For our DIY tips on Porch building, see below. You’ll see our two part guide under the tools you’ll need.
To finish off, here is a list of the likely tools you’ll need:
1) A Power Drill
2) Spirit Level
3) Masonry Bit
4) Sealant
5) Screwdriver
Here is part two of our DIY tips guide - Parts 1 - 4 are lower down the page.
Adding Seals
5) This depends on the Porch you’ve purchased. Some will come with strips of plastic or plastic coated sealant to make the joints between the panels neat and waterproof. These are inserted into the panel grooves. These may require pinning.
The Roof
6) Porch roofs are designed to slope away from neighbouring walls so that rain water doesnt collect. The home improvement pack that you purchase will provide the exact angles required to perfect the roof - use a spirit level to get the angles right.
Installing the roof
7) You should find that the roof, the fascia boards and the internal supporting cross members of the roof are secured to the panels, often by pre drilled holes. Your new roof can be finished off with transparent PVC roofing or roofing felt depending on your kit.
Our next post will show you what tools are required to attempt to build your own Porch. Remember, these are just general DIY guides and are not representative of a Trustyle Professionally Built Porch. If you decide to request our brochure you’ll see that our Porches come with solid builder foundations, Fully Sculptured UPVC Panels, Pilkington Glass, the latest technology roofing system, high security designer front door and a 10 year insurance backed warranty across the Midlands and Milton Keynes.
OK, as professional builders of stylish sculptured UPVC Porch’s across the Midlands and Milton Keynes, we hope that you’ll at least consider a quote from us before tacking this very specialised job on your own.
However, we know that some people like a challenge! So here’s the first of our two part tips guide to constructing your own front Porch after purchasing a DIY home improvement kit.
Side Panels
1) Place the first panel to the wall and mark the position of the fixing holes. It’s good to have a friend help with this bit to hold the panel in place while you check its verticle levels using a spirit level.
Additional panels.
2) Remaining panels to the Porch are joined under the constructors guidelines, fixtures and fittings. Some kits come with a slot and lock. Again, having a helper to support the panels whilst you position and secure them will save time - watch out for the glazed sections as these can break if handled without care.
The Door
3) Before doing anything, decide how your door is going to hang and open. Will it hang on the left or right handed side? Do you want it to open inwards or outwards? Once these have been decided you’ll just need to make sure it’s of a good quality and includes a letterbox.
The Base
4) Todays kits often come with panels which slot into a grooved channel at the base and are then secured with the supplied fixings. Your guide will demonstrate the number and spacing so that the panels are secured well.
Our next post will cover your Porch’s seals and Roof.
For those looking for a professionally built Porch, feel free to request our brochure. Our Porch range starts with a professionally built foundation and have fully sculptured upvc to match the style and period of your property. Once built we provide a ten year insurance backed warranty for peace of mind.
Eaves
Where the roof overhangs the house wall Bond And MortarMethod or pattern of laying bricks together with the particular bedding material used between the bricks.
Soldier Course
This is a continuous straight line of upright brickwork.
Door Canopies
Is a roof over a front door, sometimes supported by posts. Stepped HousesWhere a part of the house is built further forward than another.
Recessed Doorways
Where the front door sits further back than the rest of the houses front wall, normally with a roof or a protruding first floor room above.
Pitched Roof
Where a roof forms the shape of an upside down V.
Halls Adjoining Houses
Is a pair of attached houses where the front doors are next to each other.
Designing the perfect porch for your home is easy when you know how. Many get this crucial bit wrong though. Even the most conscientious of homeowners with the best intentions can get this wrong.
I recently spoke to one of our best designers about this very issue in Leicester and he provided me with these excellent tips:
Firstly, the new front Porch should compliment the existing home. Of course, everybody knows this but getting this part right is the most important part of the designers job. Do this right and you could easily gain more value to a home than the cost of the Porch itself.
The size of the Porch shouldn’t be too big as to dominate the front of the house or project forward of the bay.
When considering the Porch roof, take a look at your home’s style, roof and age. If you have large gabled two story bay windows, a pitched roof will look far better than a flat roof. (A pitched roof is a term for roofs which look like upside down V’s)
Flat Porch roofs are better placed on flat fronted homes where the roofs run flat and straight across the front of your home. It might seem straight forward but start looking around and you’ll see homes with pitched roofs and bay windows with flat roof Porches extending fully along to the bay – not a good look!
If you have protruding bay windows, never look to extend it to form an enclosed Porch. There are other more appealing designs to go for regardless of the shape of your bay. You’ll be looking to bring appeal to your home and that of the neighbourhood. The materials used to build the Porch should depend on the existing house and Porches can come fully glazed using timber or UPVC or half glazed using brickwork, timber or UPVC. Porches often have more glazing than masonry.
All new brickwork should match the existing house using the same bond and mortar. Existing house style, windows, doors and brickwork are all considered by our designers to create the perfect match and balance.
The finishing touch is the right door to complete your Porch. At Trustyle-uk.co.uk we have a vast range of fully sculptured doors and together, we find the right match, visual appeal and security for your home.
Do I Need Porch Planning Permission ?
The majority of Porches built in the UK do not require planning permission as they fall into the category of “Permitted Development” – Providing that:
The ground area of the new Porch does not exceed 3 Square Metre
The height does not exceed 3 Metres above ground level
No part of a Front Porch is closer than 2 Metres to any highway
The building of your new Porch does not encroach on or over your neighbours property.
Your home is not a listed building or within a conservation area
These are the general guidelines although I would recommend that you seek clarification with your local planning department.
Thanks for visiting our blog resource. Over the coming weeks we’ll be answering all of the common questions that we receive when it comes to the choice, design and fitting of all UPVC products.
As you can see from our categories on the right, we are a local company providing Sculptured Windows, Doors, Conservatories And Fascia’s across the Midlands and Milton Keynes.
Through utilising the knowledge of the companies staff from the company directors down, we’ll be providing advice, designs, legal requirements, local knowledge and even DIY reports for everything UPVC. So stay tuned…and help us to build the largest Windows, Doors and Conservatories blog throughout the Midlands and Milton Keynes.