Framing the Screened-in Porch
With the floor in place we could now start on the framing. One of the crucial items was to tie the new header into the house so it was supported and met code requirements. This entailed opening up the roof on the screened-in porch on both sides, which meant the wood framing of the existing house was exposed to the elements. Saddles were installed with a 12/4 pitch on each side of the new porch roof where the three roofs came together to direct water out of the valleys to gutters. The framing took four days to compete and then tar paper was placed on the roof. Unfortunately, it rained heavily that night, and even with all precautions there was one spot that leaked and a wall of the existing house had to be re-taped and painted. Needless to say, we hurried and put the new roof on two days later and had no problem after that.
Once the roof of the screened-in porch was completed we placed the 6×6 post in the metal bases and fastened them at the top to header with 12” metal straps. 2×6 cross bracing between posts was placed at the top, bottom, and 30″ off floor. These were routed into 6X6 posts to prevent movement and warping.
Screen material was fastened into place using a hammer staple gun and 1″ cedar boards were installed over all exposed surfaces on the outside and inside to finish. A clear sealer was used on cedar to protect it. A vinyl ceiling was installed, insulated to a R30 and electrical work completed with a ceiling fan and light.
The project was a success and was completed after two months because we had to work through more than eighteen days of intermittent rain. I used my Bosch tools on this project and they were as reliable as always.
Written by Gary A. Conrad. His life has revolved around construction of one type or another, and he always enjoyed working with his mind, hands and tools. He was involved with Local Home-builders Association as President and Board Member and served on the State Board for over 16 years.