DIY Network

Blog Cabin: Screened Porch and Natural Branch Railing It's "A Tale of Two Porches" as DIY's Blog Cabin gets a southern style screened-in back porch and a rustic porch railing made of native Rhododendron branches. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-111

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The natural branches were pre-drilled to make it easier to nail the branches to the wood frame.

Project 2: Front Porch Railings

Tools:

reciprocating saw
screwdriver
hammer

Materials:

spiral nails
nails

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	Figure H
	Figure I
	Figure J

Front-Porch Accent: Natural Branch Railings

On this project we had existing horizontal railings without any decorative vertical posts. The branches will be affixed onto the horizontal railings, where the decorative posts usually would go.

• Note: If your porch sits 30" or more above ground, check your local building codes for railing regulations.

1. Find branches. For our railing we used Rhododendron branches that were cut down when we cleared the site. (Rhododendron is a flowering shrub common to the Smoky Mountain region, and the branches are strong.)

• Note: Since this is not for structural support, you can use large, thick branches and small, thin twigs.

2. Decide on your placement for the branches and customize the shape and layout (figure H).

3. Before securing the branches with nails, dry-fit them where you want them. You can custom cut each to fit into place using a reciprocating saw.

4. Before hammering, pre-drill into each large branch fore easier nailing (figures I and J), then nail each into place with toe-in nailing.

• Note: We are pre-drilling because we are trying to avoid splitting the rhododendron branches. It's best to pre-drill and toenail the larger pieces, but the smaller pieces can just be tacked in with a finish nailer.

• Tip: For extra security and strength, spiral nail the branches to each other where you can.

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RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Blog Cabin 100 series

Baird and Wilson Sheetmetal (cabin roof)
www.bairdandwilson.com

Aespyre Custom Metal
www.aespyre.com

Rolling Rock Building Stone Inc.
www.rollrock.com

Heat & Glo Fireplaces
www.hearthnhome.com

Peachtree Doors and Windows
www.peachtreedoor.com

InsulTechnology
www.insultechnology.com

Lumber Liquidators
www.lumberliquidators.com

Wildwood Cabinets Luxury Handcrafted Cabinetry
www.wildwoodcabinets.com

Mountain Sage Gallery
www.mountainsagegallery.com

Stonecraft Inc.
www.stonecraftusa.com

Crossville Ceramics
www.crossvilleinc.com

Nuheat Industries Ltd.
www.nuheat.com

Kohler
www.kohler.com

Cobble Systems Inc.
www.cobblesystems.com/index.html

Rolling Rock Building Stone
www.rollrock.com

Hampton Bay
www.hamptonbay.com

Sets-Systems (tankless water heater)
www.sets-systems.com