Need help with “Porch” planning

3 years ago

While the ice and snow keep us trapped inside for a few more months, I’m planning out some projects for the spring. We just completed construction and moving in during the early Fall, so we haven’t put thought to landscaping or outdoor seating. Long term (a few years) we will be installing a wooden deck at the height of the flashing, but for now, we’ve had the dirt pitch graded away from the house, put down some landscape fabric and several inches of gravel in a border aroudn the house to keep down the mud and weeds, and give us a solid path around the house. I’m looking for options for how to arrange the gravel porch with a small seating area, and a more welcoming entry. The overhand is roughly 7ft for some dimension and each wall of thr bunch out is around 6ft wide.

I’ll be building better stairs with a landing at the top in the Spring as well, these were just to get us through the C of O process. The front hasn’t really been used as an entry, but we’d still like to better decorate it. These photos are from the Fall while I was putting down the stone.

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Comments (5)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
I think I am a bit confused . Do you want a deck or a porch. Why do you not use the front door? &' is not very conducive to having seating maybe a nice swing there and the your real entertainment seating on a god sized deck That deck needs to be well thought out as to use and for sure how you entertain. We have 2200Sq ft of deck it is around the pool all around the sides of the house and across the back is a outdoor itxhen, a large seating area for 12 and an outdoor ding area where we can seat 20. Thisnk very hard about how much deck you need . Work on a nice walkway to the front door too. Good outdoor lighting is a must .
samohtep thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
samohtep
Original Author
3 years ago
Sorry for the confusion.

In the future, we will be installing raised wooden decking as a porch floor, wrapping around the front bumpout.

We don’t use the front as the main entry, because really its just family that visits and we all use the garage to enter the house through the mudroom.

This wouldn’t be for entertaining, just some chairs to sit outside in the shade, or to bring out a cup of coffee in the morning. The front of the house faces north east, so it gets a pretty nice view with the sunrise.

The backyard will have plenty of room for entertaining, but not focusing there yet.

Basically, just thinking about how to use this space. We’ve never had a house with an open porch, so its unfamiliar territory for us!
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Christopher CNC
3 years ago
How about you build one small section of deck to cover the front door and one wall of the bumpout. Put the steps on the left side down to the gravel path. That should make using the front door better and have enough space for a little cafe table and two chairs.
simplynatural
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If the front door were used, would people approach from the right in the first photo, or would they approach from the left and walk around the bump-out to get to the door?

If from the right, then the left side of the bump-out wouldn't have to be a walkway and could become a seating area, perhaps with a bench against the house wall and a couple of chairs (I've only shown one) that could be easily moved to either face the sunrise for viewing or face the bench for conversation. Something like this? (Landscaping is just to convey the idea that there will be something there; it's not necessarily a suggestion.)

If approach is from the left, then ignore this!
samohtep
Original Author
3 years ago
ChristopherCNC - That might be worthwhile, I’ll have to think about doing that!

simplynatural - the driveway is on the left side of the house, but I like your idea. i had completely forgotten about the original concept rendering if the house which has a similar arrangement. The path from the driveway to the door was pulled away from the front of the house, beyond the foundation beds. That does help free up that space and provide more seating options.