The Front Porch - An American Favorite

Why is the porch so connected to the idyllic vision of the American home? The porch, as a structural part of a home, has been around for centuries. So why do so many of our better selling home plans feature a great front porch?

Speaking for me personally, a porch is often the most memorable part of a home. Sure, we might spend most of our waking time in a house in the kitchen, but the porch is a special place.

Porches Span Generations

Growing up in a multi-generational household, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. Years later it occurred to me that the oldest and the youngest members of the family enjoy the porch the most.

Our house on Cape Cod had a great porch. It wrapped around two sides of the home. Much like the porch on the Cabrini house plan. Weather permitting, my grandparents always had their morning coffee on their porch. Taking in the quiet morning time with a hot cup of coffee is a great way to start the day.

As a child the porch was always a safe place to let us play. I spent countless hours on that porch coloring, playing with Lego, and as I got older, reading. It might be that the young and the old have the most time to enjoy a porch.

Porches Add Versatility & Adventure

Cape Cod, like most of New England, can be a bit on the rainy side. But a good sized covered porch, like the one on the Carrington house plan, can help you make the best of any weather. For parents that might not have the time to enjoy the porch, it can be a godsend on a rainy day. It gives them a place to let the kids play without destroying the house.

My most favorite memory is when we were allowed to sleep out on the porch. My brother and I would setup our sleeping bags on the floor and on the patio furniture out there. We would read comic books by flashlight. It was an adventure for us. Every summer we looked forward to it. Falling asleep to the sound of the Cape Cod Bay waves crashing on the beach is a memory I carry with me to this day. There was no better, more comfortable, safe place to wake up on a cool morning than in a toasty sleeping bag on the porch.

Everyone Should Enjoy It

Even today my most favorite place in my home has got to be the front porch. It is a lot like the one on the Cedar Cove Creek house plan. It is not as big and fancy as the ones in my past. But a good porch doesn’t need to be huge and wrap around the house. It just has to be big enough to sit and relax on.

There is no better way to get to know your neighborhood than to spend some time on your front porch. Just sit and enjoy the outdoors or read a good book. Eventually the world will pass by your front door step. Whether you are on Cape Cod, Naples, or just about anywhere, a good front porch is my favorite place. And based on our house plan sales, I am not alone in that opinion.