| Cost is not the biggest issue As the spring grows warmer and warmer, many people start to think about adding a deck to the side of their house, so they can sit outside and enjoy the fine weather. Decks are a fine way to spend time outdoors, but they do have a couple of downsides. The biggest can be usually described in one word: mosquitos. The alternative is to add on a porch, but they have downsides, too. The biggest is usually cost, but it's best to take a look at all of the plusses and minuses, so you can answer the big question: Which would be best for you and your house?
Porches Have History
The open deck was a rare item until the 1950s, when they began to appear in larger and larger numbers in the rapidly expanding suburbs of post-World-War-II America. But houses were sporting verandas and porches for well over a hundred years before then (even some ancient Greek temples had a type of portico that could be called a porch), and screens began to appear soon after the Civil War. Sitting out on the front porch on a hot day to watch the world go by became a daily part of summer life.
But times and styles change, decks caught on, and people began tearing down porches or at least ripping off the screens. Now that trend seems to have evened out. Porches, Pro and Con
Porches provide shade, capture breezes, and - with screens - keep out the insects. Those are the big three reasons for having one. Together, they stretch the useable season at either end and can make the high summer season more enjoyable. Click here to continue reading...
|
