When it comes to classic southern architecture nothing says ice-cold lemonade on hot sunny days better than a wonderful wrap-around porch, and it’s not just restricted to the South.
According to some of the most updated real estate surveys of what homeowners are looking for in North America comes one of the main features that is considered a must and that is at least one main deck area.
Although women tend to see the wrap-around-porch as a romantic feature, recalling days gone by, today there’s an environmental benefit with wrap-around-porches, which was not a consideration at the beginning of the last century. Eco-housing, which is becoming more and more popular, is based on wider eaves and shading the windows at specific times of the day and from specific directions. Even building a roof over the wrap-around-porch and extending the second floor eves to 30” would allow the house to meet the major criteria of the eco-housing checklist, classifying it as an eco-home.
There are other considerations, of course, such as materials and the placement of the building when designing an eco-home.
Raising the porch a minimum of five feet from the ground level can produce a different effect on the house and wrap-around sections, adding to it the feeling of part balcony with a view. Add a few rocking chairs and a porch couch swinging from the ceiling, and you’ve now transformed the house, to a simpler time of life, where people used to come and sit out on the front porch area to relax after a meal and talk to their neighbors, watch the sunsets, and catch cool breezes on warm days.
Whether you’re looking for style, shade, eco-housing, or just more deck area, wrap-around-porches can sometimes be the answer you’ve been looking for to add that special detail to your dream home.
