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Temporary Enclosed Porch Ideas

5 years ago

I have recently bought a small home on a large piece of land. My long-term goal is to tear down the current home and build something bigger (5-10 years from now). There is a small enclosed porch (approx. 72" x 72") on the front of the current home that has to be taken down, due to rot and instability. The porch is independent of the home, with its own roof and structure. I would like to build something new, about the same size, but would also like to keep in mind that this is only temporary. I have a few questions in mind for this project:

Is it possible to build something modular, and have it detached and later reattached when it is time to build the new home? OR is it better just to build something temporary in the meantime?

The enclosed front porch will also need a new foundation. Staying within my budget, I would like to avoid the option of pouring concrete. What are a few other solutions for this? Cement foundation blocks, crushed stone, wooden frame, etc...

Just looking for some general ideas or opinions.

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Comments (3)

klem1
5 years ago
Hi Taylor,congrats on the new digs and best of luck as you persure your dream home. Your conservative and practical approach appeals to my own nature. I believe there's many others that need "bang for the buck" ideas so I'm invested on this and look forward to how others have accomplished similar needs.

I don't think it's pratical to attach this structure to a new home in the future. Exactly what function will this serve right now? Let's understand existing conditions and future plans. How far is it from ground to floor level of home? When you say "inclosed porch",do you mean with doors and windows or simply roof and 4 walls with open doorways? Can you describe or depict with a picture how the two roof lines interact now? Are you planning to have this new structure stand alone as a potting shed,storage building or such when new home is complete? When this structure serve's it's end purpouse,do you need it to be decorative in any way? The main challenges are type roof line that play's well with existing roof and bracing during construction so it will survive moving. My first inclination is portable building with skids and underpinning to conceal skids. Let's see what this look's like from other prospectives.
DavidR
5 years ago
Two thoughts, somewhat contradictory. :)

First, depending on what kind of shape your home is in, you might consider building the porch you really want now, and plan to expand your existing home in the future, rather than tearing it down and rebuilding. It's my view (and I know some will disagree) that new homes aren't as well built as older ones anyway.

In case you have any "green" inclinations, altering your present house is significantly less wasteful than sending it to the landfill.

Second, I'm not really a believer in either rebuilding or extensively altering houses. You don't get your money back when you sell -- not even close. IMO you'd be better served to forgo the porch now, and bank or invest the money you'd spend.

Then when those 5-10 years are up, you'll be better able to buy (or, if necessary, build) the home of your dreams. What's more, instead of paying laborers to knock down your present home and haul it away, you'll be able to sell it to someone else and maybe even realize a profit.
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Thanks, all for this input. This is a permitted project, so that will provide some protection, but I don't think code addresses mold on new wood. We recently had indoor air quality people come in because we had a big mold problem in the past, and we are vigilant about keeping our house mold free. My health had deteriorated after moving into our house in 2005. By late 2007 I was diagnosed with a serious lung condition, and following that, was told I had a rare immune deficiency that was always there, but was triggered by an illness or exposure to something harmful. For 2.5 years I received 5-6 hour intravenous infusions of plasma every three weeks, and was told I would need them for the rest of my life to avoid infections. During that time I coughed a lot, especially at night when lying down, so I slept about 3-4 hours/night. Once we figured out that we had mold and had it remediated, I got somewhat better, but I am nowhere near what I used to be. The air quality people who came last week confirmed that there is a bunch of new wood that has mold as well as some older beams and framing. Much to our dismay, they also called our attention to two heating ducts in the new area of construction that have been stuffed with fiberglass insulation. The other ducts have been properly taped until we are ready to use them, and that was done by the HVAC contractor. Our GC put the fiberglass in the other two, which we just can't believe he would do. We are going to move into temporary housing until this is all cleaned up and the sheet rock is installed. It's pretty discouraging after going through the process of eliminating mold, only to find that the contractor wasn't overseeing the cleanliness of new wood going in. There is a temporary furring strip right over our bed that is loaded with mold. We understand that lumber sits outside and can have mold on it, but it can be sanded off if done outdoors, or better yet, it could be avoided by choosing clean wood. My coughing is not quite as bad as it used to be, but it's close. I also have eye irritation that I never had before. So, I need to look at the plans and bid instructions to see if cleanliness of material is addressed, but even if they do not specifically address that, does anyone know whether we can reject new lumber that is moldy, based on industry standards?
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cat_ky
5 years ago
Since you plan on living in this house 5-10 yrs, I would make it a permanent addition. I wouldnt want to live there 10 yrs and not have the porch right, and who knows what comes up in the meantime, those 10 yrs could switch to 20 or more, or you may decide to sell and build elsewhere. Life has a way of changing, even though, we dont plan on some things.

Temporary Enclosed Porch Ideas

Comments (3)

klem1

DavidR

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cat_ky

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