A beautiful porch is the face of the house. If it is properly arranged and the design is organized, it will be a pleasure to enter your home. This part of the house should not only be beautiful, but also functional. There are many ways to combine these two properties.
Porch design options Source olestnicah.ru
Porch in Mediterranean style Source olestnicah.ru
What types of porch are there?
Depending on the design of the house and the style in which the site is designed, the design of the porch is also determined. The material from which the porch to the house is built, the shape of the porch, its height, the presence or absence of accompanying elements (canopy, mesh, railings) vary.
Depending on the complexity of the work, you can make a porch for your home yourself or invite specialists.
Wooden porch
When choosing the material from which to make a porch in a private house, many choose wood. It is practical, relatively cheap, easy to process and lasts quite a long time. For wooden private houses, this choice is obvious. But you can also attach a wooden porch to concrete and panel houses.
To make the entrance structure, dry edged boards (preferably softwood), sawn logs or timber are suitable. Even beginners can do the job.
The simplest porch does not even require a platform - flooring, just a few steps are enough.
If there is an area on the porch for decoration (for example, flower pots) or chairs, then this design is called a patio.
In the case when the porch is combined with a room under a canopy, we are talking about a porch - a veranda.
At the dacha, the simplest option is most often found, where the height of the stairs is slightly higher than the height of the foundation. The presence or absence of railings is a matter of convenience and taste.
It must be remembered that even the most primitive porch made of wood, with or without railings, needs protection from mold, insect parasites, and moisture. Wood must be treated with a protective compound or paint during the construction phase and the coating must be renewed regularly. In this case, the entrance group will last a long time.
Concrete porch
A concrete porch and entrance staircase to a private house is a monumental structure, it requires a lot of effort and labor, and it is very difficult, almost impossible, to cope with its construction on your own without special devices, equipment and skills.
For construction, it is necessary to build a frame from reinforcement, install it and gradually fill it with concrete.
The concrete porch in front of the entrance to the house is poured into wooden formwork. It becomes an extension of the house, the height is equal to the height of the foundation, but it is recommended to put a layer of mineral wool between the wall and the porch.
The construction of such a porch can be carried out in stages, pouring the steps one by one (each tier dries for about a week), or entirely (drying will take about 10 days, but such work is more difficult, more painstaking and requires a concrete mixer).
Decorative finishing is carried out using building mixture or cement. If desired, tiles are laid on them. The final design of the porch for a country house is different for everyone.
Metal porch
A house with a metal porch looks impressive; this material is strong and durable, but working with it requires not only tools, but also skills.
In some cases, only the supporting frame is made of metal, in others the metal porch for the dacha is similar to the wooden one, in others they build a monumental structure on the foundation, decorating it with beautiful forged parts.
To make the steps of stairs, corrugated metal sheets are often used, which adhere well to shoes and do not slip in rainy weather.
In addition, steps can be made of wood or porcelain stoneware. The upper platform in front of the door is also made from the same material.
It must be remembered that metal hardens in cold weather, becomes slippery in rain and ice, and therefore can pose a danger to residents of the house.
Brick porch
The design of a brick porch is, of course, attractive, but in terms of performance characteristics this material is far from the best. What is a porch? This is a place that is walked on very often, it can withstand heavy loads, so it must be strong and reliable.
A porch for a private house made of brick is beautiful; next to a brick house it looks appropriate and organic. But brick is expensive to use. Working with it requires skills and a scrupulous approach. In addition, you only need to take red burnt brick, other types will quickly become unusable.
If the country house is built of brick and the design requires the same porch, you can trim the wooden, metal or concrete frame with tiles that imitate bricks, or lay bricks in one row on the outside.
Bathhouse decoration
Most owners of summer cottages cannot imagine their vacation spot without a traditional Russian bathhouse.
Typically, a personal hygiene area is built from timber. If the floor of the bathhouse rises above the ground, then the entrance is also decorated with a porch.
