Porch

[Barbara B.]

Dear Sir,
My husband built a Porch ( free standing ) on our mobilehome. Our home is on a raised grade level 60/40 sand clay mixture. it tends to shift with the weather. The problem is, the flashing between the roof of the porch & house pulls away. Can you please tell us how we can fix this problem?

Thank you,
Barbara B.

[Roy Bonney]

Either the porch or the home is moving. This is caused when the footing system is not correct. If the home is stable, the solution is to create a footing system under the porch. This could be as simple as supporting the porch with temporary blocks, digging out under the posts, and inserting appropriate concrete blocks to create a footing. If you are in a frost area, the posts need to be at the frost depth. When the ground freezes in the winter, the water in the ground expands and creates "frost hoove". This cause the ground to push up and move the porch. The more water in the ground, the less bearing capacity of the soil.

[judi drake]

we have a Silvercrest MF home just built this year and would love to add a front porch or a porch/deck in front to add some character to the otherwise boxy look. Any ideas or someone who has done this? We live in Whatcom county, Washington state....