Porch Redesign / Rebuild 

One visit home, I realized the porch at my Father’s house was looking really shabby. I also noticed the railing trembled under his weight, and the doormat was rotting in front of the door. A sad state of affairs for an elderly man who lived alone and had mobility issues. I got it in my head that it had to be rebuilt right away, and more precisely, I was going to try to do it myself. Below are pictures of the porch before the renovation.

I created a Sketchup model to envision how I might improve what had been shoddily done before. Unfortunately, I was somewhat locked in to certain dimensions, as I decided to keep the concrete pad and also the underlying frame (which was in good enough shape). I did all the demolition myself, discovering split posts and worse, rotting wood under the mat by the entrance, so soft I could pass through it with a crowbar, like cutting butter. It was chilling to imagine what might have happened after another wet winter.

Ultimately, somehow, it all came together. Here’s the before and after photos side by side.