Covering Front Porch in Brick!

Hello! My name is Anthony. I'm a new homeowner (relatively) and am new to this forum. I recently started a project to remodel my front porch, which you can see in the link at the end of the post. The porch was originally covered in a horrendous green carpet and I'm planning on cladding the concrete surface in brick pavers and brick veneer for the face.

Now that you have some background, now for my questions. How do I handle where the brick pavers meet the house? Do I need to cut the metal siding up to the height that the brick pavers will eventually be at (around 3/4 - 1") so that the pavers are touching the house? If so, what is the best way to cut it? Also, what is the best way to get the brick veneers adhered to the face of the slab? I was thinking about going the cementboard versus the scratchcoat route.

If I'm missing any information, please feel free to let me know and I will do my best to answer. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

http://goo.gl/5RArqI

What about just using a concrete stain?

oh yeah, to House Repair Talk!

Welcome to the site and concrats on the house.
There are some that claim they can remove that siding from the bottom but for the rest of us, we take it down starting from the top. Before you put siding back up you install a flashing to move water away from the house.
There may or may not be a header above the door into the garage so you may be able to pull the frame and move it up.
But I would first look at the sag in the porch roof, the beam wasn't big enough and the time to fix that is before you have a nice new deck to worry about.

& how will this affect the door's threshold which's supposed to keep water out of your very fine new home ?

You got some great advice here and it probably surprised you. Lets evaluate your situation because your head should be spinning.

1. Is the porch level? Is the concrete level? I wonder if the sidewalk was purposely sloped away from the house to carry rain water away ... this would create the illusion that your elevations are all wonky. If the porch roof IS sagging, you have bigger problems than covering the porch with brick!

2. Concrete stain is a wonderful idea which you can easily do. It eliminates the need for removing flashing or undercutting the door. It allows for future repairs on the support posts. A simple surface grinding to remove old gunk, acid etching, then staining. Behr has a complete kit for the homeowner ... http://www.behr.com/consumer/produc.../behr-premium-semi-transparent-concrete-stain

3. Veneer brick ... This will change the elevation on the porch, requiring you to undercut the doorway and its casing. Not a big deal but it raises the threshold and creates a problem with the transition from outside to inside.

4. Jewel stone is an option. You could choose to skim coat the entire surface with jewel stone. This material is extremely durable and can be sculpted to resemble brick. It is an acrylic polymer cement and might be your answer. Here is a good starter on how to use ArcusStone (another product) from a real pro: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MowaXTruBzg[/ame]
You are doing the right thing to think it through before just diving in.

Welcome aboard Anthony,

All good tips, and I would like to add another.
If you are in a cold area subject to ice, those bricks get majorly slippery. Also if any moss grows on them it gets a bit slimy in southern states. just so you are aware..
Good luck!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to lend your advice.

@oldognewtrick, I have already purchased the brick and although, it would be quite a bit cheaper, I don't prefer the look of stained concrete (just my opinion).

@nealtw, I believe there is a sag in the roof is because the previous owner only had 2 posts on the right end of the porch. I am going install 3 new posts equally spaced out across the porch, which I am hoping will resolve this issue.

@CallMeVilla, I realized that the brick would change the elevation of the porch, and I believe the porch was already short enough that it shouldn't matter, but if it does become too high I might have to build a step.

@inspectorD, I live in Kansas, so I don't think I need to worry about the moss, but the ice can be a concern, but I'm willing to take the risk (we'll put down a doormat plus it's covered).

Thanks again to everyone that posed replies. I really appreciate everyone's input. I'll definitely put up progress and completion photos!

You want to raise that roof gentle over a few days, going to fast can break things and you should pore new concrete blocks for them to sit on so the don't sit below the new level of the brick.
What sre you going to do with the siding and garage door?

I'm not sure what you mean. The new posts are going to sit on top of the brick pavers. The old posts have been removed and the surface is completely clear to lay the pavers. Once the mortar has cured I was going to then bring in the new posts. The porch roof is being help by temporary posts that are angled off the side of the porch. Does that make sense or am I missing something?

I can't tell how much of a gap you have under that out swing door but you may need to cut the bottom to clear the thickness of the brick and whatever you're using for mortar. That means you'll have to raise the threshold, which makes it a potential trip hazard.
You also want to trim your aluminum siding, which can be a nightmare when you start putting kinks and bends into it.
What I think I would do...if it were my house...power wash and etch the concrete, stain it...there some really nice colors out there, then ad a post in the middle with handrail and balusters. Probably like it was originally.

The posts should sit in a HDG bucket that has been set in wet concrete or drilled into concrete at the level of the brick. I would not set the post on the brick as the brick will likely crack un the weight.

I am curious about how you're going to handle the front face of the porch. How will you conceal the brick edges?