The Best Materials and Styles to Choose when Building a Porch
Have you imagined yourself sitting out on your porch on a lazy summer day, with a cold drink in your hand, just watching the world go by? A lot of people would agree that it is one of the best ways to relax and chill out without having to spend a penny.
If your porch is in disrepair, though, then you may not be too inspired to relax out there. You might only get even more stressed by seeing all the things you have to renovate. However, it is best to have it fixed as early as possible to avoid the damage spreading out into the rest of your home.
The porch is often mistaken to be the same as a veranda, deck or patio. To clarify this, a porch is the covered space around the entrance of a building or house. In most houses, it provides the space for the residents to pause and fumble with their keys, while opening or closing their front door. There may be more than one porch for a house or building. Verandas are similar, only much bigger. Decks, meanwhile, are outside extension of a structure's floors. Patios, on the other hand, are covered spaces in the backyard.
Materials used for building porches
The materials used for building porches will depend mostly on what the exterior of the building or house is made of. It is best to match the porch design with the rest of the structure, to get seamless transition. Making the porch stick out like a sore thumb, no matter how beautiful it is, will not add to the attraction of your home.
That said, porches are normally built using hard, durable wood like Red and Green Cedar, treated Pine, or Brazilian Walnut. While many wood materials last for 15 years, the Brazilian Walnut has been said to last more than 25 years.
Composite materials are also used to build porches. They are quite popular materials as they are low maintenance. Unlike with wood, they are usually not prone to staining, cracking, peeling, slivers, twisting or warping.
Porch designs
Building contractors nowadays are capable of making your real porch match your dream porch as much as possible. Depending on your budget and the size of your home, there are endless design options for porches.
Porch designs are classified into two broad categories: open and enclosed porches.
Open porch designs are those that have no roof or awning. They are basically exposed to the elements. The floor material may be the most crucial element to pick, as it will have to be durable when exposed to all kinds of weather or manner of wear and tear.
Enclosed porches, obviously, are designed with the roof extending from the house. They basically have three walls and an entrance. If would like to use this area even in the winter time, then you may want to consider incorporating heating into the area.
If you are only able to fit in a small porch outside your home, possibly due to space or budget constraints, then there is no need to worry how it will look. You can spice the small space up by using lovely, decorative plants and a hanging lantern to make it look charming.
Some porch designs that want to achieve a period feel, like Victorian, may focus the design on the posts, brackets and balusters.
Give your spacious wooden porch a garden party feel by setting up wicker chairs all around it. This will certainly be a popular hang-out place for your guests. You can even set up a swinging bench, if you want.
Surrounding your porch with lots of greenery and painting the ceiling light blue, gives the area a feel of openness and will be in keeping with traditional porch culture. Match this design with comfortable wicker chair sets.
You can transform your porch into an extra room in your house by screening it in. You may then be able to furnish it like any other room, complete with lighting fixtures and a ceiling fan, if you wish.
Planting climbing roses right next to the porch will give it a very romantic appeal, especially if you have an arched porch.
Porch functions
The main function of porches is to shelter those who are coming in and out of its doorways. Nowadays, however, the porch functions as an extension of the home or as an exterior room.
A lot of us envision our grandparents sitting on a rocking chair by the porch, just watching people pass by or just staring out into space and relaxing. It can be a great place to bond with people in your household, over cold glasses of juice or iced tea. Many people have had the experience hearing old-time stories from their grandparents on their porches, and it would be nice to continue the tradition.
When there is nobody at home, then an inviting porch with comfortable chairs will be a welcome respite for surprise guests who are willing to wait for you to come back.
Having afternoon tea at the porch can be quite pleasant, especially on a cool, lazy afternoon. Having comfortable chairs, lots of plants and a lovely tea set will complete the mood, along with the tea and biscuits.
A backyard porch may be transformed into an exterior dining room, where you can have meals during summer or on days with good weather. Reading the paper and having a hot mug of coffee or hot chocolate in a garden ambience can be quite relaxing and will definitely put you in a good mood. You can even set up a grill there, if you wish and be able to invite guests over for a little barbecue party.
"pity there are no pictures"
j ward