Ontheporch

OnThePorch

It’s hard for me to believe it has been almost twenty years since the publication of ‘On the Porch’. Sandee Mahoney and I wrote this coffee-table book at the request of Taunton Press, and I have to say we are as proud of it today as we were in 2006. What follows is the text of an article written just before the book’s release but after we had seen the authors’ copies. It begins with a description of how we became reluctant authors.

Our journey to becoming authors did not follow the standard arc of most aspiring writers. I will admit that around the office, we occasionally mused about writing a book. If you are modestly successful at your profession and of a certain age, that just goes with the territory. That being said, I don’t think we ever seriously considered the next step in writing a book or even came up with a realistic topic.

Entertaining Porch

Entertaining porch

A couple of years ago, one of our projects, which included a glassed-in porch, was featured in Renovation Style magazine. As fate and luck had it, Inspired Home, a beautiful, well-researched, and now-defunct magazine, asked us to write an article on porches. Sandee and I wrote the article, which, combined with the fact that most projects at Crisp Architects include at least one porch, led Taunton Press to our doorstep. For good reason, there has been a long resurgence of interest in the American porch, and Taunton Press, one of the most respected ‘shelter’ magazine and book publishers, saw a need for a new porch book. They decided to take a chance on two people who had never come close to writing a book. We, on the other hand, were flattered and anxious and could not imagine how we would possibly be able to manage the increased workload, but in the end, we could not say no.

Private Porch

Private porch

So, after discussing the pros and cons with our respective families(who would have to take up a lot of our slack at home), we jumped headfirst into the world of editors, publishers, photographers, and, best of all…porches. When we told our friends that we were writing a book on porches, the stories, and childhood experiences came pouring out in wonderful detail. That confirmed what we believed about the importance of porches to our homes and our lives.

The first task in writing the book was to develop an outline. With a lot of help from our editor, we settled on a format that included before-and-after porches with their stories, details of how to build porches and make them work on a home, portfolios of porches around the country, historical examples with context, and finishing touches such as furniture, lighting, and accessories. And that was just the beginning.

Sitting Porch

Sitting porch

As an American Institute of Architects member, I called for architects nationwide to submit their favorite porch additions. Our summer intern, Evan Hauptman, spent most of that summer logging and filing submissions nationwide from architects and architecture schools. Once we and our editors had chosen which porches to include, Taunton Press hired photographers to take the best photos possible. Sometimes, waiting days for just the right light. Luckily, we only photographed the porches of very understanding and gracious homeowners.

Over the course of more than a year we wrote, and our editors rewrote, and we selected and reselected photos and stories to include in the book. We researched things we thought we knew already about porch history and materials and details. Admittedly, there were some days we felt like sausage makers.

In the end, with the help of knowledgeable editors, talented photographers, gracious homeowners, and many writers and architects who came before us, we put together a book we are proud of. We hope this book will encourage some fence-sitters to become porch sitters and others to learn the pleasures of sitting on the porch.

Abby On Porch

My daughter stepping onto her grandparents’ porch. (Photo by Jimmy Crisp)

Photos by Rob Karosis  Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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About the Author: James Crisp

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James M. Crisp has been an architect for well over 30 years. His architectural firm, Crisp Architects, designs projects throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In April of 2007, Taunton Press published 'On the Porch' by James M. Crisp and Sandra Mahoney.

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One Comment

  1. 4D359A454A87C2Ad2Fc6384B90B26242?S=54&R=G
    Tom Dieck March 14, 2013 at 10:13 am

    creating a place to watch the world go by says it all when its comes to porches. Some will complain that porches reduce the light in the connected rooms. Yes this is true but in the end, the outdoor room is very functional and very inviting for all who arrive at the entrance to your home.

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