How should I repair this porch?


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Old 10-30-16, 04:14 PM
A
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How should I repair this porch?

I've got an old house that has a porch that starting to fall apart. The porch and a majority of the home's foundation is brick. I don't want to become a bricklayer so I will probably have to hire someone to make those repairs but should I reuse brick or should I just rip the whole thing down and build it back out of block and wood? I kind of like brick but not sure if I like the look of this brick in particular. Looking for opinions.

In addition to the brick work, the wood flooring has some rotting issues and will need to be replaced at some point soon. So I'll have to tear all of that out anyways.

Photos of the porch for some reference: Porch issues - Album on Imgur

Thanks~
 
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Old 10-30-16, 05:41 PM
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Not the pro here but a few questions that may help the pro's. Tear steps out and redo or just fix brick work? See you are going to redo floor.
 
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Old 10-30-16, 06:10 PM
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Does not look that bad in the picture, just needs to be tuck pointed.
 
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Old 11-01-16, 09:47 PM
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So it looks like I can just buy some mortar repair stuff and fix the brick mortar spots with that. Is that pretty reliable and last a while? Or should I hire someone just to do that?

As far as the floor goes. I'm a little scared someone is going to fall in at part of it. So I guess I'll have to rip the entire thing out and redo it. Would that include just mounting joists to the brick or block underneath and putting new hardwood on it. I've never replaced a porch before.

Here are some more photos of the porch issues. Specifically where the steps are seperated from the walkway and water is forming down there when it rains. That may not be a big deal but it definitely isnt even accross the gap. There is a photo of a piece of wood stuck in the mortar for some reason. And a photo of the porch where its starting to rot. Can I put a nice hardwood out there of some sort?

More Porch - Album on Imgur
 

Last edited by Alex Hackney; 11-01-16 at 09:48 PM. Reason: I spell like a 3rd grader.
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Old 11-02-16, 03:26 AM
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It's a fairly simple job to tuck point the brick. The main thing is doing it neatly and not gobbing mortar onto the face of the brick. I assume that thin piece of wood in the mortar was used as a shim but it shouldn't have been left there.

Normally decking is made of PT pine, cedar, redwood or composite, occasionally cyprus because of their ability to withstand moisture. Finished hardwood might do ok if the porch stays fairly dry. The joists may or may not need replacing but should install the same way the originals were. Post a pic when you get that far and we can verify.
 
 

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