Bolingbrook, IL · Member since 2012 · 55 posts · 1 vote
Hi I'm looking into purchasing a property and was wondering how much it would cost to repair a sagging porch. This is in a historical district so I have to restore the porch to original standards.
See below for a picture of the house front:
Any thoughts on how much this would take and what is causing the sag?
Costs are different depending on your area, so I won't comment on that. When we see that sagging down here it's generally termites, the roof leaked and wood rotted, or a combination of both.
Costs are different depending on your area, so I won't comment on that. When we see that sagging down here it's generally termites, the roof leaked and wood rotted, or a combination of both.
Jack Lee hard to tell without seeing the structure.
Check with an engineer or architect.
If it was me I would do that and then support that porch roof before it gets worse. Usually cheaper to rebuild it while it's still up. Once it gets to a certain point you'll
Have to rip the whole thing out. That's pricey.
Here's one for you. I'll look for the photos before we ripped out the structure. This one wasn't salvageable. Similar to yours there was and 8" sag over 24'
Thanks, that's helpful and I'll definitely get an engineer to give me an assessment. It'd be great to get a ball park estimate of how much I should expect to pay to solve this issue. Directionally, is it closer to $3000.... or something much like like $30000?
My guess is that there is a rubber membrane on top of the roof that has failed that has allowed water to enter and cause rot and possibly termites. My guess is that the entire porch roof will have to be replaced rather than having to piece together a fix. Some of the porch that isn't rotted might be able to be reused. I won't speculate upon repair costs because I don't have a clue about the quantity and quality of materials as well as your local labor rates.
Thanks, that's helpful and I'll definitely get an engineer to give me an assessment. It'd be great to get a ball park estimate of how much I should expect to pay to solve this issue. Directionally, is it closer to $3000.... or something much like like $30000?
Find a good competent framing guy, will get a much better estimate in a lot less time then an engineer or an architect.
I sure agree with you! You are in Tennessee, you would not know the latitude here for termites. (I don't think termites are in that porch roof.) But you are sure right about the roofing failure. My opinion is for a complete replacement that matches Bolingbrook's architectural requirement because it is a very nice house. I know the Wheaton architect that can prepare the drawings. I am new to this Biggerpockets. Somehow this will work out and we would touch base.
@Jack Lee this inline was close to 9k. I got an estimate from another contractor for 12k but I did it with a crew of guys I was working with at the time. I pay those guys 200-240 a day.
If it were me I would grab a framer and open it up to see what you have. Just to fix the structure is usually not so bad. It's putting it back together to look finished is were it gets pricey.
We did PVC, cultured stone, tree. We could have some it done it for around 5k if we hadn't gone so crazy.
Jack Lee I agree with the others on the cost around 8-11k. I appears the flat roof leaked and rotted the header board which has caused it to sag. To repair it will have to be temporary supported, wood replacement, a new rubber roofing membrane, and reinstalling the existing railing along with painting. With this being a historic district you would want to check project references for the contractors to view their craftsmanship so you know they will be able to match the woodwork/style so it will not look out of place. Good luck.
In addition to the rotted beam, verify that the long beam across the front is of sufficient depth and width to carry the load. To reduce the load, sometimes a new column can be placed at the half-way point complete with a new footing, but that probably would not work in this case.
I agree with the guys that said between $4-6000, the more you do yourself the cheaper it will be. You have to keep with the existing architecture. Don't forget to take several pics first! Good Luck with your deal. P.S. If you are going to reuse the rail, I would burn off all the old paint and re-sand it real good before you put it back on, then a new oil based primer and 2 finish coats.
It appears that your in the Chicago area. I used to work for a gc that did work on historical homes. We did a lot of this type of porch repair. The name of the company is Bosi Construction.