I am planning a front porch addition to my existing 2 story brick veneer house. What is the typical method of attaching the roof framing to the brick veneer. Do I need to cut access holes to get to the existing band joist. Or should the whole porch be designed as a separately supported structure with columns against the house down to new footings? The roof design will either be a shed or hip style. Overall size of porch will be 22′-0″ x 9′-0″ deep. Thanks.
Rob
Replies
You don't want to attach framing through the brick. You need to remove some siding to attach the new framing to the sheathing/frame of the house. Seal and flash the connection, then bring the brick back down over the flashing. In some cases, a free standing structure is a good thing, like a deck. But I think that a covered porch really needs to be attached to the house, at least the roof part does.
My thoughts were to support the porch on a separate foundation entirely and then rely on anchors to the brick and/or framing behind for pull away resistance. With an open porch there is probably more uplift potential, so attaching to brick alone may not meet code. Maybe I'll stop by the plans examiners office and find out what they will accept. Thanks for your reply.
Rob