Sun Porch base/post issues and wanting to build a deck!

[m1e1b1s1]

Hello all!

I am new here....

We purchased our home 13 years ago, 2 years prior to purchasing the house the owners added on a nice 25' x 12' sun porch, which is completely enclosed and attached to the house. We have a large ranch, so if looking at the front of the house, the sun porch runs the entire side on the left.

We need to replace the porch, exterior, that brings you onto the sun porch, which is our main entry way, as our door to the house is off the sun porch. In doing so, we decided now is the time to build the deck.

here is our problem...they didn't saunter tube the posts. The sun porch sits 42" from the ground, to the base of the porch. The posts look to be sitting on top of cement.

We are looking for the best way to jack the sun porch up, replace the posts and saunter tubing them, assuming that is the best way. We must do this prior to adding the deck. We live in the NE, and the sun porch has much too much movement in the winter with frost.
I have no idea how to attach pictures however can email them to anyone who thinks they can help.

If we hire a contractor to do the posts, we'll deplete our deck budget, so we're trying to do this ourselves, and can, we just don't know the best way!

The deck will be 10' wide, by 31' long, by 22'.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks ahead!

[kmapro]

Pardon my lack of knowledge, but I am not familiar with the term "saunter tube" - it may be called something else here in the south though...

The method that you have described your current post and pier is a very common practice. I agree that in areas where movement could be an issue, it shouldn't be used.

Here is a link that should help you out on how to redo the old posts and do the new ones:

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/decks/oldporch/found/footing.htm

I hope this helps....

[m1e1b1s1]

Thank you!!

That is exactly what I've been trying to find for weeks now......I've found articles, but nothing extensive.

Funny...the block they pulled out in the picture, is just what they did here! Unbelievable that someone would build an attached porch, such as ours....and just do that, especially where we live! Our porch wasn't a cheap addition....it's quite extensive, with vaulted ceilings etc, 11 windows, 2 doors, etc....and they didn't foot it right. We had some movement 3 years ago with the frost, heard a huge "bang" type sound, and the outside exterior porch literally ripped off the sun porch, so we dig up a corner to find that it was just on blocks.....

Now I've got it step by step, and it's pretty much what we were thinking...

I may have spelled saunter tube wrong....it's a tube, that you fill with concrete, rather than building a form.....I think (it's the wife here...LOL)

Now, to read the whole thing!

Thanks again...

[nanrehvasconez]

Sonotube® Concrete Forms can be purchase at home depot, et all

[smithartworks]

Free consult from the architect....

regardless if form your concrete with a sonetube or an inertube, a form is a form.... but concrete is not concrete.

right off hand it sounds as though the your porch addition foundation is not below the frost line, usually 40" (below grade, the ground surface).

2 major problems with buildings...water/moisture and movment, avoide them both and the bldg will be ahead of the life cycle curve.

this case sounds like movement due to the freeze-thaw cycle, it causes hydrostatic pressures (movement) ect, ect....

for example, the post and concrete pad connection may be just fine IF it stays dry and does not move.

- blocked -

peace

[mx2]

I'm not crazy about that link Kmapro, as I question a few of their approaches:

Although correct about the notion of reinforcing the center of a structural element, the "top and bottom" in this case is not entirely accurate. Usually we would detail a piling with vertical bars at each corner, tied together. The compression and tension are in the vertical axis. The two "x" bars are useless...

And second, why attach the wood columns to the anchors and then set the whole thing in WET concrete? It will settle and move. Typically the anchors are set in the wet concrete and then when its cured, the wood columns are set and attached in place.

And lastly, they show the top of concrete below grade (a few inches). That is exactly where most of the moisture will collect during rain and snow. I prefer to elevate the concrete and expose the wood to concrete connection. Add wood trim/molding around the metal anchors and slope the top of concrete away from the center.

One quick note on the issue of the block that were originally installed; the worse part of that practice is many will place the top block on its side to give a flat surface...effectively placing a point load right on about 1" of reinforced and weak concrete. It was predictable that you heard a loud pop!

mx2.5