When building a porch, house builders most often resort to the brick option. After all, a brick porch perfectly complements the look of a private house and is a classic design that will reliably serve for many years. When building such a porch, high costs are not required, so it is quite possible to build it yourself.
Features of the
A brick porch is a profitable option for an extension, since the material is not expensive (on average, from 9 to 16 rubles per piece), is lightweight (one red brick weighs from 3.5 to 3.8 kg), is easy to install and serves long term. A brick porch does not require large construction costs, the masonry dries quickly and does not need additional finishing.
With careful work, it is possible to save on cladding, which gives another plus to the choice of brick as a material for the porch.
Types
Before starting the construction of a brick porch, you should think about its design. It should be combined with the general appearance of the building and with the decoration of the yard. There are many options for building a porch. First of all, you need to decide whether it will be open or closed.
Open
The open-type option is much easier to make, since only the stairs and railings are laid out here. In shape, street stairs are square, angular and semicircular. A covered canopy can be added here. A round brick porch with a canopy is considered an original architectural structure. It is most often built for a private house, as the canopy protects the porch from rain and perfectly complements the design.
Alternatively, consider a small porch with columns or pillars. In front of the entrance, pots with plants are usually placed there, which gives the general appearance an additional color. This design can be found in cottages.
It is not uncommon to see one-story houses with a veranda or porch terrace. Such a structure is considered open or semi-closed, depending on how it was built. Between the posts there can be both wooden lattices and partially closed walls. Therefore, they are classified as semi-closed species. They can be combined with steps and railings in different ways.
The steps can be any, including semicircular. Railings can also be quite varied.
Closed
The closed porch has walls and is suitable for protecting the house from wind or rain. This structure is usually completely closed, but sometimes partially. The construction of this type of porch is much more expensive and complicated. In this case, any material is chosen, based on the preferences of the owner.
At dachas, ordinary porches with a vestibule are often found. They look like a cross between a closed street staircase and a veranda. Such a structure is easier to build. It can be closed or glazed on all three sides and has an entrance door.
Choosing a material
When choosing a brick, it is important to study its types and features.
According to the material of manufacture, one can distinguish ceramic, hyper-pressed and silicate bricks. Bricks also differ in the purpose of use. For example, building bricks are used for load-bearing elements, facing bricks for cladding, clinker bricks for the facade of a building, and oven bricks for creating a furnace.
According to the manufacturing method, there are two types of bricks - plastic and semi-dry molding. There are also hollow and full-bodied varieties of this material.
As for the size, according to Russian standards, there are three types of bricks - single (250x120x65 mm), one and a half (250x120x88 mm), double (250x120x138 mm).
And, of course, there are two main types of bricks: red and white. They differ from each other in a couple of ways:
- according to the material of manufacture - the red brick is made of clay, and the white one is made of lime, quartz sand and water;
- in terms of fire resistance, red is much more heat-resistant than white.
How to do it right?
Before you build a porch with your own hands, you need to draw up a project, thanks to which you can determine the type of the desired porch, exactly calculate the amount and size of the necessary materials, and find out how and from what the facing of the future structure will be made.
To build a brick porch on your own it was easier, you need to draw up a clear diagram, where all the design parameters are indicated. To determine the parameters of the porch, the width of the platform and the span, the dimensions of the steps and the presence of handrails play a special role. When choosing the width of the staircase, it should be borne in mind that it must accommodate two people, so you can take at least 1 meter.
For the width of the steps, they usually take 30 cm, while their height should be made no more than 20 cm, since a high step is a lot of trouble for children and the elderly.
As for the handrails, their height should be a little more than 90 cm. The platform should be 100 cm wider than the front door, and if there is a visor, by 160 cm. The thickness of the platform is usually 10 cm. It should be poured with concrete in advance. After that, it is necessary in addition to cover the concrete with cement.
After completing the drawing, you should proceed to the purchase of raw materials and inventory. In addition to the main building material (brick), you need to buy the following materials:
- sand;
- primer;
-
reinforcing bars;
- waterproofing;
- crushed stone;
- cement M400;
- grout paste.
From the tools you will need two spatulas (notched and simple), a rubber hammer for installing the plate, a shovel, a trowel, a container for mixing concrete.
Base
First you need to lay out the base of the porch according to the proposed scheme step by step:
- marking;
- digging a foundation pit;
-
forming a mesh of metal reinforcing rods, installing metal rods with a section of 1 cm on the sides of the foundation and pouring crushed stone, cement and sand with a solution;
- waiting for the mixture to solidify (in summer - 7-14 days, in wet, cold weather - 3-4 weeks).
With the completion of the foundation laying, waterproofing from roofing material is performed. This technique allows you to protect the building from the harmful effects of moisture. It is applied to the foundation in a double layer. After that, you can start laying bricks.
Steps
Laying bricks should be started from the wall of the house on both sides. Thanks to this, the corner joints are correctly formed. The end row is then closed. Each brick is applied to the right place, after which it should be slightly moved and tapped from above. This helps to make the masonry more durable. The steps are laid out in whole levels. The second row is made from the same corner where the previous one was finished. In order to qualitatively tie the rows, you need to place each next brick over the seam of the previous tier.
After the brickwork of the porch is over, it will dry for a week. Then they move on to the appearance of the building. The porch can be left without cladding, if it was neatly made of red decorative bricks. People in most cases choose the option of a porch with a cladding.
You can cover the steps with various materials, for example, street tiles, natural stone or even wood, which will look extraordinary.
Handrails
Important! Before laying the cladding, consider the presence of the railings. If you plan to install them, then it is worth drilling holes for fasteners in advance.
Brick is organically combined with forged products. Therefore, the railings for a brick porch can be finished with patterns made of sheet steel. Do not forget about the classic railings with wooden balusters, which are lightweight in construction and are great for homes with children.
When installing a canopy, it should be calculated that the building canopy should protrude at least 0.5 m above the door, and in width it should be 1.5 times the width of the opening. The canopy is done in different ways. An easy option is the construction of polycarbonate sheets. But before that comes a frame made of metal profiles, supports.
Don't forget about street lighting. The porch and courtyard of a private house should be well lit so that people can walk comfortably at night.
Based on the design of the brick porch, various light sources can be installed, such as street lamp, pendant lamp, sconces, LEDs and more.
Beautiful examples
A brick porch is a reliable structure that does not create difficulties in building a house design. Brick goes well with wood, slate, polycarbonate and sheet steel. Together with these materials, you can create the look of the porch in different ways. For example, a brick porch without cladding can be supplemented with wooden columns. Alternatively, a veneered porch can be combined with a sheet steel railings in various patterns.
Special attention is paid to the porch color palette. First of all, the color should be organically combined with the design of the building. You don't have to take traditional tones for this. It's worth experimenting and trying different options. For example, a red brick porch works well with a cream colored paneled façade. Alternatively, you can combine a dark cladding porch with a light facade of the house. A stone-faced porch would go well with a white building.
Don't forget about decorative items that complement the design of any entrance. For example, potted plants, sculptures, benches, carpets. Porch lighting plays an important role in the design. It can be done in different ways: hang an ordinary street lamp, a garland, put a lamp, a lamp on long legs, and much more.
There are extremely many design options for a brick porch. Finding your style is important. It is quite possible to bring the conceived porch to life in stages. No special building skills are required here. But before starting construction, it is worth consulting with specialists in order to avoid serious mistakes. It is important to be patient and follow through on what you have begun.
Watch the video on how to make a round brick porch.