The Minneapolis journal., 1905-05-06

Porches serve two quite different
uses-as sheltered entrances and as
outdoor rooms. It is possible some
times to quite successfully combine
these two functions, but we seldom
succeed.
Privacy from intrusion demands a
porch away from the principal en-
trance, or at least from q much fire
quented entrance. .
No feature Of house planning is caus-
ing more controversy between archi-
tects and clients than the porch. Many
demand that house shall be buried
in porches. The prospect Of getting
away from the front steps Of
a city residence to a roomy place in
the suburbs or country leads often to
absurd extremes in porch building.
Many homes are thus denied the pre-
cious sunshine during the whole year
in the main rooms Of the ground floor,
and are thus rendered unsanitary, il
not cheerless and gloomy, during eight
| OF nine months OF the year IN our
! northern states. ...
A porch, to be livable, must be at
least as large as a good-sized room and
| similar in proportions.
It's least dimensions should be nine
or ten feet, even for small house
II on the west front, its long axis
| should = lie east and west. On east
open porches or paved terraces are less
expensive and more airy than rooted
spaces, and being in the shade Of the
! house all afternoon, are comfortable
during the hours when the average
housewife is at leisure for reading OF
sewing.
AS a rule it is not best to build q
porch darkening all the south windows
| Of a living-room, unless the sun is free
to enter from both east and west.
A modern luxury, which is becoming
q necessity to many in our insect-ridder
country, is the porch entirely incloseC
with wire screens and frequently useC
as sort of outdoor breakfast room
Given southern exposure, such porches
may be glazed in winter for the hous
ing of tender or half hardy plants, il
which case a radiator which can bt
uncoupled and removed in summer i!
desirable for maintaining an even TEN
perature.
In seashore or country houses which
are seldom used in winter, the two
storied porch is often a delightful feat
serving as an outdoor sleeping apart
merit in sultry weather, and always as
retreat for a quiet afternoon nap.
T. For comfortable shelter and for prac
tical use, porch should not be too higf
The lofty pillared porches Of the NOR
. grandiOse colonial houses and their moo
ern copies are a poor defense agalns
either sun or rain, and therefore, as
rule, bad architecture.
e g A carriage porch is a comfortable, a
tho seldom an absolutely essential, az
junct to a large house, the, proper locs
. tion and designing of which require
! careful study. If possible, it should b
= = connected with an entrance of its owl
= separate from the principal doorway.
y The present tendency among arch
= tects, however, is to omit the carriae
. porch entirely, even in the largest coul
: try houses. Often the only shelter pr
q vided is small porch or hood, or ma
. quise of metal and glass over the doc
: way. >,
- Architecturally, porte-cochere
g more apt to mar than to help the a.
= : pearance of house. Like porches, the
II are commonly too weak and fimsy
= design.
q A good porch should be as strong an
s permanent in appearance as the hous
~ of which it is properly an integral par
II altho too seldom so designed.
f The common type of porch perm
= nently excludes needed sunlight from g
. entire room, and seldom looks we'll, gi
ing, as usually handled, lop-sided a
pearance, and masking unpleasantlv tt
strong architectural lines of the corn
r Of the building. ~....
,. The most satisfactory type of pore
as Notwithstanding element in the ge
eral composition Of house is rooted /
= the floor above, and offers the be
'e1 method of gaining more bedroom spac
'e Flat hoods or canopies go with quie
horizontal lines. Hip-roofed hood