Porch of the Week: Catching a Breeze in Austin, Texas
The new screened-in space has a beautiful fireplace as a focal point and includes lounging and dining spaces
This couple, parents of an infant and with another child on the way, were living in a 1,000-square-foot house in Austin, Texas, that was bursting at the seams. During the early stages of an addition design, architect Sharon George walked through the house with them to find out what was working and what wasn’t.
“When we first met, they didn’t have a screened-in porch on their wish list, but when I proposed it, they loved the idea,” George says. The new indoor-outdoor protected space provides a breeze, has a focal point fireplace and serves as a transitional space between the house and the patio.
“When we first met, they didn’t have a screened-in porch on their wish list, but when I proposed it, they loved the idea,” George says. The new indoor-outdoor protected space provides a breeze, has a focal point fireplace and serves as a transitional space between the house and the patio.
For times when it’s not so breezy, George selected a large ceiling fan with lots of blades. “This fan really makes a breeze,” she says. She also chose the lighting, which includes a woven black statement pendant light. This relates to other woven light fixtures in the house.
The porch has a lounge area and a table for dining and playing games. The design includes a grilling patio next to the porch as well. It’s easy to prepare the food there and serve it on this porch table. The door to the grilling patio is just out of this photo’s frame to the right.
The flooring is Saltillo tile, and the ceiling is painted tongue-and-groove pine paneling. “I wanted to give the finishes out here the same attention I gave the interior finishes,” George says. “This made it feel like an outdoor living room and not just a porch.”
At the same time, she thought about it as a transitional space between indoors and out. So she matched the interior walls of the porch to the home’s exterior lap siding, connecting the porch to the facade. “This makes you feel like you’re outdoors, and it makes it stand out — the walls are not smooth like they are inside the house,” she says.
Ceiling fan: Big Ass Fans
The porch has a lounge area and a table for dining and playing games. The design includes a grilling patio next to the porch as well. It’s easy to prepare the food there and serve it on this porch table. The door to the grilling patio is just out of this photo’s frame to the right.
The flooring is Saltillo tile, and the ceiling is painted tongue-and-groove pine paneling. “I wanted to give the finishes out here the same attention I gave the interior finishes,” George says. “This made it feel like an outdoor living room and not just a porch.”
At the same time, she thought about it as a transitional space between indoors and out. So she matched the interior walls of the porch to the home’s exterior lap siding, connecting the porch to the facade. “This makes you feel like you’re outdoors, and it makes it stand out — the walls are not smooth like they are inside the house,” she says.
Ceiling fan: Big Ass Fans
Note that the screens do not extend all the way to the floor — this was deliberate. “This lot is pretty flat, and the porch floor is very close to the ground. Extending the screens to the porch floor would have made them more susceptible to damage from rain and from little ones leaning against them,” she says. “And I didn’t want that feel of looking out to grass.” Instead of putting the screens directly atop the grass, she added more of the lap siding.
There wasn’t a great spot for a fireplace indoors. “Besides, in Austin, we rarely use a fireplace indoors,” George says. Instead, she placed it on the porch, where it will get more use on chilly nights. The fireplace is wood-burning and vents out the back rather than the top.
The surround is a bold porcelain tile that resembles encaustic cement. “This tile has a natural look,” George says. The hearth is Lueders limestone, a regional stone. “This is a very tough limestone that is great for outdoor use. And it’s a little more gray than cream,” the designer says. She also capped the fireplace in this same stone, and a TV sits on top of it.
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There wasn’t a great spot for a fireplace indoors. “Besides, in Austin, we rarely use a fireplace indoors,” George says. Instead, she placed it on the porch, where it will get more use on chilly nights. The fireplace is wood-burning and vents out the back rather than the top.
The surround is a bold porcelain tile that resembles encaustic cement. “This tile has a natural look,” George says. The hearth is Lueders limestone, a regional stone. “This is a very tough limestone that is great for outdoor use. And it’s a little more gray than cream,” the designer says. She also capped the fireplace in this same stone, and a TV sits on top of it.
Shop for tile
Here’s a view of the porch and fireplace from the dining room. “The fireplace is a visual anchor in the corner. It’s nice to look at something pretty out here, and it draws people outdoors, especially when my clients are entertaining,” George says. It’s even more alluring when the sliding doors are open.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A screened door on the porch opens to this new grilling patio. George wrapped the grill base in tile that matches the fireplace, and she repeated the Lueders limestone on the countertop.
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Porch at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 240 square feet (22 square meters)
Architect: Sharon George of Architecture by George
George designed a 1,400-square-foot addition that took the home from three bedrooms and one bath to four bedrooms and 2½ baths. The addition has one big, open space that includes this kitchen and dining room as well as a living room (not shown). It also contains a primary bedroom suite.
The new 240-square-foot porch, seen here through the large glass doors, works in concert with the new living spaces. The wide doors, which slide and stack, provide an 8-foot opening so that the family can open up the porch to these indoor spaces on nice days. George thought about cross ventilation when planning the addition; there are windows on the other side of the house opposite these doors, so cross breezes can cool down the interior rooms.
George also considered Austin’s climate when placing the porch. “The prevailing breezes from the Gulf of Mexico come from the southeast. So I placed the porch on the southeast corner of the house,” she says. “Also, the porch offers the interior protection from that all-day southern sun exposure.”
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