Back Porch Project: Floor Part 2

 Continued from Part 1

So here's where we left off last time.

The porch floor was completed almost to the top of the old concrete porch. Before Dan could continue, he had to address two things:

• How to fasten the wood flooring to the concrete
• The levelness gap between the old porch and the new. The old porch slopes away from the house, while the new floor does not. 

Picture from last post.

Then there were questions about the porch roof posts and the downspout. 

Photo from January 2020, before
Dan replaced the knee braces.

The little roof is narrow and only there to keep the rain off your head when opening the back door. The posts sit on each edge of the concrete porch. Since we're extending the porch to the house, we wondered about the farthest post. It might be in the way; something to have to walk around when the new porch is finished. Both porch corners have a knee braces on the ends, so Dan wasn't sure we needed both posts. 

The remaining center post would have to be shortened because the floor will be raised by the thickness of the boards. Another detail to tend to.

The other item in question was the downspout. 

Photo from when we were just getting started.

To leave it he would have to cut the floor to accommodate it and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that. And then there was the idea of crawling around under the porch if the downspout needed maintenance. Instead, Dan decided he would move it to the other side of the porch roof where it can drain into the driveway. 

Decisions made, it was time to get to work. Here's what Dan did to install the wood boards over the old concrete porch. He made tapered shims. 

Violet

To fill in the space where the first concrete step made a hole, he fitted the board in the space as a joist with a long tapered end.

I have no idea if that description makes sense, but I think the pictures explain it better than me!

Gracie and Violet are playing ambush-and-pounce. That's Gracie on
the concrete, while Violet is below, hiding under the board floor.

The shims took several fittings and trimmings for snug placement. Once he was satisfied, Dan glued them in place with adhesive, weighted them with bricks, and let sit until the next day.

To install the boards, he predrilled holes with a concrete drill bit. 

Concrete screws were used to secure the boards in place. 

Adhesive flashing along the edge of the exterior wall.

So here it as at the moment, with a new porch post.

The new porch floor is very solid underfoot.

Cat trivia: One feature you might have noticed is our kitty door. I have to mention an interesting historical tidbit I picked up while listening to Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery on audiobook. He spent his early childhood as a slave on a plantation in Virginia. He noted that every house, from mansion to shack, every house had a cat door. Kitty doors are nothing new.

Porch railing is next.

Back Porch Project: Floor Part 2 © 2026

by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

Back Porch Project: Floor Part 1

After the stairway was built, the floor was next. The first part, screwing the floor boards to the framing, was pretty straightforward.

Even though all the boards are pressure treated, Dan took an extra weatherproofing precaution of painting the joists with plastic roof cement. 

It's both a sealant and adherent, and so an extra measure toward the sturdiness and longevity of our porch. After each board was positioned, he screwed it in place.

It feels so good to have a sturdy floor under our feet!

That's as far as he got for the first part. The second part was covering the old concrete porch floor. This step was a bit trickier because it meant screwing the boards into concrete, but also because the concrete porch floor sloped downward quite a bit.

In the above photo, if you follow the edge of the old porch from left to right, you can see the difference in levelness with the new porch framing. This required extra thought and planning. I'll show you what he did next time. 

Back Porch Project: Floor Part 1 © 2026

by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

Back Porch Project: New Stairway

In my last back porch project post, I showed you the finished framing with only a stepladder to get up into the house! The stairway was next.  

Footer blocks in place with rebar sticking up from them.

Dan drills holes in the bottom of the posts to fit over the rebar.

We debated whether to run the stairs straight down toward the driveway, or with a landing and face them toward the back, like the old ones were. Somehow a landing feels a little safer for anyone standing on the edge of the porch. Plus facing back will make quicker access to the clothesline and garden.

Pre-cut stringers are available, but we could only find them in 3-step, 4-step, or 5-step lengths. We needed 6 steps so Dan cut his own. 

I was busy elsewhere and didn't get pictures of him installing the stringers and treads, so the next photos are how it looks now. 

The pavers were put down before the steps were installed. Something to walk on instead of puddles and mud when the weather is soggy! Plus, even though the lumber is super-duper treated for ground contact, the pavers protect the wood from the damp ground anyway, and give a solid level base for the bottom step. 

They still need staircase railings, but first Dan wants to put down the porch floor. Then all the railing work can be installed in the same project phase.

I have to say that it is so much nicer to use even, properly built stairs! The old stairs will not be missed.

Back Porch Project: New Stairway © 2026

by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com