Two Questions...
 

So I have inherited this old house from my parent, which used to be my grandparents. It's a nice house, but it needs a little work on the outside. I have two questions and if anyone has some insight it would be very much appreciated by me.

1.) There currently is a half finished front porch - the deck was built, but the roof was never finished. Unfortunately, the builder
did not extend the posts through the deck and now I have to mount additional posts on the deck surface. What is the best way to do this?

2.) I want to add vinyl siding to the house. Does anyone have a rough estimate in regards to the price to install this siding? I am not looking for super high-end costs, just something that looks nice and will be relatively durable.

Thanks for your help...

I would suggest going to the Home Depot or Lowes and asking them. I'm not entirely sure, but I would think you would want to run the posts through the deck and into the ground (assuming a wooden deck). This may be required by code, and even if it isn't roofs tend to have pretty nasty loads placed on them.

I'm not sure how expensive it is, but vinyl siding is pretty easy to install. I suspect it's relatively cheap because it was used pretty extensively when I did Habitat for Humanity in Savannah, GA.

Posts do not go on top of decking. Posts are structural and need to have bearing on to a sill or other structural member that is usually directly over and bearing on a foundation or "pier" foundation. Also, you need to account for attachment specifications and shear requirements and any other local code stipulations.

If you don't understand any of the above paragraph, then you should probably not do this yourself. This kind of work usually requires a building permit. It is possible that you could get someone to come and draw you plans that you could build yourself that would satisfy the local building dept.

For the siding, I would call 2 or 3 companies to get their estimates. Then, you could measure your house and windows, etc. and go to Home Depot for them to quote you on materials for doing it yourself.

I don't mean to sound harsh regarding the roof and posts. It is just one of those things where "if you have to ask" you probably shouldn't be doing it. Also, it really isn't possible for anyone to give you specific advise on exactly how to do it online. You can only tell this stuff on-site.