On Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:00:02 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:
You have some good ideas there. I have pretty much decided to do it
from under the porch, rather than try to move it.
Good luck, I hope it goes well!
Maybe I can make panels with lumber and the metal siding, and attach
them from under the house.
The more you can do out in the open, the less work you'll have on laying
under the house. 
There are access doors to get under the house.
I was going to ask you if there was another way under the house. It might
be easier coming at it from that direction than trying to squeeze under the
deck (I don't know if you mentioned how much clearance you had under the
deck).
About 3 1/2ft from ground to bottom of deck.
Yes, the porch is free standing and there is a gap about 3/4" between
the house and the porch
Does the metal crawlspace siding tuck under the house siding somehow? In
other words, what keeps water from going behind the metal siding where it
connects to the house?
The metal overlaps the house siding, but I have a special moulding which
is made for trailer houses, which locks everything in place and seals
it. I also applied some silicone to make sure it stays dry. I used this
method because there was no way to go under the siding without doing a
lot of of siding removal which would have likely damaged it. If I ever
re-side the house, I can then go over the crawl space siding.
This is still the one problem I have. I can not install that moulding
with the porch in place. But I'm looking into using some trim made for
barns, which will seal the metal as well as capping the gap between the
house and porch. However, if the porch lifts from freezing, that could
be a problem. But maybe there is another material I can use. If a small
amount of water gets behind the crawl space siding, it's not a big deal.
It will just soak in the ground, and I'll use treated lumber back there
to prevent rot.
because the porch just sits on the ground, so it moves with freeze
and thaw cycles (which is why I would not attach it to the house).
We don't have to worry much about frost heave here in the Pacific
Northwest. Our frostline is technically 12 inches, but it's extremely rare
to have freezing weather long enough to freeze the ground.
I wish I did not have to deal with freezing!!!!
A few years ago, we had a very severe winter, and a yard hydrant froze
about 5 ft below the ground. I never had that happen before.
Still, I've always built decks and stairs freestanding, mostly to prevent
rot between the deck/stair structure and the house.
Same reason I have the gap, but also for freezing and thawing.
Let us know how your project turns out!
It looks like I wont be doing anything for awhile. We're having extreme
rain and all sorts of crappy weather. If it freezes after this rain, I
wont be able to do any of this till Spring. In the meantime, I just
crammed some scrap steel sheets behind the porch and jammed some wood
scraps between the steel and the porch to hold it in place. Behind it, I
drove a few short pieces of scrap rebar into the soil to keep the steel
from pushing inward. I knew this storm was coming, so I just did this
temporary for now.
Take care,
Thanks
Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com