Working up a price and plan to build a 27×14 screened porch with shed roof coming off the side of a guy’s carport.
Gotta bust up patio and pour a new slab, but instead of pouring around sunked PT posts at the corners I thought I might try another technique.
How about putting in anchor bolts, and building hollow corners with 2x’s? Then using a coupling and threaded rod I’d tighten down on the “post” like a 9′ tall newel (sp?) post. Then, I’d run doubled-up 2x6s or 8s on top of my posts to rest the rafters coming down shed-style from the carport roof.
I thought about this cause it’s just so hard to get PT posts that are straight to begin with or that stay straight and don’t get those big cracks.
I’d like to here others’ opinions and ideas. Thanks.
MikeVB
Replies
The obvious; why not use the PT posts and wrap them with cedar/Azek/whatevertripsyourtrigger? Gotta be easier/cheaper than building hollow posts, etc. Would be a lot easier to work with as well, a box beam of 2x doug fir probably weighs a bit more than a 4x4. By 2 or 3 times. Not to mention wrapping the posts offers more opportunity to be creative with router bits, etc.
My $.02 worth.
Edit, when I wrap a post, whether or not it's twisted, I preassemble three sides of the wrap and shim out two sides of the post. The fourth side goes on with no problem.
Edited 1/25/2005 10:32 pm ET by NickNuke'em
Without seeing your drawings, I don't know if your screened porch will have a 2ft or 3ft kneewall running between the porch posts. If your porch plans are incorporating these knee walls, with the screened window areas resting above such walls, then just pour your slab and later, bolt down a mud sill. Use PT 4X4 posts placed at the corners and one 4X4 in the center. The posts can be attached to the mudsill via simpson anchor tie plates. The tie plate hardware will not be visible once the kneewall is sheathed.
From the top of the kneewall, up to the roof beam, simply wrap the 4x4s with 1X material, or pad out with 1x material and finish wrap with aluminum coil stock.
Since the 4x4s are tied to the sill plate, and the sill is anchored to the slab, there can be no uplift. And, because the infill areas (kneewall) are tied into each post, there will be plenty of lateral support for the posts so to keep them from racking or kicking out.
If the above described porch is not your planned porch design, and you don't want to use PT for the corners, then one option would be to use 3 inch square steel posts. Embed the posts in the concrete and weld a bracket on the top to which the main beam( dbl 2x6s or 2X8s) can be bolted to. Again, if you want, you can easily pad out these posts with 1x material... or simply paint the posts with rustoleum and be done with them.
Just my 2 cents.
Good luck with your porch.
Davo
You can't buy a hollow post. We use them all the time bc the solid ones twist so bad. We just order them from the local yard. Most here in Louisiana stock them. They are basically treated 2x6s made into a post.
Thanks for the help, Kyle. I think I especially like the steel post idea, I hadn't considered that.
In most parts of the country, burying wood posts (even if treated) in the ground as a part of a "permanent" structure is fairly sloppy, IMO. Much better to anchor on top of the slab (with some sort of standoff where possible), or bury a metal post.
Of course, keep in mind that whatever scheme is used must meet wind uplift resistance requirements. In our part of the country an engineer would have to stamp the plans.
I agree on the "sloppy" issue. That's one reason I asked about the idea of the hollow 2x posts with tightened down threaded rod through it. I've seen it done on some 200K houses for porch posts. Of course, there's a lot more downforce on them than would be on my screened porch frame.
I also was concerned about the structure racking since it's going to be fairly lightly framed.
On the metal post idea - if you wanted to bury it right in the corner would it be difficult to form and weld a bracket to accomodate the doubled 2x8s meeting at the top?
I'm trying to convince the fellow that it would be worth the 3K in the long run to have 2' high brick knee walls built around the structure and then frame up the screens from there. That would eliminate worries regarding blown in water sitting up against the walls (which his neighbor whom he is copying regrets), fewer termite worries, and would blend better with the home and carport.
In fact, while typing this I've decided I might just get a price on just building brick columns for the corners. How do ya like them apples?
Mike,
If you know any decent welders, they can easily fabricate a top plate that you can bolt your beams to...it's very simple.
As for your brick column idea, I think that would be a great look . But I don't know much about what brick can support...so I'd opt for a post and then brick around it.
Food for thought.
Davo