General Guidelines:  Porches

Avoid removing or enclosing porches, especially those which face the public street. Retain and repair original posts, rails, and trim, including lattice apron, wherever possible. Where replication is necessary, new elements should match the historic as closely as possible. Rebuild steps with materials appropriate to the facade, matching the historic precedent as closely as possible.

Porches are an exterior living space and mark the transition between the private house and the public street. While many porches extend the full length of the facade, some wrap around the building or only cover the entry.

Original porch in need of repair and trim replacement.

Porch after rehabilitation and some trim simplification.

Badly deteriorated wooden porches can be rebuilt and elaborate millwork features can be simplified, if necessary. If total replication is too costly, a simplified design should be of compatible size and scale, and new millwork should be fully scaled.

YES

NO

Replacement porch posts, columns, and rails should match the originals as closely as possible. Wrought iron posts and rails should be avoided except where they were part of the historic design.

Avoid enclosing porches, especially at the front
Good answers to questions about  porch conservation can be found inPreserving Porches, by Renee Kahn and Ellen Meager. (New York: Henry Holt and Co. 1990).

Porch Terms

Balustrade
A railing made up of balusters attached to a top rail and used along stairs, landings, porches and balconies.
 

Baluster
A vertical member that supports a stair rail.
 

Deck
A flat, floor-like roof or platform generally built for storage or outdoor living.
 

Spindle Frieze
A horizontal band of decoration composed of turned spindles and other ornamental work.

Turning
One of various cylindrically shaped objects produced on a lathe. Spindles and balusters are often turned.