FRONT ENTRY BUILD-OUT

TAKE A BASIC FACADE TO THE NEXT LEVEL-ADD A ROOF OVER THE ENTRYWAY

- MIKE BERNER

Many houses in my neighborhood feature a plain entryway stoop with two or three steps. Kinda boring and impractical. I'll drive by and see homeowners carrying bags of groceries, getting soaked in the rain as they struggle to open the front door with nowhere to set the bags. A covered entryway would keep these folks dry and add a shady place to sit on summer afternoons. When designed and built right, this covered, comfy entry will lift a home's curb appeal through the roof!

THE FOUNDATION

Begin construction by installing the support system for the roof. This includes footings, posts, and beams to carry the entire structure.

1 POUR FOOTINGS

Determine the depth and width of the entryway roof and 10 ft. deep. The front cantilevered past the posts by 2 ft., so the footings are placed 8 ft. away and parallel with the front of the house. The region where you live will determine the depth and diameter of these footings.

2 RAISE AND BRACE POSTS

Once the concrete footings have cured, fasten 6x6 post bases with correctly sized wedge anchors. (The diameter of the anchor is determined by the manufacturer of the post base, and the length is determined by local building code.) Then position the posts in the bases and brace them in opposite directions with 2x4s. Drive stakes into the ground and adjust the posts so they're plumb, then fasten the braces to the stakes.

3 CUT AWAY THE SIDING