Depends, I think, on whether you want to swing parallel to the exterior of the house or at right angles.

At right angles unless the swing was at the very end of the porch, you'd need enough space to walk around it comfortably, and be eye sweet.

If parallel I think 3 feet in front and the same behind, though you could probably get away with having one of those less. So figure with a 2 foot deep (front to back swing) you'd need a porch of 3+ 2+ 3 or eight feet. I think you could get away with 7, particularly if the swing was out at the end of the porch and you didn't have to walk past it to get somewhere.

Nice to think about a porch swing on a day like today. It's in the teens here and I'm up on my porch roof trying to hang gutter! Tedious project, because every day I spend half the available daylight chipping the ice off the porch roof so I can move around safely and set the ladder to reach the second story fascia board. I hope in another day (two, at the worst), I'll be done. Then I can rip the blasted porch down ... I have been longing to do that for as long as I've lived here and finally wore my DH down. Porches have their places, I suppose, but not on my southern exposure!

I'm hoping it won't take me more than a week to tear the 8 by 38 foot beast down.

Molly~

I have one,enough room to walk behind if necessary,nothing in front all porch, swing is maybe 4'wide.porch is about 6',but youre really not swinging.as in swinging fast & high.are you?? so you really dont need alot of room.Mine is just right

Thanks for your responses. My porch should be big enough if Bulldinkie's is, I believe it is wider than 6 feet and it does need to swing away from the house instead of alongside it. We close on the house next Friday and my mental Honey Do list keeps growing and growing...

Molly, good luck with your porch project, that does NOT sound like much fun with all that ice. You plan to tear it down to regain the warm southern sun? Our house has an attached carport that I'd like to tear down at some point. It is convenient, but it obscures one of the gorgeous porches on the side of the house and of course isn't original. We plan to do a detached carport and shop someday.

If this is any help (now that I went outside in 10 inches of snow to measure) my porch is 7'4" wide and 54" deep where the swing is. If you swing too hard (occassionally kids think its like a playground swing) it will hit the wall in back , but for normal swinging its perfect.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

OK, now that is dedication, braving 10 inches of snow for a porch swing question! That does help, and thanks. I think your comment about using it as a playground swing is what is lurking in the back of my mind. My granddad had a swing on his porch and boy, did we kids push the limits on that growing up, and I really haven't been in a swing much since then. I'm sure my daughter will smack into the wall when she gets a little older but hey, it's all part of the experience.

Thanks again, everyone. This board has been pretty quiet lately, but I am going to have a slew of questions once we move in, I'm sure.