Has anyone completely replaced a front concrete porch?

Question

I purchased a home that has a badly cracked front concrete and brick porch. It will need to be replaced entirely, and is around 10' X 10'. The concrete stairs also need to be replaced. I got a quote for $4,000 to completely replace and rebuild the porch. I'm wondering if this is a good price, since this isn't something I have done before.

Don Meinke · Answer

I would demo the old and figure out an upscale front deck type.  Lst one I did was pretty good as it was solid cedar and should last a while.  The old concrete will be all in the wrong spots and prevent proper support spacing.

Chad Justice · Answer

I was faced with the same situation on my own personal residence, but instead of tearing it out and starting over with new concrete, I just decked over what was there.  I'm actually not quite done with it yet, but it's about 90% at this point.  I'm totally DIY'ing it, so it's taking a while. :)   I know the idea of decking over probably sounds like a hack and that it would look terrible, but I was inspired by the old craftsman style wooden front porches when I decided how to finish it out and used  it as an opportunity to add a little personality to the front of the house.  It made an incredible difference in terms of curb appeal, and really wasn't terribly expensive.  I'll maybe have $1500-2000 in it by the time I'm done, but it's pretty big -- 7x24 -- and it's definitely "custom" quality now.  Maybe something to consider!

Jim Adrian · Answer

@Hannah Williams

Always get multiple quotes.  Did this include footing down to frost line or a simple slab on grade?  If footing this may be ok.  Footings would be 5ft deep or so.