I lived in the desert Southwest for a few years and had the honor of calling an early 1900’s adobe bungalow my home during that time. In true bungalow fashion, the house sported a wide, deep porch. I’d sit out there, in my discount store plastic chairs that were demoted from the dining room after I upgraded to IKEA and watch the barrio go by. I’d shoot death stares at the yapping chihuahua next door, check out the slow progression of the “Surprisingly Nimble Old Italian Man” as he collected cans from neighbor’s trash, and watch the streets fill with water within minutes during monsoon downpours. In those days I had the luxury of time to watch an entire sunset as it decimated all sense of propriety as southwestern sunsets do. I lived from that porch, and fell in love with porch living.
Jump ahead almost ten years and tops on my wishlist while househunting was a great porch. And what did I do? I bought a house without a porch. Well, it sort of had one, but it met its fate at the end of a big piece of machinery this summer. That old sorry excuse for a porch is still sitting in my field, the base for a bonfire, if you want it.
When I started working on the remodel of my house, the first thing I asked my draftsman to create was a porch. He obliged, and the drawing grew and grew, grew and just when the dream porch seemed to tip into ridiculousness I scaled back and edited and drew some more. I photocopied drawings of the front of the house with the space above the front door left open and spent days sketching my perfect porch. I agonized over roof pitch and arc curve and post placement. I very nearly came to fisticuffs with my draftsman in an effort to birth this porch. And then one day, it finally came together. I got a great drawing in my e-mail inbox, and today, when I arrived at the house early this morning, there I found, my porch.
And that’s not all! I love porches so much, I binged and drew two! Check out the beginnings of the back screened porch!
Asher wanted me to share that he’s excited to come run through your field while we sit on the awesome porch – that is, when he learns to run someday soon! Glad to see the shape of things