29 06, 2019

The family home

2019-06-29T09:48:30+00:00

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Here we have the front porch of a fine old farmhouse.
You might recognize the gentleman here, being struck by a broom from his loving wife.
I’ve always admired Grandpa Walton.
He had plenty or reason to miserable, having had to work hard all his life, being penniless in his old age, having to live with one of his children, and having a wife that was constantly calling him an “old fool”.
But instead, he chose to always be the cheerful character of the family. He focused on how fortunate he was to live where he did, and to be surrounded with those who he cared so much for.
So, let us learn by his example.
Hug those in your life who are nearby, whether they want it or not.
And, find that special place in the country… it can be life changing.
If you’d like, occasionally, take a nip of the recipe.
For health reasons, of course.
And be ever so thankful, for the gal in your life with the broom.
Be extra thankful that it’s not a cast iron pan that she swings.

Originally posted 2016-08-20 15:07:49.

The family home2019-06-29T09:48:30+00:00
29 06, 2019

The perfect porch roof

2019-06-29T09:47:30+00:00

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Such a wonderful cabin isn’t it?

One unique feature of this cabin is the combination of a metal roof on the main cabin… and a wood shake roof over the porch.  I’ve seen plenty of cabins with metal roofing installed all over, and just as many with nothing but wood shingles.  I’ve also seen (and built) quite a few homes with a shake roof on the cabin and a metal one over the porch. But I don’t ever recall seeing this reversed combination.

Both forms of roofing (metal or wood shingle) work well, and look great, on the steep pitch roof of a cabin like this. But on the shallower pitch roof of a porch, wood shakes can be prone to leaking. In many areas of the country a roof pitched as shallow as this, covered in wood shingles, would be forbidden by the building code for that very reason.

So, one has to ask… other than code considerations… and aesthetics… and roof leakage issues… is there any other reason to consider having, or not having, a wood shake roof over a porch?

Yes.. there is one…  metal roofs are loud… really loud, when you are outside under them during a heavy rain. The rain is all you will hear, unlike a wood roof which will be pleasantly quiet.

But, on the flip side of that coin, a lot of people like to hear the rain striking a metal roof and are often disappointed to find that by putting a metal roof on their well-insulated home that they don’t hear the rain at all.  Whereas if they put a metal roof over the non-insulated porch, well, it might be loud outside under it… but inside the home the homeowners would experience the perfect volume level to hear that summer rainfall coming in from the porch area.

What’s my recommendation? Metal, for sure. But then again…

Originally posted 2016-03-18 16:54:58.

The perfect porch roof2019-06-29T09:47:30+00:00
29 06, 2019

Two houses, two extremes

2019-06-29T09:44:59+00:00

 

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Today I’d like to focus on the second floor windows of these two homes.

Actually, the windows themselves are fine, but there is a problem with the second floor profiles of these structures.. An oversight has been made that visually detracts from the potential charm that these two houses could have offered.

The first home, an old frame structure appears odd in it’s presentation, doesn’t it?  This oddness comes from the second floor area. But exactly what is the problem? And how could it have been built differently?

The second home (a newer log cabin built using antique logs) appears to have a visually overpowering porch roof.  And yet this roof is not inappropriately too large. So again, what’s the problem?

It turns out that both houses suffer from the same aesthetic design “issue”, each displaying opposite extremes of the same problem.

I have found that the front profiles of houses look best when there is about an eight inch space between the second floor windows and the roofs above and below… any wider of a space and the house looks odd, as if the windows are floating above the porch roof… and any less of a space and windows look “crunched” and the porch roof below becomes visually overpowering.

It’s a simple design consideration, it doesn’t cost any extra money to implement, but one that makes a big difference.

Originally posted 2015-12-10 13:52:49.

Two houses, two extremes2019-06-29T09:44:59+00:00
29 06, 2019

A two story porch

2019-06-29T09:44:16+00:00

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A two-story porch has benefits beyond just achieving a slightly better view… for one thing… the upper level tends to be more of private space than the porch below as it is located off of the bedrooms on the second floor and well out of the reach of anyone just “dropping by”.
The air also seems fresher up here. And flying insects, particularly those that bite, are less common.

Originally posted 2015-11-26 14:34:35.

A two story porch2019-06-29T09:44:16+00:00
29 06, 2019

A “wrap-around” porch

2019-06-29T09:43:18+00:00

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Sometimes porches like to wrap around the side of house… those porches… you gotta keep an eye on them!

Originally posted 2015-11-06 15:00:10.

A “wrap-around” porch2019-06-29T09:43:18+00:00
29 06, 2019

A log cabin porch

2019-06-29T09:41:38+00:00

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I’m afraid that the days we have left to enjoy the front porch are few in number.

There is something about adding a bright color to a cabin… it somehow makes it more “civilized”.

Originally posted 2015-10-06 16:01:37.

A log cabin porch2019-06-29T09:41:38+00:00
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