Front Porch Rebuild: Trex Decking, Mahogany Ceiling & Stone Veneer (Arlington, VA)

This Arlington, VA home needed more than new boards. We rebuilt the front porch from the ground up, replacing the entire substructure and the roof, and tied the new roof into the existing structure. The project was engineered and permitted through Arlington County.

What went into it

The walking surface is Trex composite decking with Trex black aluminum railings, under a natural mahogany ceiling, with full PVC trim on the exposed framing. Beneath the deck we laid landscape fabric and #57 gravel and faced the base in natural stone veneer. The rebuild also included a custom access panel for the gas meter and safety railings on the existing egress walkout, fabricated by our subcontractor Rodeo Welding.

How we build a porch

A roof structure has to land on the earth, not hang off the house. Footings go below the frost line to the depth and size the approved plans and soil conditions call for, and we coordinate a licensed Professional Engineer for the load-bearing roof tie-in and footing design when the building department requires a stamp. Our roofing trade partners handle the roofing tie-in, flashing it into the shingle courses and behind the siding. We set joist spacing to the decking manufacturer's span table, often tighter than the 16-inch standard, and field boards are typically installed with the manufacturer's hidden-fastener system. Columns and exterior trim are cellular PVC, which does not rot; wrapped PVC trim is caulked and painted at install where your contract calls for it, and after that, touch-ups as the material flexes and shrinks are the homeowner's upkeep (The Tuck Standard, Section 9B).