Your front porch is the first thing your guests see, so you want it to be an attractive part of your home and be in good repair. If your porch is sinking, cracked, or rotting, consider calling a porch repair company like Framar Construction to get your porch back in good shape. All these problems and more can be repaired using the right tools and methods. Here's a look at some porch repairs your home may need.
Lift Sunken Concrete Slab
If you have a concrete porch on a slab, your porch can develop problems if the slab shifts or sinks due to changes in the soil. The porch may sink, tilt, or pull away from your house. This is not only unsightly, but it can also be dangerous for guests who may trip on the porch when going in or out of your house.
Sunken concrete can be lifted and leveled so the positioning of your porch is restored to normal. This can be done by drilling small holes in the concrete so cement or expanding foam can be pumped under the slab and into the soil. This stabilizes the soil, lifts the porch, and provides a stable surface for the concrete slab.
Replace Rotted Posts
If your porch has a roof held up by wood posts, the posts may need to be replaced when they rot or become damaged. This entails removing the old posts and putting in new ones of the same size and style. However, the roof has to be jacked up a bit so the new posts can slide in place. This is done by placing supports on jacks on each side of the post to be replaced.
The contractor then jacks up the roof a small bit so the old post can be removed and the new one put in place. An old post can be sawed for easy removal, but the new one has to be positioned in one piece, so it's necessary to lift the roof. Once the new post is in place, the roof is lowered to rest on the post. If your porch has trouble with wood rotting, the contractor may also have to replace railing posts and the guardrail, and these can be torn out and replaced without having to bother with the roof.
Fill In Cracks
Cracks are common in concrete. It can happen if the soil shifts or due to settling of the porch. If the slab is sunken too, the crack may even out and close when the sunken part of the porch is lifted. Still, you'll want to have all cracks filled and the tops smoothed over so they aren't trip hazards.
You may want to talk to the contractor about ways to improve the appearance of the concrete once the cracks are filled. You might want to paint, stain, seal, or polish the concrete so it has a more attractive appearance to go along with the repaired and improved condition of your porch.
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