Week 9
I don’t think I’ve mentioned the back porch just yet, this subject set off a HUGE discussion between Mrs. M and I which went back and forth several times. They wanted an enclosed outdoor space in which they could entertain, I felt that enclosing this area was not a good idea; I wanted the house to feel open to the exterior and be flooded with natural light. I suggested a pergola since that would filter the sunlight while not dramatically reducing the light quality indoors, I also wanted to maintain a connection between the backyard and the interior of the house, they preferred a screened in porch they could furnish and to have protection from the elements. I tried very hard to discourage this porch idea but the M’s were insistent.
The M’s requested enough room to accommodate dining for 10 and seating for 8 making porch almost a full scale living room, 16’x37’. After it was installed Mrs. M realized how dark it made the dining room and kitchen areas, we were able to bring in some more light by installing 2 skylights. We designed a pass-through window at the kitchen with a shelf off the porch side to facilitate entertaining and added a ceiling fan and recess lighting throughout.
I decided to make the floor of the porch the same stone as pool surround to blur the lines between the indoors and outdoors.
On the positive side I feel it helped the back elevation as it transformed the back of the house from a very flat vertical surface into something a bit more three dimensional
I would love to hear your thoughts on this dilema, would you have preferred the enclosed porch or the pergola?
#1 by Lisa on November 11, 2010 - 9:29 pm
I love natural light and always wish my first floor was as warm and sunny as my second floor-so I get the back and forth on this. Having spent many trips to California where al fresco eating is fantastic…I prefer the pergola. It really gives the feeling of outdoors and the textures with the greenery can be outstanding. If I am eating outdoors (which I love to do as much as possible), I want it to feel outdoors!
#2 by scone on November 11, 2010 - 10:11 pm
I’ve got this exact problem on the rear elevation of my house. A screened porch and deck combo, with the typical hot tub projecting awkwardly beyond. I love pergolas, but bugs are a fact of life here in the North East. At the same time, the screened porch cuts off a lot of light to the kitchen.
My current idea is to rip off the porch and deck, since they are rotting anyway, and replace the whole thing with a convertible glassed in/screened porch. The roof would be Kalwall instead of glass, since this stuff has the structural strength to handle the snow load here in New Hampshire. The idea in my head is a sort of Japanese effect, with regular panels of glass like shoji that can be switched out to screens on the same module. OTOH, the glass could be flipped up against the ceiling like the porch at Monticello. With the Kalwall on the ceiling and the end wall, facing the neighbors, the whole room would be light, yet soft and private. It needs a fireplace, of course, and I’d add some landscape lighting, so the whole thing would glow at night. Sort of Scandinavian and Japanese, with lots of wood and slate with underfloor heating. Maybe a sauna and cold plunge… I just hope I can afford it!
#3 by todd haley on November 11, 2010 - 11:26 pm
my thoughts:
finished ceiling height seems a bit too low (relevant to the width of the space) – can you open the exist finished ceiling to expose the joists above for some added height – ?
if you have to keep the exist interior finished ceiling – what about a dark stain on it – ?
sconces on the ext back wall could help too – with light and making it feel more like a “room”
lastly – columns are a def deal-maker/breaker -
#4 by Anne on November 11, 2010 - 11:52 pm
The addition of the screened porch definitely created a light problem for the back of the house. However, a screened porch can be SUCH a wonderful room in the house, that it’s worth having and then figuring out how to fix the lighting problem. That’s what designers are for!
#5 by Maribel Duran on November 12, 2010 - 12:12 am
I can never have enough light. The back porch was a bad idea you were right on with this one. A good compromise would have been the pergola with screening incorporated into it to address the bug problem. Architecturally it would have been quite charming. I don’t think some people realize the importance of natural light.
#6 by Gary Nelling on November 12, 2010 - 1:13 am
Vicente – NOW I see why you’ve used the word “battle”! May I back up and ask a question? Why does the client want a formal AND a casual entertainment area? I may be reading something into your designs, but I thought your ethos included a balance of formal and casual within one space; a kind of efficiency of purpose as well as simplicity of details with a flexibility as dress-up or dress-down.
Personally, I would choose natural light in the primary living space over additional enclosed entertainment space since the quality of natural light cannot be duplicated indoors. In Missouri, shorter winters and blessed bug-less springs and autumns are enjoyed on decks, patios, verandas and roofless screened porches so as to not detract from the interior light. Your suggestion of a pergola was an excellent compromise. It could be glazed, as scone suggests, with a Kalwall roof, removable or rotating glazed wall panels and permanent screens.
The additional roof does relieve the flat rear elevation, but introduces another 1950s 3/12 roof line that you have so deftly removed with your historic gables that reinforce the home’s original design. I am partly distressed and partly comforted that an architect and designer of your stature must struggle with same issues as us all. You have done the only thing one can do. Please the client. – Gary
#7 by Eileen on November 12, 2010 - 1:20 pm
I agree – natural light is critical for any space & should be the 1st priority.
#8 by Patricia Don DIego on November 12, 2010 - 2:38 pm
The pergola. After living in a home with large windows I now see the need for lots of natural light. And you can see from the picture how the porch creates darkness inside the house. A pergola would have had a lot more charm and character than the porch.
#9 by Alice R. on November 12, 2010 - 2:44 pm
I live both these battles. I am not yet in a position to make the choice, but though I vastly prefer the light, design, and beauty (and the actual experience) of the open pergola design, reality in the outdoor setting can be a problem. In that country setting, the bugs, both daytime and night can render the porch unusable. Entertaining can be difficult during the day, and impossible during the evening. For those of us who wish to live on our porches, sometimes the ugly compromise must be made. It’s something you choose when you move there from city life.
