# Adding to Concrete Porch + Steps?



## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

Please see attached photos. This is my first major DIY project (aside from small household plumbing, shower caulking, drywall repair, etc.). Please do critique and offer any advice, much appreciated!!! I have an old, solid porch that I'll be adding to by the amount in photo (about 2.5 feet pushed out). 

Plan: 2 yards (calculated to about 1.85 needed+in case) of Ready-mix concrete at 4k PSI with fiber mesh will be delivered once I'm done with step forming. The new area has solidly compacted dirt, 4-5 inches of compacted gravel, sized steel remesh sheets - held up with seats, and 1/2" x 1ft rebar spaced and epoxied into old porch to keep new portion well connected and supported together with old porch. I will pour over entire formed area, with old porch receiving about 3.5" of fresh concrete and the new area about 6.5" of concrete. My friend suggested that the 3" on new area was a bit too shallow to use remesh sheets in? So I figured that area will be reinforced by the fiber mesh, and new area by the steel + fiber. Note that new steps stringers are just set in photo for approximate placement dry run, not my process for completion .

Porch addition area is all ready to go (I know ideally I'd remove all tile from old porch but have decided to leave it as the only compromise as they are seriously well-set and removing them will start to break concrete underneath and I'm not prepared to demo entire old porch over porch foundation. Side of form has been graded away. 

My primary questions at this point:

1) Am I starting the new side steps correctly? I was going to place them (stake/level/compact soil/gravel/add riser containment), and cut the porch 2x8 form in that spot and connect stringers on each side of cut so it all pours as one piece. Should I put a couple rebars out of old porch there like on other side to reinforce stair connection to porch? Or should I do porch, and completely separately after porch is cured, add on stairs on side?

2) The old step that you see on porch that is in process of demo. My buddy suggested the right thing to do is demo that step and make a fresh form. I know that with new porch height I'll need to add an inch or two onto it if I leave it, with forms. Do I really need to demo this step (it's a real pain to demo, but will if it's a big right thing to do)?

3) Also, I'll be pouring in weather down to 40-50 degree range (Long Island, NY pre-thanksgiving). Any tips for additives/pouring/curing in this weather?

Thanks for any [email protected]!!!


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## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

*Anybody?*

Bump. Thanks.


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## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

*Anybody?*

Accidental double bump, sorry.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

why the wire mesh ? at least you have it supported which's more than the usual conc jabonies :laughing: most important you have your jnt in the right place - 3' on center should be safe enough,,, we wouldn't use exp jnt against the existing, either :thumbsup:


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## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

*Concrete Pour*



itsreallyconc said:


> why the wire mesh ? at least you have it supported which's more than the usual conc jabonies :laughing: most important you have your jnt in the right place - 3' on center should be safe enough,,, we wouldn't use exp jnt against the existing, either :thumbsup:


Thank you very much for replying to the thread and offering advice! Much appreciated.

Why the wire mesh? I had figured at less than $20 it was cheap insurance policy, no?

What do you mean by "most important you have your jnt in the right place - 3' on center should be safe enough"? Do you mean make sure to put in an control/expansion joint within 3' of the center of the new pour? Also, with control joint from front to back, should I just use a groover or actually place in one of those hard black felt expansion joints found at big box stores (if relevant I'll probably end up with tiles/pavers over the slab - I wanted to do Ipe but have learned that it's not a good idea to place it right near the concrete floor and would need too much clearance beneath)?

Exp joint or anything against the house on porch, along length of pour? 

Thanks again!


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... It looks pretty good to me,...
I'd probably hammer some of the top off the old step being covered...
It'll be thin otherwise, 'n if water gets under it, it might break-up...

I like steel too,... I'd probably throw a sheet down where the overlay is, 'n tie it to what's there...
Spaced on chunks of 2xs, it'll be about centered in the mix...

It don't look like the joint at the house has moved,... expansion board might be Ok, or unnecessary,..
Donno...
You might get away with just striking off some joints,...
It's concrete, it's gonna crack,... Hopefully where ya want it too...

Oh,... Remember to pitch it Away,....:thumbsup:


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

Here's my opinion on a few things I see:

1) Be sure to add a control joint (either "tooled" in when concrete is wet, or sawed in the next day) directly over where the existing stoop ends. You're cantilevering a 3.5" concrete pad over a frost protected stoop, and you're new pour will certainly crack there at some point. By dimensions, it may seem like an odd place aesthetically, but get creative with the joints, and you can make it work.

2) I'd personally use mesh or rebar in the entire thing, and skip the fiber all together, but that's just based off of my own past professional experiences. There are others on here that wouldn't agree.

3) I'd either move the end form (the side where your steps will be) out about 6", or remove about 6" of existing stoop. When you strip th eform later, that edge will mot be very appealing with the cold seem, not to mention the concrete oozing out from the pour.

4) You don't need to actually cut a stringer for the steps, just leave the 2x12's whole and nail/screw the risers in place. More room for fine tuning and a stronger temporary form. Don't forget to add about an inch batter to the risers to allow for more comfortable steps.


Good luck with the project. :thumbsup:


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## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

Thank you guys. I'll review everything and post update next week. Monday I plan to lay the concrete (coordinating physical help and ready-mix).


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## 99altrade (Nov 18, 2010)

*Follow-up*

Didn't realize I left this thread without an after pic. Please see porch/CMU wall pics in following thread (scroll through to find newly poured concrete porch) for after pics of this project. Thank you for any help you guys offered. Hope this helps future DIY concrete newbs (like myself):

http://www.diychatroom.com/f19/diy-transformation-recovering-equity-through-sweat-b-pics-112630/


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