Basic Design for Porches, Decks, and Landings
The porches on Habitat houses are among their nicest features. All Habitat houses have a covered porch of some sort. On the Charlotte house, there’s a small porch tucked underneath the main roof, sheltering the main entry door. The side door has a landing that could grow into a larger deck sometime in the future (see the photo on the facing page). Most of the Habitat houses I’ve worked on out West have a porch as an attached structure. It has its own roof, which joins either the main roof or the gable end of the house (see the top photo on p. 178). In almost any form, a porch adds something special to a house. It’s a place to put some flowers, kick off your shoes when you get home from work, or just sit down and relax at any time of day.
I have built hundreds of decks and porches over the years, and I’ve noticed that people are more inclined to use them if they are 6 ft. wide or larger. Narrower than that and all you really have is a walkway or a landing. I’ve also noticed that a deck with a roof—a porch, in other words—seems to get more use than a deck that’s open to the elements. In northern regions, a porch can be enclosed and used as a mudroom in the winter. In southern states, porches are often screened to keep out insects.
Design Ideas for Decks and Porches
On a sloping site, it’s often better to build a multilevel deck that follows
Size a deck to minimize
waste. Take advantage of standard lumber lengths when determining the size of a deck. For example, a deck that’s 5 ft. 11 in. wide can be framed with 12-ft.-long joists or beams. A deck that’s 61/2 ft. wide would waste В/г ft. of an 8-ft. beam or joist.
the natural contour of the land instead of a single-level deck that requires tall support posts. Houses built on a concrete slab can have a smaller slab poured to create a porch or patio area. Just make sure the slab is 1 in. or so below the floor slab to keep water from entering the house. To promote drainage, pour the slab with a slight slope, about ‘/4 in. per ft. Don’t forget to thicken the concrete and install a metal post base where the posts will be installed to hold the supporting roof beams.
Some Habitat houses are built with ramps to accommodate people in wheelchairs or those who have limited mobility. Ramps can take up quite a bit of room. They need to be built with a gradual slope and must be at least 36 in. wide. The slope rate is usually a 1 in. vertical rise for every 1 ft. traveled horizontally. So if the door entrance is 16 in. above ground level, the ramp will need to be 16 ft. long.
Before you begin to build, you should also know which railing design you plan to use. Drive around a few neighborhoods and you’ll
Framing connectors are worth checking out. If you haven’t discovered the vast variety of framing connectors that are available, try to do so before building a porch or a deck. A well-stocked lumberyard or building supplier will sell connecting hardware designed to reinforce all kinds of joints among different framing members.
certainly come upon some interesting railing designs to inspire your own efforts. Finally, consider your electrical wiring needs. Overhead light is important for security reasons, but you may also want to install some low-voltage lights on or around the porch or in nearby walkway or garden areas.
