PORCH DESIGNS - examples of some interesting entrance porches
On the subject of designing entrances
The entrance to a home is normally the first part to be experienced by a new visitor. As such, it has to satisfy both functional and aesthetic considerations. A large house will naturally require an entrance in proportion, whilst a cottage may well manage with just a covered porch roof. Some country houses will have a cloak room lobby before the entrance proper, for the placing of muddy boots and outdoor clothing, whilst a town house may simply have a space in the living area dedicated to coats. Whatever the requirements, they need to be carefully consdered as part of the design if the arrangement is to be useful and pleasing. Here are some examples.
Wivelsfield School
This conversion of an old Victorian School into a large private residence required a new entrance, as the existing coat lobby was both small and awkwardly placed. By using an existing gable feature on the roof and bringing a space forward from the front of the building, we created an entrance that was both in proportion and in the style of the original.
The Hedges
This property had been created by the sub-division of a larger house, and did not have a formal entrance. The existing stair lobby was enlarged to form an entrance hall, in the angle between two projecting parts of the house. The projecting roof is at an angle of 45 degrees to the main walls, and provides an interesting and distinctive feature.
Chates Studio
The entrance to the Studio is a modest projecting roof, but the interest lies in the need to accommodate a change in roof line, due to the lower level of floors, and consequently the roof eaves, either side. This is because the building is on a bank, with the entrance hall having three steps down to the main floor level inside the building..
Forest Ridge
Together with major internal and external alterations, this house required a new entrance. The location, between two walls at right angles to each other, allowed a curved roof to cover a generous overhang supported on oak posts, with the front door set back at an angle to the main house. The change in geometry ensured that the entrance would be seen as distinctive, but in harmony, with the whole.
