This is the season of The Porch. I don’t think I’ve met a person that doesn’t enjoy relaxing on the porch. Porches are a bridge between inside and outside. They’re also a great way to add space to your home without a huge investment. Check out how much they can change the look of a home:
Before and after. This cottage home’s lakeside facade is totally different thanks to quad post porches connected by a huge deck.
More good news: crafting a porch with timbers increases longevity of the structure. (They also give the space unmatched aesthetics.) Timber is versatile and can work with large decks and removable screens to modest cement pads as post and beam supported roof structures. Summer, Spring, Fall, and even “Winter” in some regions, these spaces act as extra rooms and get us all outside.
Porches are perfect spaces to combine elements. Reclaimed barn siding, stone, reclaimed timber, custom arched screens, and more. For a family in Mendon, New York, this porch is the place to be, day or night.
Porches offer protection from the elements, but what about insects? Often folks spend more time on screened porches as the discomfort of insects and threat of unwelcome animals is eliminated. Installing and removing screens can be painful, but our fine woodworking group has perfected a modular screen system for timber frame porches. These panels of screens are easy to install and remove as weather demands.
Often the custom modular screens are crafted with reclaimed Douglas fir frames. Reclaimed redwood decking from Pioneer Millworks is another common feature of our porches. Redwood is naturally weather resistant (a bit like cedar) and just a tad softer on bare feet.
Porch design is open to creativity. Adding a porch to the second level can act as a private master bedroom get-away, or an alternate bedroom on hot summer nights.
I often think of porches as offering the first impression to the home within. They welcome visitors, shelter us from weather, and provide a place to watch the world pass by. Straight forward with clean lines and minimal fuss, or complex with multiple elements, curves, and custom doors, they can say a lot about a home and its occupants.
Big or small, entry porches make an impression. Combined with peeled posts, reclaimed timbers, curved bottom chord trusses, flowers, benches, and custom doors they are unmatched by their vinyl, composite, and metal competitors.
Here’s a good example of post and beam timber construction over a patio:
What views have you enjoyed from a porch? I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying many, even if they were brief visits: overlooking various lakes, horse pastures, back yards, and even country roads. If you’re looking for a little more elbow room, wanting some ambiance, and have a view to frame, I’d recommend a porch. You won’t be disappointed.
