Building a porch

ADDING A FRONT PORCH CAN VASTLY IMPROVE KERB APPEAL - HERE'S HOW TO GO ABOUT INSTALLING ONE...

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Porches don't just add a thoughtful design flourish to a home - they provide a lovely in-between area, protecting waiting visitors and keeping us and our belongings dry as we hunt for our keys. We've spoken to several design experts to get the low down on what to consider when adding a porch...

WHAT TYPES ARE THERE?

When choosing the perfect porch for your home, finding the right design is the first and most essential step in the process. The material you pick (for example, PVC, wood or metal), its size and shape will all influence whether you can build the porch yourself or not. 'There are essentially three types of porch: canopy porches, open porches and enclosed porches,' says David Sutton, owner of The English Porch Company. 'You can choose the perfect fit for your home, whether you have a wide entrance, want a pent roof, or maybe something more traditional,' adds Madeleine Clarke from Dunster House.

Enclosed porch

This can act as a vestibule before entering the main house. They're generally made with more permanent materials - such as stone, glass or brick - with foundations and a door. 'From a practical standpoint, an enclosed porch, whether to the front, side or rear of a property, should have a footprint no less than 1m deep and 1.5m wide, unless restrictions apply,' advises David. Any smaller and the investment in an enclosed porch would largely be wasted, with little in the way of usable space. The exception to this is, of course, for those properties where the principal objective is keeping the wind and rain out, and in this situation, the benefit of space is far outweighed by the comfort an enclosed entrance porch will create,' he says.

Open porch