Metal porch: pros and cons, self-assembly

Metal has been used as a building material for a very long time. Previously, it was mainly forging (we don't take nails into account), which only rich people could afford, but with the advent of welding machines, this material began to spread everywhere. Now it is almost impossible to imagine any construction site without it. Availability and good performance make it possible to build complex structures and stairs from metal. Today we will talk about a porch made of metal - you will learn how you can make it yourself, what advantages and disadvantages such a design will have, and how it might look externally.

In general, it will be interesting!

Types of porches made of metal: general properties

We begin our review with a story about what metal is in operation in the open air.

Pros and cons of metal porch

So, metal porches are very popular today for many reasons. This material is extremely versatile, lends itself to bending, which allows constructing structures of varying degrees of complexity from it. Walking down the street and examining the buildings, you may come across real masterpieces of hand-forged, incredible shapes in the Art Nouveau style and other things, as well as the simplest straightforward solutions. They all look strikingly different, but basically have the same properties.

Each such porch can look harmonious against the background of the facade of your house, or vice versa be pretentious and alien to the architectural ensemble. To choose the right option, you should make it according to the general style.

In addition, a serious functional load falls on the porch:

1. The porch, first of all, must be comfortable and safe for its users. Including, it should be so for small children and the elderly, if they live in the house or often visit it.

First of all, we are talking about a fencing system that protects against falls. It should also easily withstand vertical and horizontal mechanical loads, without deforming.

2. The porch is designed to climb to the desired height before entering the structure, but its functions do not end there. If the space allows you to organize a spacious area, then why not do it.

It will be possible to rest comfortably on it by placing garden furniture.

3. A visor is also often mounted above the porch in the same style and from the same material at the base. This approach will allow you not to get wet in the rain in search of a key. Again, if you have a small veranda, you get an even more cozy corner in which you can hide from the scorching sun.

4. The presence of a canopy also has a beneficial effect on the life of the porch, as it will receive less water during the rain.

5. Like other types of porches, the metal version can be made of a closed type. In fact, we are talking about a small unheated annex that will serve as a kind of buffer between the house and the street.

This solution makes the house much warmer and prevents drafts from entering the living quarters.

Cellular polycarbonate prices

Cellular Polycarbonate

During construction, you will need to think carefully about all the details and draw up a high-quality construction plan to create a truly comfortable porch that meets all your needs.

Now let's talk a little about the properties of metal. First things to consider:

1. Installing a metal porch can be very fast. Much here, of course, depends on the qualifications of the master and the degree of complexity of the design, but most of them take a few days to work.

2. In terms of speed, building a metal porch is comparable to wooden structures, but they will largely surpass the opponent in their strength. Metal is able to withstand serious loads, if, of course, everything is done correctly.
3. It also easily tolerates temperature changes, completely unresponsive to them.
4. Metal products, especially if they are forged, perfectly combine externally with any materials. It can be: stone, brick, wood, plastic, WPC, etc.

5. In the future, if desired, the metal porch can be disassembled and moved to another place, or you can use the resulting parts in the manufacture of other structures.
6. Steel does not burn, which, in principle, is not critical for a porch, but for an internal staircase it may be an actual property.

The metal also has enough minuses:

1. The most important thing is the fear of moisture. The problem is solved by correct processing and coloring of the product. However, any protection will have a much shorter service life than the metal itself, so it will have to be updated with some frequency.

   It is not so easy to do it by hand beautifully, therefore, over time, the product will definitely lose its aesthetic appeal.

2. The operation of such a porch in the cold season is associated with the need to contact with hands (and someone may have a tongue) with ice surfaces, which is very unpleasant - you have to wear gloves, or make a handrail from other materials, for example, plastic or wood.
3. The next important point is that metal steps become very slippery at negative temperatures.The problem can be eliminated by using anti-slip pads, or installing steps with a corrugated surface - expanded steel is very effective, but its appearance is not suitable for every home.
4. Another drawback is directly related to the thickness of your wallet.

   Metal today is quite expensive, and the work of a qualified craftsman is also expensive, so not everyone will be able to afford such a porch.

Perhaps someone will find other advantages and disadvantages of this material, we have only identified the most important in our opinion. As you can see, positive qualities are still superior, so let's understand the topic further.

Installation of a porch made of metal

Now let's take a closer look at the process of building such a porch so that everyone can assess whether he can make it on his own, without involving professionals. Let's say right away that we will consider the design one of the simplest.

Design

Before starting any complex work, it is imperative to perform preliminary calculations, otherwise the result, to put it mildly, will not please. You can do the work yourself, or invite a specialist for these purposes - the latter will not only make a sketch of the appearance, but also perform an accurate calculation of the elements in terms of size and the load that they will have to withstand.

In what order should you proceed if you decide to cope with the task yourself?

1. First, measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the door frame. Subtract from it the thickness of the flooring you will be using for the landing to get the height of your stair frame.

2. Further, the obtained value must be divided by a value from 15 to 20 - this range is optimal for selecting the step height. The answer shows how many steps we will have in the flight of stairs.

3. The result of the last calculation is multiplied by a number from 25 to 33 - this is how we select the depth of the steps.

The answer is the total length of the flight of stairs. We check whether it fits into the space allocated under the porch, not forgetting to add the dimensions of the porch platform here.

4. When choosing the parameters of the steps, you need to remember that there is also a relationship between the height and depth of these elements - two heights and one depth in total should give a result from 60 to 64 cm.

