In your entire house, your front porch is one of the fixtures that can quite easily be damaged or destroyed by the elements—and since aesthetics is actually one of the main reasons of having a porch in the first place, it’s imperative that you have it repaired as soon as possible. While it’s important to call a professional for help, there are certain fixes that you might be able to do on your own.
Dealing with a Rotten Porch
To fix a wooden porch that’s been rotted over, it’s important to cut off the damaged part. Do this by making a cut in the damaged board that’s right next to an unaffected one, and make sure that its grooves are facing the other boards that will have to be replaced. You can do this by using a saw and a chisel to drive out the piece.
Now that you have an opening, stick a pry bar into the cut and start removing the rotten wood boards. Don’t forget to keep the undamaged ones as pristine as possible.
You can remove rotten joists by taking out the fasteners that keep them attached to the rim joists. When replacing the wooden board and joists with fresh ones, make sure to measure the area that needs refitting so you won’t end up with ill-fitted replacements.
If repairing your porch proves to be tougher than you expected, it would be best for you to call on professionals to get the job done.
