What Makes a Good Porch?
3:19 PM
What makes a good porch?
Question: what are the characteristics for your dream-porch?
The book Pocket Neighborhoods is full of fascinating little asides. Page 24 includes a thought-provoking list of six rules-of-thumb for designing a good porch.
Porches
are important because they provide a transition place between inside
and outside. They also provide a transition between public and private
space.
I've
never really thought about the defining characteristics of a good
porch. Non-architects like me simply know em' when we see em', but
architects like Chapin know, for instance, that a good porch railing is "about 27 in. to 30 in. high--just the right balance of open and closed." (p. 27)
"Making a good porch is both an art and a science." -Chapin
Here are Chapin's six rules-of-thumb for a good porch: 1) Get the right location. 2) Make it a living space. 3) Make it large enough.
4) Don't cut through the middle. 4) Keep the porch open. 5) Define the edge.
He notes that the social life of a pocket neighborhood revolves around the front porch. Because everyone walks in the neighborhood, it's easy to strike up a conversation.
It seems to me, though, that most of the coolest porches I have seen in regular neighborhoods are back porches rather than front porches. I could be wrong, but I think front porches are stiff and formal places, whereas back porches are casual and comfortable.
What do you think? ... What makes a good porch?
0 comments