Building a porch part-1

If you’re thinking of adding a porch to your mobile home then hey – count us in! It’s a great idea! However, this isn’t some small, DIY project. There are a lot of things that you should think about before you take the plunge, including what the process will look like, what’s involved, etc.

In this series, we’re going to be taking a look at all of that and more – so that when you’re ready to proceed, you’ll be fully prepared. Today, we’re going to talk about the first step – planning!

Let’s jump right in !

Get a little inspiration

We’re big fans of checking out as many decks as you can to see if you can find some inspiration. Pinterest and a whole bevvy of other websites are out there that you can learn from. Not only will this ensure that you’re not missing out on anything, but that you’ll also be open to new possibilities – possibilities that could save you time and money, too!

Set your priorities

As with any home improvement project – you need to know what you need vs. what you want. Safety should always be a priority, for example, while the more complex rail design might be something that can wait. You can always update looks later on, for now – and especially if you’re on a tight budget, then it’s important to stick to the essentials.

Design your porch

Trust us when we tell you that you don’t need to be an architect to sketch up your vision. Even if it’s not precise in scale, it’ll help whomever is working on the project see your idea in a more real sense. It’ll give them a better sense of what’s needed, what materials to buy and what it’ll take to bring your vision to life!

Budget time

Ugh, no one likes this – but it is what it is. We suggest though – that before you set a budget that you shop around a bit first to see what prices look like for certain things. Cold-budgeting – or just throwing arbitrary numbers on a page – is helpful to no one, most of all to yourself. Get a sense of what’s out there, what you can wheel and deal, what’s on sale, what’s cheap, what’s expensive and then circle back. We’d all love to have a certain deck surface until we see the price associated with it.

Once you have everything in place, it’ll be time to start putting together the scope of the project – which we’ll take a look at next month. If you are looking to make an addition to your mobile home or are simply just flirting with the idea, give us a call and we’re happy to give you a quick consultation!