Stairs attached to a porch or patio can also make a project more complicated. Connected Stairs can Complicate a Project If your door may become blocked by adding a new surface, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t install composite decking over a concrete porch - however, it will complicate your project and require you to either arrive at a creative solution, or enlist the aid of an experienced professional to devise a sound and safe solution for you. Place this in front of the door and test it to see if anyone has an issue walking out of the door and down to the new surface. Build a 3x5-foot temporary platform at the height of the new surface. If there’s a door leading to the patio, it’s important to ensure your new surface won’t block that door or create a tripping hazard coming out of the door. Laying composite decking over a concrete porch will raise its surface by a minimum of 2-3”. Make Sure You’re Not Blocking any Adjoining Doors Record the measurement and take periodic measurements every other month to see if there is movement. Use a level and a helper to measure the vertical distance from the mark to the patio. Make a similar mark using a permanent marker on the patio. Make a crisp thin horizontal line on the house foundation closest to the patio. You can take precise measurements over a year to see if the concrete patio may be sinking. If you decide to build a new surface on your patio during that time, then the new surface will continue to sink along with its foundation. As stated earlier, concrete can take several years to settle. However, installing composite decking over a concrete patio may not be a good idea if your concrete is still settling. Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about a concrete patio being in terrible shape prior to installing a new surface. Doorways can also make installations more complicated. However, in some instances, concrete can take several years to finish settling. You may discover you need one or more feet of free-flowing airspace under the decking.īuilding a deck on top of concrete is often a straightforward project. Pay close attention to the minimum air space that’s required under the decking. What’s more, before you contemplate this project, read the installation instructions of the composite decking product. The building code normally states that the risers above and below a step must not vary by just a fraction of an inch. This will create a severe building-code violation as well as a life-safety hazard. The finished step will be approximately 3 inches higher than it was before you started. If your project includes steps that lead up into a house or to a platform or landing that will not be covered with composite decking, you should stop reading now. Many people choose to build over the stoop instead. Most of the time you will need to break the concrete apart using a sledgehammer or jackhammer and haul the debris away. A massive concrete stoop will be difficult to remove. A concrete stoop with steps can be a formidable obstacle when trying to build a deck.
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