The Porch and Its Uses 
VITAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PLANNING, BUILDING AND FURNISHING OF THE 
PORCH-THE PROBLEMS OF LOCATION WITH REFERENCE TO EXPOSURE AND OUTLOOK 
by Harold Donaldson Eberlein 
T HE properly planned porch should be 
held an integral part of the house 
tout ensemble , and we have no more right 
to be haphazard in dealing with it than we 
have to be careless about the rooms within. 
With our personal clothing we think out 
first just what we wish to have and then 
insist upon having it just as we wish it. 
This is right. We should do the same 
with our houses. Our houses are only a 
more expanded form of our personal en¬ 
vironment than our clothing, and should 
express our personality quite as much as 
does our apparel. Careless disregard of 
purpose in planning our porches or rooms, 
or any other part of our houses, for that 
matter, is sure to breed dissatisfaction and 
regret later on, most of all if people are at 
all sensitive and particular. It is better to 
be sensitive and particular beforehand and 
then reap lasting satisfaction afterward. 
After deciding upon the exact object of 
the porch with reference to its placing, and 
before settling the precise location, we 
must think of the season of the year and 
the time of day when it is to be most used. 
A living-porch for summer use, for example, should be planned 
to command the maximum of prevailing - breeze and the minimum 
exposure to the sun. One delightful living-porch that the writer 
knows, has an exposure north by northeast. Except in the very 
early morning, when it is not likely to be in use, there is entire 
freedom from glare 
or direct sun rays, 
while a refreshing 
breeze is generally 
creeping up the glen 
and through the gar¬ 
den that the porch 
overlooks. 
Outlook is another 
factor that must be 
taken much account of 
in fixing the porch’s 
location. There is a 
rare and inexpressible 
pleasure in having a 
stretch of fair coun¬ 
try spread before 
one’s eyes, and om 
enjoyment of it is 
greater when viewed 
from outdoors than 
from within. It is, 
therefore, always well 
to plan porches with 
the outlook in mind. 
Sleeping - porches, 
which will, of course, 
be on the level of the 
second floor or above, should have an 
eastern or, preferably, southern exposure, 
so that they may be used the year round 
without subjecting their occupants to the 
too rigorous bufifetings of the weather. It 
would seem the part of ordinary common 
sense for those purposing to build a sleep¬ 
ing-porch to keep this and several other 
important considerations in mind. Fore¬ 
thought and judgment, however, are by no 
means universal. 
The paving or flooring of the porch is 
the first item to confront us when it comes 
to actual construction, but before deter¬ 
mining of what sort it shall be, it must be 
decided whether the porch is to be on the 
ground level or to be elevated somewhat. 
Into the settlement of this matter must 
enter the question of drainage and the con¬ 
tour of the ground. In some places it is 
quite feasible to have the surface of the 
porch at lawn level—and it is often de¬ 
sirable to have it so—because the ground 
slopes rapidly enough away to insure per¬ 
fect drainage ; in other places, owing to the 
contour of the ground, it is manifestly im¬ 
possible to do so without running the risk of undue dampness 
and perhaps occasional flooding. 
For a porch at ground level, the floor should be of brick, tile, 
stone or concrete. A wooden floor at ground level, no matter 
how dry the spot, will last but a short time. Its contact with the 
soil is bound to cause 
rot, especially as the 
timbers get no venti¬ 
lation. For any of 
the other materials 
mentioned, a careful¬ 
ly prepared bed must 
be laid, although the 
ground may be solid 
and exceptionally dry. 
A deep cinder bed, 
solidly tamped, such 
as is generally used 
for a concrete side¬ 
walk, is the best, and 
a curb of stone or 
concrete should be 
deeply set before any¬ 
thing else is done. 
When bricks are to 
be used, the custom¬ 
ary sand bed, of the 
desired thickness, can 
be spread on top of 
t h e cinders. Better 
than sand is a bed of 
concrete for bricks. 
After they are laid. 
An interesting development of the porch as 
an integral part of the house 
For a porch at ground level the floor should be of brick or other material that is unaffected 
by dampness. In such a situation wood rots too rapidly 
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