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Current Porch at Laurel

The current porch at Laurel is actually the first porch with some additions. In 1996, we (Nancy), decided it would be really nice to sit on the porch and not have to look at the trailer. In addition the presence of the trailer on the West side made it a bit dark on the porch. We also wanted to dry out the upper yard toward the right of way (RoW) so decided to attack both situations at once. In the fall of 1996 we had a contractor put in a drain line along the RoW to channel the surface drainage toward the side of the property near the garage. At the same time the trailer was moved straight back about its own length to the South. Given that the 6x6 posts supporting the roof were within a foot of the trailer, I thought this was no trivial task, but it went off without a hitch until it rained! Being as how there had been a roof over the trailer since 1988, I had quit sealing the roof regularly. As it shows here, 2/3 of the trailer was no longer protected... and now it leaked... and I found myself up there in the rain fixing it. The up side was we were there when the rain started so we caught it immediately, and it wasn't a heavy storm... just enough to say - hey, get busy!

The new roof extension over the trailer, 16' x 38', took 32 man-hours over a 17 day rainy period (working between storms) in September of 1996. This made the overall roof an L shape with the long portion of the L being 16' wide and 70' long. This was one of those 'just to prove I can do it by myself' jobs as 'can't handle heights' Fred did it nearly by himself, although he had to call on Nancy as usual to stabilize the 6x6 posts while they were being braced vertically in order to pour concrete. The side of the roof over the trailer is higher on the RoW side and slopes toward the lake. Since this make it virtually invisible from the ground it was covered with 90# roll roofing which was much quicker than shingling would have been. This pic shows the site of the future porch after the trailer was moved and the roof constructed.

The area where the trailer had previously rested was floored and enclosed in the spring of '97. The first step was to add more 4x4 posts on the lake side and dig the area out enough to allow putting in the floor joists. The original roof supports on that side had been on 12' centers so 4x4s were added at the mid-points to provide more support, since they would now also be holding up a floor. One of the original 4x4's was replaced since it had become an S curve. Doubled 2x10 joists were run from the lower 4x4 posts on 6' centers and connected to the 6x6 center posts that support the roof peak and the original upper porch. Here's the new porch framing (with Jonas attentive to something) taken from the same perspective as the previous photo. Six foot 2x6s were then put in on 16" centers perpendicular to the 2x10s. All flooring materials were pressure treated. A floor of 5/4x6 deck boards was laid diagonally, (except the small portion by the trailer door which is at a higher level), and secured with deck screws. The small deck portion by the door proved to be large enough to keep our grill there, convenient to the refrig in the trailer but out of the main flow. Stairs were built to a landing extension off the original, now upper, deck. The area under the landing and stairs was enclosed for lockable storage. Stairs... now there's something almost as much fun as ladders and roofs. I hate building stairs!

A new electrical supply was run underground from the pole to a breaker box in an interior corner of the lower porch. All circuits have a GFI at the first outlet position and all wiring is UF except the original trailer wiring that wasn't replaced, but is ground fault protected. A few receptacles were added inside the trailer to provide grounded outlets, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom.

Screen doors were framed and added, one by the trailer door leading to the upper yard and one near the trailer hitch leading to the lower yard - stairs again. The trailer hitch was boxed in for aesthetics and storage and the top makes a very handy counter since we usually eat at a table just a couple of feet away. The entire porch was then screened using Screen-Tite which is a bit tough to install but makes a very nice job. A railing was added all the way around - mostly to protect the screens from anyone walking or stumbling into them.

From the start of the pick and shovel work on May 11th to being bug tight on July 4th took 145 working hours. Finishing up the wiring, trim, yard repair, watersealing the lumber, etc, etc took until August 16th and another 76 hours. We now have a two tiered porch that has a usable area consisting of an upper level 16 X 14 and a lower level 26 x 14 - all screened. The trailer is under its own roof and off to the side, no longer obstructing the view or the sunlight.

Some other changes have been made since the new porch was completed. The bathroom was gutted and laid out differently in 1998. Also that year the pressure tank on the well was replaced and the plumbing revisions started in '96 were finished. All the water supply lines now feed to a low point on the down slope side where drain valves are located. Winterizing is now done by turning off the pump and opening these drain valves, the outside faucets and an air bleed at the well. No more trying to blow the water out of the lines with a compressor. The drain lines get RV antifreeze dumped into the traps and the jobs done. In 2000, a really bad wind storm tore some of the roll roofing loose, so the lake side of the roof was covered with dark brown Ondura corrugated roofing. You still can't really see much of it, but it does look nicer if you're up on a ladder, big whoopee, and is supposed to last forever. In 2001 the well got a new house built over it - and stained to match everything else. In 2002 we replaced the kitchen counter and sink and put in new linoleum. Along in there someplace, we were having so much fun with porches that Nancy decided she wanted one to call her own. This one is about 6x8 and is outside the bedroom door. It's a great place to have a morning coffee before the mosquitos become active.