The porch in my house its a little sunk in the front...?
Question:I need to level it up, I cant rebuild it, what to do?
Maybe to build a leveled up floor above, but how? I could do stuff but this I dont know how... some guidelines?
Answers:
A guiding idea with floors- floors don't go out of level, their supporting structure does. You will need to address the cause before the symptom, or you are just spinning your wheels.
Porches are notorious for sinking, because they often have a different (less) foundation than the main house structure.
Look for what supports the porch from below- if the framing members are rotted, they will need to be replaced. If there is wood going straight into/onto the ground, the rot may not be visible on above grade, so dig a little.
If there are concrete, brick or stone footings, they may be not be deep enough to be below the frost line, so they would move twice a year- when the ground freezes, and again when it thaws. Any decent local contractor would know how deep to go for your area, but anywhere from 18" to 4' is not unusual.
If the base is solid, things can still move around- check for support posts, beams and joists that aren't straight or plumb, and fix them before you fix the deck.
Once the floor is stable, if it is still too far out of level for your satisfaction, you can cut leveling sleepers- basically wedges out of 2x4 that match the slope and rebuild above the existing floor- this is not the best practice, but is not unusual.
Best of luck.
If you have enough room to get under it get a couple of jacks, you can rent them at most rental stores, and jack up the areas that are low and add a pier that will brace the area and level the top. You may have to add some additional boards to give you an area of stability. If the porch is too low to allow you to get under then you take up the area and do the same thing from the top. You add the pier and bracing and then put the floor back down. You will need a level, at least a three or four foot level, the standard carpentry tools and the jacks and support material. You can use treated wood for the braces or you can use metal, and you can set them on flat solid concrete blocks or pour about a five to six inch deep footing by about a foot wide, (square).
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