As spring finally comes on strong, my thoughts turn to sitting outside, picking up the guitar, popping a brew, waving hi to friends in the neighborhood, in short, sitting on the front porch and relaxing.
Porches have become a threatened species, in part because we have re-oriented towards the back, with decks, patios, pools, etc. But they still can serve us well. For instance, all this isolation is turning the neighborhoods into ghost towns, and making it easier to just sit inside. This hurts the kids most, I think, since getting out into the neighborhood is such a bit deal, instead of just having a porch to play on, or act as neutral ground between the house and the street.
We have an older colonial in a small neighborhood and I love sitting on the porch swing in the summer. I made a new railing with a wide top to allow an easier perch, and judicious plantings give some privacy while still allowing interaction with the neighbors. I also extended it along the house as a pergola, with vines for sun-screen in the summer.
On a current project, we are removing a tiny useless entry stoop and roof and adding a porch. It faces east and as soon as the clients saw the idea they took to it as a place to have coffee in the mornings, work with their lap-tops outside and have a sheltered place to arrive when coming home. And on a recently finished addition to a split level, we added a full porch to give Mom and Dad a place to sit and observe the street while the kids ran around the neighborhood with their friends.
This is perhaps the most important sub-conscious aspect: safety and comfort. Seeing the porch a visitor immediately knows the front door, there is shelter for visitors and for the resident coming
Porches have become a threatened species, in part because we have re-oriented towards the back, with decks, patios, pools, etc. But they still can serve us well. For instance, all this isolation is turning the neighborhoods into ghost towns, and making it easier to just sit inside. This hurts the kids most, I think, since getting out into the neighborhood is such a bit deal, instead of just having a porch to play on, or act as neutral ground between the house and the street.
We have an older colonial in a small neighborhood and I love sitting on the porch swing in the summer. I made a new railing with a wide top to allow an easier perch, and judicious plantings give some privacy while still allowing interaction with the neighbors. I also extended it along the house as a pergola, with vines for sun-screen in the summer.
On a current project, we are removing a tiny useless entry stoop and roof and adding a porch. It faces east and as soon as the clients saw the idea they took to it as a place to have coffee in the mornings, work with their lap-tops outside and have a sheltered place to arrive when coming home. And on a recently finished addition to a split level, we added a full porch to give Mom and Dad a place to sit and observe the street while the kids ran around the neighborhood with their friends.
This is perhaps the most important sub-conscious aspect: safety and comfort. Seeing the porch a visitor immediately knows the front door, there is shelter for visitors and for the resident coming
home, a place to meet and greet guests and a safer 
buffer area to meet with visitors you may not want to invite in. The idea came to me when the clients had a vague idea of wanting to spruce up their front door area, and while at the house I saw a friend with a gaggle of kids arrive and try to get in out of the snow. A porch would have been a perfect haven.
It's a place to take the prom pictures,
let the teenagers romance, play your music and best of all, it says “Welcome Home!”.
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