Name: Front & North Porch Rebuild

Location: Milwaukee – Brewer’s Hill

Problem: The front porch was unstable and needed to be rebuilt. Once work began the homeowners noticed the north porch also needed to be rebuilt, matching the front porch.

Solution Provided: We started this project by removing the newel posts, rails, skirting, stair risers and treads, and trim from porch floor down. For the porch columns we removed and replaced any deteriorated trim, moldings, or other elements on columns necessary to match existing as closely as possible with Accoya. The columns received a thorough scuff sanding so that new paint has a surface to tooth into and blended where paint is peeling into larger intact sections.

Next we began work on the porch floors, thoroughly sanding with electric hand sander using 80 grit paper. This removes existing stains, as well gives insight to any areas of flooring in need of restoration or repair. We cut new risers and treads from Accoya, primed on all sides and installed the treads with stainless steel fasteners. We cut new sleeves and post caps from Accoya for the newel posts, trimmed to match as closely as possible. The Newel posts and trim were lightly scuff sanded, thoroughly cleaned and painted with 100% acrylic latex.

For the porches rail system we constructed a new rail system to mimic the original rail. The balusters were cut and positioned to match the existing layout as well. We constructed our rails in the shop, and prior to installation they were fully glued, clamped and backed up with hidden screws, then fully primed and painted with two coats of premium exterior paint prior to installation. We replaced the skirting, matching the existing design and lightly sanded prior to painting.

With the porch constructed, the porch floor, treads and risers were cleaned thoroughly and painted with two coats of premium exterior acrylic latex porch floor paint, using owner-selected color. To finish the project we applied any caulk where needed, as well as touching up any paint after installation.