#10 by melissa on November 12, 2010 - 3:20 pm
Pergola……
Why not a seperate building such as a pool house..
WIll there be a pool and do they have a lot of acres around the house???
xxoo
Melissa
#11 by V. L. Kadoch on November 12, 2010 - 3:44 pm
A pergola would definitely have been more beautiful and more interesting in itself, a better transition space from indoor to outdoor (and vice versa), not to mention the fact it would have let in more natural light and, from inside the house, would have presented a beautiful sense of a shaded garden (I imagine lovely flowering vines sending tendrils all over the top and columns of the pergola – species could be planted that attract birds and diminish the insect problem others allude to; nature is rarely unpleasantly out of balance unless we have messed with it). The screened porch basically just makes the house bigger. I agree with Todd Haley that the porch ceiling seems low, and that a dark color would help it recede if you cannot remove it. (Is it too late to convince the M’s to deconstruct the porch?!) Perhaps you could have enlisted strong support for the pergola plan from a good landscape designer…it seems the Ms are not really thinking about the landscape at this point or the house as it relates to the land…
#12 by TomH on November 12, 2010 - 5:38 pm
While porch offers a nice architectural feature to the back of the house, I think I would have gone with your original idea of the pergola and let the natural light into the home.
#13 by julie goebel on November 12, 2010 - 5:58 pm
I would definitely want it as a pergola or you could compromise the entire inside of the home which would end up too dark and removed from the outdoors. It looks like a great space for entertaining!
#14 by barb lavin on November 12, 2010 - 6:05 pm
I agreethat a pergola would have been a better feature, as the porch really does diminish the inter light, and to my untrained eye, it dosent do justice to the rear elevation of the house.
#15 by diane on November 12, 2010 - 7:43 pm
I think the pergola would have been my choice after looking at the photos. I can see how the kitchen would be dark and the outside elevation looks too “heavy” to me. Plus, I would have enjoyed looking out onto a beautiful garden versus into another room. Oh well…it will be beautiful either way.
#16 by Brillante on November 12, 2010 - 8:49 pm
Being Italian… a pergola would have been my choice unless I needed an extra room for entertaining (not the case apparently here). I hope the compromise will please them and I am sure you’ll do magic to this area.
#17 by Allyson on November 12, 2010 - 11:55 pm
I would reveal the rafters and add skylights between to infuse area with light. If they’re that into entertaining, add a stone fireplace at the end but leave openings for screens around it. Hang ceiling fans from the beams to help circulate air. For ambiance, add sconces on the walls. It should have a loggia look because it’s long and narrow.
#18 by Fred on November 14, 2010 - 4:50 am
Pergola for filtered light. Freestanding poolhouse or garden struture for entertaining. Maybe with sliding barn-style doors with smaller windows set into them for cozying up the space. They could be opened in nice weather and used in conjunction with disappearing screens.
#19 by CB on November 16, 2010 - 11:16 pm
A pergola would look pretty, but a screened in porch means you can dine outside all summer without the bugs at you. Therefore, I would prefer a porch. You can look at the garden from the porch.
#20 by Caroline on November 17, 2010 - 6:31 am
Screened in porch?!?! I have yet to see one that is attractive and adds to the architectural interest of the home. In every case screened porches detract from the beauty of a home. It’s kind of like a vinyl garage door… it just never looks good! Yes, they are practical and economical, but the true cost is the eyesore that is on the front of your home (in the case of the porch, the back of the home). I whole heartedly agree with you Vicente, a pergola would have been lovely and allowed for some natural light to shine though. I don’t even feel like I am enjoying the outdoor experience when I’m sitting in a screened in porch! What is the point???
#21 by CB on November 17, 2010 - 3:21 pm
I am sure Mr. Wolf will make the porch look good.
#22 by Kelley Cornelsen on November 17, 2010 - 7:13 pm
I totally get the “M’s” wanting an additional room in which to entertain but I agree that an enclosure robs too much light! The skylights are a perfect solution. However, nothing beats a pergola! I live in Houston where the sun is intense so while waiting for my climbing roses to cover the structure, I added reed panels to the top for shade.
#23 by Renee on November 18, 2010 - 12:03 am
Have had this same dilemma with a number of clients – besides the issue of having a dark interior space – if you reside in a Northern climate – you will be looking at the flotsam of garden furniture for the duration of the winter. That being said – I do love a screened porch from a functional standpoint – what is better than playing cards with a drink on a beautiful summer night and laughing at the mosquitoes? My solution is to pepper the screened porch roof with skylights – as many as will look graceful and the client can afford – and make sure there is somewhere to store the furniture in the off-months! Did a lovely half-octagon shaped one off a cedar shake house with skylights – owners love it and it is kinda darling….
#24 by Sarah Spongberg on December 1, 2010 - 10:28 pm
Given the location of the house in the northeast, I think that a conservatory would have been the better solution….It can be used year round, it captures and disperses a lot of light and can be filled with plants in the winter……….
#25 by Sarah Spongberg on December 1, 2010 - 10:30 pm
Given the location of the house in the northeast, I think that a conservatory would have been the better solution…It can be used year round, it captures and disperses a lot of light and can be filled with plants in the winter…
#26 by Margaret on April 8, 2011 - 4:35 pm
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Trying to send you a picture of my farmhouse sunroom porch. Beware the skimpy roof pitch….a host of problems! Too flat for 3 tab shingles. Standing seam….need 5 crimps…we only have 3….therefore in a downpour twice in 12 years we have had leaks in the valley…live and learn. Trouble with the skylights due to shallow pitch as well. I could go on….we had no other choice…wanted to keep the old 1843 windows above, didn’t want to cut roof in around them….a leaf and debris trap. We’ve learned a lot…too much, now that I think about it!