The owners of this beautiful historic farmhouse had been painstakingly restoring it bit by bit. One of the last items on their list was to create a wrap-around front porch to create a more distinct and obvious entrance to the front of their home. Aside from the functional reasons for the new porch, our client also had very specific ideas for its design. She wanted to recreate her grandmother’s porch so that she could carry on the same wonderful traditions with her own grandchildren someday. Key requirements for this front porch remodel included: - Creating a seamless connection to the main house. - A floorplan with areas for dining, reading, having coffee and playing games. - Respecting and maintaining the historic details of the home and making sure the addition felt authentic. Upon entering, you will notice the authentic real pine porch decking. Real windows were used instead of three season porch windows which also have molding around them to match the existing home’s windows. The left wing of the porch includes a dining area and a game and craft space. Ceiling fans provide light and additional comfort in the summer months. Iron wall sconces supply additional lighting throughout. Exposed rafters with hidden fasteners were used in the ceiling. Handmade shiplap graces the walls. On the left side of the front porch, a reading area enjoys plenty of natural light from the windows. The new porch blends perfectly with the existing home much nicer front facade. There is a clear front entrance to the home, where previously guests weren’t sure where to enter. We successfully created a place for the client to enjoy with her future grandchildren that’s filled with nostalgic nods to the memories she made with her own grandmother. "We have had many people who asked us what changed on the house but did not know what we did. When we told them we put the porch on, all of them made the statement that they did not notice it was a new addition and fit into the house perfectly.” – Homeowner

This project includes a curved stairs and patio/ courtyard with retaining and sitting walls was built with Brussel Block Dimensional wall stones and Brussel Block pavers by Unilock. A short raised planting bed was rebuilt to mimic the curves of the stairs and restore its integrity.

Photo of a small traditional front yard verandah in Atlanta with concrete slab and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a small transitional backyard verandah in Atlanta with a roof extension and tile.

Photo of a mid-sized modern backyard verandah in San Francisco.

Stone House is the alteration to a single storey vernacular house in the rural landscape setting of northern NSW Australia. The original house was built with local materials and craftsmanship. Over the years various additions were made to the house exhibiting the different layers in its occupation. The brief was to renovate the house within a limited budget whilst offering better living arrangements for a holiday house that would suit their growing family. Our proposal was to reinstate value with little intervention; with this in mind we had two design strategies. One was the idea of preservation; wherever possible elements of the building fabric would be salvaged but only to reveal its qualities in a meaningful way. We identified four building elements worth preserving. The stone wall was providing protection and privacy from the main road. The internal masonry walls were defining rooms at the rear of the house. The expressed timber ceiling provided a unifying canvas within the whole house. The concrete floor offered a calming palette to the house. Second was the idea of addition. Given the budget limitations, the additions had to be singular and multifunctional. A ‘breathable’ facade frame was the response. The frame was inserted along the whole length of the building. The new facade had a number of uses. It allowed supporting the roof rafters along the length of the building hence both creating a open plan arrangement that would enjoy the beautiful district views as well as enabling a strong connection to the extensive backyard. The new facade is composed of glazed sliding doors fitted with flyscreens to mitigate the impact of insects very common in this sub-tropical climate. Lastly, a set of retractable slatted blinds was integrated to provide both shade from the afternoon sun and security during unattended seasons. Stone House combines these two design ideas into a simple calming palette; within the house all walls and floors were kept to neutral tones to reveal the exposed timber rafters as the only feature of the interior. The shell of the house merges the existing stone work with the new ‘frame’ creating a new whole and importantly a clear relationship to the landscape beyond.

This is an example of a mid-sized country backyard screened-in verandah in Other with decking and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard verandah in Raleigh with natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

Janine Lamontagne Photography
Photo of a small arts and crafts backyard screened-in verandah in New York with decking and a roof extension.

Sunspace of Central Ohio, LLC
Mid-sized traditional backyard screened-in verandah in Columbus with decking and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a mid-sized arts and crafts backyard screened-in verandah in Louisville with a roof extension.

Large traditional backyard screened-in verandah in Orange County with a roof extension and decking.

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Screened Porch designed and built by Chris Parent; Gas fireplace, stone veneer, bluestone patio with outdoor fire pit, granite steps designed and built by Babin Landscaping.

This is an example of a large contemporary backyard screened-in verandah in Dallas with a roof extension.

This is an example of a mid-sized beach style front yard verandah in New York with decking and a pergola.

Photo of a mid-sized transitional backyard screened-in verandah in Charlotte with a roof extension.

A face lift for a traditional cape house. The design involved a better proportioned entry portico and replacement of the existing picture window.
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional front yard verandah in Burlington with a roof extension.

Northpeak Design
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard screened-in verandah in Boston with a roof extension.