front brick porch

genuin

My house is 1932 built. (originally council) My front porch is internal a brick construction, that is to say when I approach the front door it is set back from the the fron byb approximately one metre, with one step bringing you level with the door surround, therefore I have an internal porch before you reach the front door. It is difficult now to describe what I mean but here goes.

The front door is set back by 0ne metre, thus creating an undercover front porch. The outer brickwork continues inwards to create the brick sides, however, it is quite plain to see that the return bricks will carry damp into the porch becasue they are available to the elements of weather. I want to bring my front door forward the one metre thus increasing my hallway length by that amount. To do this I would need to build the step up to the same level as the top porch level. THe problems arises when the new front is built and the fron door in situ, because the outer bricks will now become part of the inner porch ( the new increased hallway) and the damp will come through from the outer brick work, how is this overcome. (if this makes sense to you)

oberkc

I would consider the possibility that the porch bricks are damp because of wind and direct exposure to rain. If you close it off, I would expect them to stay dry. If not, perhaps a little sealer on the bricks would work?

joecaption

Some pictures would sure help

jomama45

Where's Stuart 45 when you need him...............

stuart45

I was hoping you would have done it for me Joe.

genuin.
Have you got solid 9 inch walls or brick/cavity/brick walls?

TarheelTerp

It gets overcome by not limiting your design to the existing "in situ"

You're gonna have to demo and reface that entire opening...
to accommodate a new door buck and threshold etc.

Consider a screen/ storm door a well as the entry door.

hth

genuin

Hi Stuart

The walls are not 9inch solid. The outer brick work has a cavity then inner wall as normal, however, the return wall that creates the porch recess uses a complete full length brick that is layed at right angle from the outer brick. It is this brick that will become the inside of the hallway when the door is resited forward to the outer brickwork. The only way I can explain more explicit perhaps is this. If you imagine adding an extension from your outer wall, you would cut into the outer brickwork through into the cavity, and using wall profiles you would then build your extension, the area of the outer wall that becomes the inside of your extension would then be damp proof due to the cuts each side that you have created into the cavity. If this is clear to you then what I am saying about the porch is the same problem because the return outer wall that creates the internal porch is part of the outer wall, even using a wall profile to build the brickwork eachside of the porch opening to accept the door, the return brickwork eachside is still part of the oter wall when it becomes the inside wall after the new brickwork and door has been moved forward.

Er...............................is this clear? sorry if not

stuart45

Get a stihlsaw with a 12 inch blade and cut out the brickwork to continue the cavity. Build cavity walls up to the new door, making sure you put some vertical DPC up the reveals. Use wall starter kits to tie in the new walls to the old.

abracaboom

If you have a brick house, the outside of the bricks is exposed to the elements and the inside is plastered with gypsum. If you turn your porch into an indoor hallway, you would just plaster the inside of the bricks like in the rest of the house. That is so simple that I wonder if I'm missing something.

genuin

Hi Stuart

I guessed you would come back with something like that. I have done cavity wall builds before but the first for the front porch and I was not sure how and or why the cavity woulod have been closed with a brick joining both outer and inner walls.

Many thanks