It seems that all we talk about are front porches. Of course, that is where we enter a home, and if that home is in a neighborhood, the front porch is the public face of the home.
On many old farmhouses, the back porch was off the kitchen while the front porch led into the more grand and public rooms of the home. The back porch was where boots came off, deliveries were made, and where all sorts of food preparation happened. The back porch might be where the kids shelled the peas or shucked corn, where mom cooled the pies, and where other more messy kitchen tasks were performed. I say this having shelled many a pea on a side porch in Louisiana.
In today’s homes side or back porches are often the more private porches and are used for relaxing or entertaining. It is not uncommon for our clients to request an outdoor fireplace or built-in grill on a side or back porch. If a home is on a hill, the back porch is the place the owners go to take in the view when the entry is on the up-hill side.
Anyway, it is my pleasure to pay homage to those porches which have gotten sidelined or ended up in the back seat, so to speak.
For more information on building your own porch please check out the article we wrote recently about that subject in Fine Homebuilding titled The Particulars of Porch Design. You can also see a lot more of our porches by going to our Pinterest, Porches board.
Photos by Rob Karosis Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio
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