The material for the entrance, naturally, should be made of timber. It is easy to build walls and supports for steps from it. The thickness of the log should support a weight of less than one and a half centners. Strength is checked very simply - place several bags with the required weight on the step.
Porch foundation: when you need it
Strictly speaking, a foundation is needed when constructing a porch from heavy building materials: concrete, metal, massive wooden elements. The foundation is necessary on soft soils, when facing the porch with decorative stone or brick. It is recommended, at a minimum, to pour concrete and “drown” the wooden structure in it; in other cases, a foundation poured in accordance with all the rules is required. A covered porch is built on the foundation of the house.
Canopy over the porch
A porch with a canopy is much more practical than an open one. If in a one-story house the porch can cover the roof slope, then in a cottage a canopy is necessary. The frame for it can be made of wood, welded from metal tubes or a corner.
The materials used for the canopy are tiles, corrugated sheets, slate, and polycarbonate sheets. The canopy can be flat or sloping (preferable, since water does not retain) - single or gable, arched.
Metal carcass
A frame for the side parts of the porch is welded from a metal corner (70×5 mm). It was made to become the base on which the wooden parts will be attached.
Two symmetrical lateral metal pieces were exposed on the right and left sides of the monolithic foundation. They are attached to the concrete using pins. Metal parts are cleaned of traces of rust (rust converter was used), primed and painted. In this case, a layer of paint is applied twice.
Making stairs
How to make a staircase:
- stringers are cut (from wood) or welded (from metal) - a frame for stair steps;
- the stringers are installed at such an angle that the steps are parallel to the ground;
- stringers are attached to the wall and sunk into concrete;
- steps are attached to them.
The finished structure is treated with a protective compound. Fastening methods depend on the selected material.
Wood laying
The steps were made of well-dried material. They were cut according to the size of the porch and impregnated. They are attached to a metal frame using bolts. For them, it is necessary to drill holes of the appropriate diameter in the boards and metal frame.
Installation of wooden parts occurs in two stages. First, wooden beams are attached to the frame, then steps and boards for the porch surface are mounted on them. It is recommended to make the steps slightly larger than the width of the frame. Then the moisture will drain out of them and will not fall on the metal parts. Gaps 5-8 mm wide are made between the boards. This is necessary so that when the wooden porch swells it does not become uneven.
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Tips for finishing a porch
Porch design ideas can be seen in the photo. There are a lot of design options for the entrance group.
Finishing materials for cladding the porch
The porch to a wooden house is most often made from the same material. It is impregnated or painted with special compounds to protect against pests and adverse conditions.
A concrete porch can be lined with ceramic tiles or decorative stone (brick).
The metal porch is decorated with forged elements.
Errors when installing a porch
To avoid problems, you should take into account possible difficulties and avoid common mistakes:
- the construction of the entrance group must be planned at the stage of building the house and the foundation must be poured simultaneously for both structures;
- the entire wooden structure (including support pillars) must be treated with antiseptic impregnation;
- the platform should be flush with the floor of the house (flush with the door) so that the door does not jam in winter;
- there must be a vapor barrier between the supports and the wall;
- Even for a small wooden platform it is worth pouring a cement foundation.
To heat or not to heat, that is the question?
And the question is by no means rhetorical. Fans of vestibule heating point out that if the air temperature in the extension drops to the street temperature, then it will not heat anything. Condensation may also form inside an unheated porch. And then ice.
On the other hand, placing a battery inside a cold circuit is pure madness. Not only will uninsulated walls not retain heat in any way, but also a failed radiator will drag the entire heating system down with it. There is only one option: if you want a warm porch, buy insulation.
By the way, you can choose an electric convector for heating or, even better, install a heated floor system under the tiles. In this case, the tile will never be slippery, and this is not only a plus for the karma of its owners, but also saves on plaster for all other residents ☺.
And yes, if you are not ready to turn your porch into a heated house, but still don’t want to put up with frosty air at the threshold, we suggest installing a thermal curtain over the front door.
This may turn out to be somewhat cheaper than heating the street. Moreover, the mechanism can be configured so that it turns on immediately before the door opens.
