haven't noticed any cracks. The railing is also in good shape.

Obviously, that carpet stuff has to go. But then what?

Scrape and paint? Cover the whole thing in wood? (there is room to extend it like a porch toward where the camera is, but there is a little metal roof right over the door, so that might look weird.)

What sort of materials are used on this? Is it a fairly easy DIY project?

Any advice on what to do with is is much appreciated.

Not a lot of dollars for this right now - I'm mainly looking for cosmetic solution rather than a whole remodel.

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Comments (5)

gorillabuilder
17 years ago
First thing.
Visit the previous owner. Ring his doorbell. When he opens the door. Slap him in the face with a white glove.
I can't believe he had the nuts to sell his property without taking 1 Saturday afternoon to rip those stairs and carpet out. What a friggen pig. What was he doing, holding mud-wrestling bouts on his back porch.
Rip those stairs out, and carpet.. right off the bat.
Get a concrete cleaner. Then you can replace those stairs.
If you don't want to spend too much money or time, simply get an outdoor carpet and lay that down.
On the left side of the picture I see cracked concrete. Make sure your structure is sound.
I'm sure alot of people will give you ideas to do with this.. from extending it, the roof, to laying down wood, tile.. polishing the concrete, etching it... you have alot of ideas to consider.. but since you said budget is limited... a good cleaning, new stairs will improve it 100%..
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chris_ont
Original Author
17 years ago
Heh, I guess this looks worse than it is. It was raining heavily that day and the water stains make this look awful. Or worse, anyway.
Can concrete cleaner be bought anywhere, as in Home Depot etc? Is there a brand?

Regarding the left side. I'm not sure it's a crack (see pic). The slab seems to be sitting on concrete pillars poured with sono tubes (or however that works). It does look rather worn, doesn't it?

Maybe I ought to look into having the whole thing taken down and replace with a little wooden porch. Some day :)
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I don't think this is up to code and I'm surprised this even got past your home inspector. He is liable for that if he did not specify in his report that it wasn't up to code when you purchased the home. I believe you have up to one year from the time of inspection. That's your first issue. Next, my main concern would be curb appeal, and how your changes are going to have an impact on your investment. What is going to look better for the next buyer when you try to sell the house? I would not do a pergola or trellis. A pergola is more suited for a patio area, and a trellis is only going to cheapen the look of your home, and most of these have to be painted. That means long term maintenance. We've done so many renovations on our home, and made a lot of mistakes because we tried to go the cheap route. I would call around for contractors - I can't imagine that a new concrete slab on the front will cost too much money. My neighbor has a huge front porch that he had completely done over along with his front sidewalk and steps, and he paid less than $5k, and what you have is a lot less. I would just expand or replace the concrete slab on the front to make it wider - maybe just a foot or so on each side - it will give the illusion of a bigger house with a wider porch, put railings around the perimeter and up the steps, and you can put one concrete planter on each side of the front porch (one in each corner) for symmetry and curb appeal. In the long run, you will be happy you did. If that isn't doable, I would at the very least replace the stairs with concrete steps going up to the porch, and widen them. They should be at least as wide as the door frame. It will look much better than what you have. You could also try adding pavers on each side of your walkway leading up to the porch. That would look nice too.
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I'd suggest visiting a place that does ornamental iron work. They should know the right folks based on the work they've seen while installing railings.
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Photos of our steps. It's mostly porch but there's a side stoop with the stone top. Sorry about the dust, can't bring myself to wash the steps since we're in a drought. Now that I think about it, the concrete risers were not actually sacked as the architect had specified (rubbed finish to remove air holes and imperfections) but there is some kind of applied finish. The concrete folks put samples up on a grade beam and I banged those up before choosing one. Your slate is really pretty. Good luck!
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I think that would look very nice. But it’s a big project. I’m also not seeing the entire house. But from what I see it seems more modern. Adding a porch will add a bit of craftsman style. And you may need to tweak some other things. I think it could work nicely but I’m hesitant. Can you take a picture from further back?
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mike_kaiser_gw
17 years ago
Before I'd spend too much money, I'd have the structure evaluated. With just one picture it's hard to tell but I'm not sure I like the look of connection between the footing and slab.

Assuming the structure is ok, the cheapest solution is to just clean things up. Rip up the carpeting. A little concrete cleaner (available at any home center) and perhaps a power washer. Repair/replace stairs. Some lumberyards sell precut stringers.

When the budget allow you could put down a wooden deck. Use sleepers directly on the concrete and your decking over that. New railing or reuse the old one.

"Ask This Old House" did a segment on spiffying up an concrete porch. Not quite what you have but the idea is the same. You might want to watch for it.

Mike
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behaviorkelton
17 years ago
Chris,

How do you post a pic in this forum? Is there a FAQ on this?

Kelton
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chris_ont
Original Author
17 years ago
See below

Here is a link that might be useful: how to post pictures
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