Carport/side porch design - afterthoughts
MDV
7 years ago
Need advice. The original idea was that old fashioned homes didn't have garages or carports hanging off the side however, I wanted something that could be used as a side porch and/or a carport and It also connects to my back porch. I felt that a full on garage attached to this house wouldn't look right and I wanted the open concept instead. The other idea is that the open horizontal beam ties in with the horizontal header on the front porch. My HOA seems livid and wants the triangular area filled in (albeit they approved the plan long before it was built). There is also another home in the neighborhood with the same looking side porch (open beam sort of "lean to" looking concept and has corbels/brackets). I've seen similar things online so I don't think my design is too unreasonable. Also, the roof is shingled and everything is wrapped in Hardie. Thoughts?
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cpartist
7 years agoThose used to be called a port cochere and were quite common. Can you maybe fill in the front part of the gable to match the upper part of your house? I'm thinking then it might look more "solid". Here are a few examples.
RJ Elder Design · More Info
Craftsman Porte Cochere · More Info
car port · More Info
The Jekyll · More Info
One Devoted Dame
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Help with carport for ranch
Comments (11)What are your setback laws in the town? That may affect your plans. Also be sure that your town will allow construction of a carport - around here that is not allowed any more. You have a charming ranch. Love the color of the house and the shutters - have you ever considered a different color for the front door? Something with a little more color impact could be very pretty, and make the entry feel cheerier. See the color of the kid's Jeep that is parked on the right side? Think how fun that would be for the front door! Since you said you don't want to pour another drive, I am assuming you are putting the carport in front of the family room/old garage. I would be sure that the roof line matches that of the house. I would take the shutters off the windows there, so they look like inside windows rather than outside. I would paint the door either the color of the brick or the white (cream?) color of the trim- whatever you are going to paint the supports of the carport. I would also be sure you put some kind of pot lights (outdoor rated, of course) in the ceiling of the carport. The family room is going to lose a lot of light once that goes in, and having the lighting will allow you to not feel like that side of the room indoors is in shadow. Be sure you cut back your bushes, too. You don't want the house to seem hidden, which having the carport in front and all the bulk of the green bushes at the entry may do. Add pots of colorful flowers on either side of the entry to also draw your eye there. Where are you located? I know around here (Chicago area) a carport wouldn't offer much protection for cars from anything, except perhaps some sun. But for us, since our cars are parked most days at work without protection from the sun, that wouldn't mean much for us, either....See MoreNew Build: Deck or screened porch off dining room?
Comments (17)What is the full size of the living room as I can't read the measurements? I am still thinking on ARG's suggestion for the screen porch but if I were to add it to the south side of the family room, would you still suggest moving the fireplace? I think adding the screened porch to the south side of the house would lose you more than you'd gain. I think you really need to bring that light in. I wouldn't put the screened porch on the south side at all. I think it would completely darken your house. If you want to do anything, one thing I'd consider is to wrap the deck around to the south side and then maybe add a pergola. This way the light still gets through but it helps protect a bit during the summers. BTW: I love the idea you have for the screened porch and I think ARGs idea fits your vision perfectly. It almost becomes an extension of your living room and dining room the way he's designed it. More space that when opened becomes indoor/outdoor space. Plus since the back of the house faces east, you're not going to lose any light by placing the screened porch there except in the early morning. Would it not need to stay where it currently is to provide a focal point or an anchor to the design of those 2 rooms. Does that make sense? In reality, how often will you use the fireplace? (And I ask that question knowing that I put a fireplace in my SW Florida home. LOL) I think if done right the windows and/or doors out to the south of the house could become just as much of a focal point from the kitchen and dining room. Maybe even more so because people are naturally drawn towards light. If you anchor your furniture in an L shape facing the outside and the fireplace on the west wall, I think you'll be fine. How about beautiful french doors? Or sliders? Or?...See MoreEntryway/porch assistance
Comments (13)Given that the entrance is tucked back from the front of the home, you've got to make it more visible in order for it to be welcoming. The path to it should be spacious, not confined. You could, at minimum, double the walk's width at the door and triple it at the mouth (where it meets drive). The new edge could be an S-curve. Not quite as nice, it could be an angle and straights. If you wanted to do a seating/courtyard type thing, you could make the paved area somewhat larger, but with the same feel of widening, as in inviting. I would consider removing all the shrubs and starting over. They look neither residential nor friendly ... but more like something you'd see outside of a government institution....See MoreMy HOA hates carports
Comments (15)We are definitely doing a solid roof, and while we proposed corten steel panels, they pushed back and we told them we'd be willing to do torch down (which is way cheaper anyway), which is what all the flat roofs in the area are. We are going to put down decorative rock (like most driveways and yards in the area--coranado brown, not the cheap gray stuff) so that water will continue to infiltrate. They pushed back on that too, but concrete is a non-starter. We're one of the only non-gravel driveways in the neighborhood and there's no way they can mandate concrete. I thought about raising the half wall and tying into it, but then would I raise the whole half wall? I have been told we need air to flow around the HVAC unit, so wouldn't raising it to 8' on two sides cause problems? I found this amongst my house color inspiration photos. In theory, I could do a block wall across the back and a steel screen on the side like this.. tasteful or weird?...See MoreMDV
7 years agoOne Devoted Dame
7 years ago
PROVirgil Carter Fine Art
7 years ago
PROAnglophilia
7 years ago
mrspete
7 years agocpartist
7 years ago
just_janni
7 years ago
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