5.

Also check the angle of inclination of the resulting structure - it should be from 25 to 45 degrees , otherwise it will be inconvenient to use the porch.

6. The size of the site is not strictly regulated, but there are also recommendations for its selection.The width should be enough so that the door can be opened normally - it is better to make it twice as wide as the door itself. The depth is chosen so that, when opening the door, you do not have to step back up the stairs.

7. The parameters of the visor are determined individually, but it would be nice to close not only the platform, but also the stairs. In this case, you do not have to clean the steps from ice in winter, which will save the finishing materials from accidental damage.

The handrail is worth mentioning separately, as this safety element has its own requirements.

1. They are installed according to SNiP for each staircase consisting of three or more steps.

2. The height of the guardrail must not be less than 90 cm.
3. The minimum vertical load that the guardrail must withstand is 100 kg.
4. If small children use the porch, then it is recommended to exclude horizontal parts in the fence, replace them with vertical ones and make the distance between them 10-15 cm so that the kids cannot push inside their heads.

Tip! If you want to equip the veranda with an additional playground for outdoor games, it is highly recommended that you separate the approach to the stairs from this area.

Metal porch construction

Prices for popular models of welding machines

Welding machines

Step 1 - foundation device.

Metal frame structures are not classified as heavy, but a high-quality foundation should still be made for them. The soil can sag not only from the load.

Table 1. Base for the porch

Interesting to know! Not the entire porch can rest on the foundation, but only that part of it that is in contact with the ground. The upper edge of the site is often connected to the main structure through cantilever beams, embedded and other supports. This approach is feasible only during the construction of the house.

Step 2 - twisting the piles. Let's assume you decide to use screw piles, as this method is one of the fastest. We mark the territory and determine the position of all support pillars - the distance between them is not more than 2 meters. Manually or using special equipment, we screw the piles below the depth of soil freezing.

Tip! Data for your region can be taken on the Internet or SNiP 23-01-99.

Step 3 - height adjustment. Now you need to make sure that the top edges of all piles are at the same level. Naturally, the height must be determined according to the already created project. We use a laser axial builder or a water level for work. For convenience and clarity of marking, glue the metal with masking tape and mark the boundaries around the entire circumference with a pencil.

Further, the excess part of the pipe is cut off with a grinder.

Step 4 - installation of the bottom harness. Then the bottom strapping is made. In our case, it can be made of an I-beam or a channel. The methods of their connection are shown in points 1 and 2, from left to right, in the above diagram.

All parts are set clearly in level and plane. The connection is made by welding. You can also use rectangular pipes. The space between the perimeter trim is divided into segments by lags. They are made from the same material and are installed based on the type of material that will be used for flooring the site.

For example, for boards, the step between the joists should be 50 cm.

Step 5 - making a ladder ... Installation and manufacture of a staircase is a rather complicated and time-consuming task.

The further course of your actions will depend on the type of design you have chosen. There can be two options - a staircase on kosoura or bowstrings, and there are a lot of options for their implementation. One of the most reliable is the option on filly - this is a kosour, at the base of which there is a powerful beam (channel), to which the corners that form the steps themselves are welded.

Step 6 - metal bowstrings. Channels and pipes can also be used at the base of bowstrings, but there is one more affordable option - composite corners No.

70. The material is inexpensive but reliable. The photo shows the principle of building such a frame.

1. At the base there are two parallel corners.
2. They are connected to each other by jumpers at an angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of the march.

3. The lintels reinforce the entire structure and at the same time are the support for the steps.

It is quite difficult and long to make such a bowstring, but after assembly there will be the effect of that the steps are recessed into the structure.

Step 7 - installing the stringers. The support beams of the staircase are set at one level and are permanently tied to the base and the finished platform. A welding connection is made from above, but to concrete, from below, to an anchor.

Very simple and effective. The distance between the stringers is also verified and the perpendicularity relative to the site is checked.

Step 8 - completely assemble the base for the steps. From the steel corner, rectangular frames are then formed, inside which it will be convenient to install any steps. You can even pour reinforced concrete by installing formwork from below.

On this, the frame of the stairs can be considered completely finished, we omit the sheathing and painting, since more than one separate article can be written about this.

Video - Iron frame for the stairs

Video - How to make a ladder

Stair guard

Price for stair railings

Railings stair railings

Next, the railings are installed. It includes the following steps:

1. The main uprights are placed first. They are located at the beginning and at the end of the ascent, in places where the stairs turn, as well as in the middle of the march, if it is very long and additional reinforcement is required.

2. Two horizontal (oblique) elements connect the pillars. The first one is a balusters (placed from below, balusters from below will be attached to it), and the second is a balusters bar, to which the handrail will be fixed. The second element is required when the handrail is not made of metal; in the opposite situation, you can immediately mount it.

3.

Next, the filling of the fence is set. There are no rules regarding appearance, everyone will come up with what they want.

Tip! Ready-made parts (different curls) are sold on special bases, from which you can make very beautiful compositions.

After the entire metal part of the structure is assembled, it will need to be properly processed. For this, a grinding tool is used - a grinder with appropriate discs.

At the same time, rust, scale, all irregularities, burrs and so on are removed from the surface. Particular attention is paid to welded seams.

Your porch is now ready to be painted and covered. If you meticulously performed all the calculations and work on cutting and installing parts, then it will be very durable and will serve you for a very long time. This concludes our article, we hope the material was useful and interesting.