Floors

[BrentHeather]

The previous owners added a room where the patio use to be. The floors in this room are level with the floors in the rest of the house. They left the sliding glass door and that room is on a duchess a/c. We want to open the room up and convert it into a screened patio. The only issue I see is the floors being level. There’s no drop. There is a step down from the doors leading outside from this room, about six inches, but not from the main part of the house into the room where the slider is. Is there anything we can do to move forward with this plan, that code will allow, to prevent water from getting in if we open the room up?

 

[cda]

How big is the patio??

a by b??

Lower the ground level around the exterior of the patio?

Add a gradual ramp away from the main house towards the patio??

 

[BayPointArchitect]

CDA has good advice. Aside from code requirements to slope away from the foundation, there is the option of (1) finding the nearest low point within the property, (2) make a nice little rain garden with rocks and elephant grass, (3) dig a trench between rain garden and new addition, (4) continue to dig a trench around new addition, (5) install trench drain around new addition, (6) connect trench drain to rain garden with 6 inch underground pipe.

Disclaimer:
I am not a civil engineer or landscape architect.
To ensure that there will be absolutely no problems, it is advisable to employ the services of an entire team of land surveyors, landscape architects, civil engineers, geologists, agricultural engineers, and a food truck to feed them all.