Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Porch tear-down help
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lsault
09-13-03, 09:08 AM
Forgive my ignorance. I am very new to all this.
I have an old home that needs many repairs and I cannot finance a contractor right now. What I desperately need to do before the winter is tear-down the front porch. I have no idea where to begin. I am concerned with safety, etc. as I will probably be doing this all by myself.
I would appreciate any tips, URLS, etc. Thanks.
Lisa
I have an old home that needs many repairs and I cannot finance a contractor right now. What I desperately need to do before the winter is tear-down the front porch. I have no idea where to begin. I am concerned with safety, etc. as I will probably be doing this all by myself.
I would appreciate any tips, URLS, etc. Thanks.
Lisa
chfite
09-13-03, 11:16 PM
This site goes into it in a lot of detail.
http://www.tds.holmesglen.vic.edu.au/bctoolbox/competency/demolition/job3/job.htm
Essentially, you start at the end of the construction and take it apart working back to the beginning of construction. That is, take out the insides, take of the roofing, take off the rafters, take off the joists, and so forth.
You might check with your municipality to see if you need a permit for this work. Check to see about disposal of all this debris before you start. Sometimes disposing of construction materials is rather expensive, if not planned in your budget. You might check with your homeowner's insurance carrier to see if this is a matter of concern. You might want to get some advice and determination of the presence of power, water, and telephone in the structure you plan to demolish. You might want to evaluate the structural nature of the porch before demolishing it. Demolition may have a detrimental affect on the rest of your house. (It really depends upon how your house is built. It would be a structural matter to remove the porch from my house, for instance.)
Hope this helps.
http://www.tds.holmesglen.vic.edu.au/bctoolbox/competency/demolition/job3/job.htm
Essentially, you start at the end of the construction and take it apart working back to the beginning of construction. That is, take out the insides, take of the roofing, take off the rafters, take off the joists, and so forth.
You might check with your municipality to see if you need a permit for this work. Check to see about disposal of all this debris before you start. Sometimes disposing of construction materials is rather expensive, if not planned in your budget. You might check with your homeowner's insurance carrier to see if this is a matter of concern. You might want to get some advice and determination of the presence of power, water, and telephone in the structure you plan to demolish. You might want to evaluate the structural nature of the porch before demolishing it. Demolition may have a detrimental affect on the rest of your house. (It really depends upon how your house is built. It would be a structural matter to remove the porch from my house, for instance.)
Hope this helps.
lsault
09-14-03, 07:27 AM
Yes it helps. Thank you!
You have given me some things to consider before I begin this project.
The section of my house where the front porch is was built in the early 1800s. The porch was added later and was poorly built. The roof began to sag and separate from the house. This past winter with the heavy snow and ice caused extensive damage. I expect the porch will not withstand another hard winter. Unfortunately, my insurance won't cover anything.
As for debris....I am hoping to salvage what I can. I live in farm country and see no problems with that aspect.
Thanks again for your reply.
Lisa
You have given me some things to consider before I begin this project.
The section of my house where the front porch is was built in the early 1800s. The porch was added later and was poorly built. The roof began to sag and separate from the house. This past winter with the heavy snow and ice caused extensive damage. I expect the porch will not withstand another hard winter. Unfortunately, my insurance won't cover anything.
As for debris....I am hoping to salvage what I can. I live in farm country and see no problems with that aspect.
Thanks again for your reply.
Lisa
chfite
09-14-03, 08:20 AM
Here is some information on a little-known program for rehabilitating old houses.
http://www.hud.gov/progdesc/203k--df.cfm
Hope this helps.
http://www.hud.gov/progdesc/203k--df.cfm
Hope this helps.