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altrade99

Expanding Concrete Porch + Steps (Wood Form)

altrade99
13 years ago

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). Current dimension is 6.5' by 19' along the front of house. I'll extend along the length by 2.5 feet or so to make it deeper and more usable.

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 2 ft. apart 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 on this side, there like along the length 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 advice@!!!

p.s. I can't figure how to attach photos here, if possible.

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