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by dockeebler
3 months ago in Design Dilemma
Porch roof design with un-centered front door!! Help!
We are planning a porch that will span across the house, between the end windows (about 2/3 the span). Our house is on a mountain and all you can see from the road is the top. We would love to put a gable, cabin-style, with the peak going back to the base of the middle skylight, and the rest would be shed style. The problem is the front door is obviously not centered. The front door cannot be moved due to the basement stairs.The peak of the gable and the front door will be off. Any ideas? Suggestions?
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mmilos I would do a shed roof front porch running, as you mention 2/3rds the length of your house, centered between the two window dormers.

Add some pendant lights and porch furniture to make it inviting.
3 months ago · ·
Ironwood Builders You can do your gable centered, it will give a balance to the two small dormers. Put a bench under the window beside the front door (thanks Christoper Alexander! A Pattern Language) and pendant lighting centered in the gable with a sconce beside the front door. Use the asymmetry to enhance the welcome!
3 months ago · ·
dockeebler Thanks for your input. I like the bench idea to balance the front door.
3 months ago ·
Yarbro Home Improvement LLC My customer had your same requests....


3 months ago ·
CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. Like the door color!
3 months ago ·
Ironwood Builders I think that to adequately encompass the front door you may lose the middle skylight. The roof pitch of the front porch gable needs to match the pitch of the dormers to work. My eyeball (not too bad yet) says it will need to be more like at the top of the skylight to give enough overhang so as not to make the edge of the roof lower than the existing, roof line. The shed rood of the porch will be up at the base of the dormers to have a lower pitch.
3 months ago · ·
dockeebler Unfortunately, to lose the skylight would result in major work on the interior, as it has a pine beadboard ceiling in the great room. There is a shed roof on the back for the deck, could we match that pitch?
3 months ago ·
Yarbro Home Improvement LLC The roof pitch on the dormers appear to be 4:12 pitch. No rule that the new gable roof can't be a 3:12 pitch ( keep in mind that the roof product is no longer under warranty if installed on anything less then a 4:12 (in my area anyway) or just not allowed in your area. Snow load etc... ) As Ironwood said, in a perfect world, it would be nice if the gutters mated up when all said and done, but again, that's not in the rule book. Its needs to be framed in such a way, that you don't hit your head when passing under the gutters, let alone, building code minimum height. It appears to be close. The valleys created just may miss the corners of the skylights. Can your contractor figure this out for you? I can't think of a reason why you can't match the shed roof in the back. Talking aesthetics ? If thats within code, don't know why it wouldnt be for the front. You know what pitch the shed roof is in back? Same roof material as the rest of the house?
3 months ago ·
studio | FORMA Do spend a little bit of time figuring out the design before you start buying the materials and get stuck with an ad on that you be un-happy with.
As you mentioned the house being on top of a mountain, the roof lines is what you need to balance First and then see how you can incorporate a porch option.
I would pull out a gable perperndicular to the existing roof line and center it between the two existing gables and incorporate the porch underneath it.
Another idea would be to have a double facing gablse like the picture on the top right. This may take care of the asymetrical door location.

Below are a couple of ideas:
3 months ago ·
Ironwood Builders Looks like the asymmetry will rule the day. studio FORMA's idea of an off center gable end portico may make it possible to get the gable end, the pitch and the headroom necessary to get your project designed. Working with a local architect, draftsman or design/build firm will ensure the best outcome. Research local pros here on Houzz and look through profiles... Best of luck!
3 months ago ·
rawketgrl Dockeebler, you have a beautiful home. The stone you picked out is lovely. I hope these great suggestions can help you, nothing worse than something that bugs you everyday about your home. Good luck. :D

May I borrow Ironwood builders? He may be able to help.... ctmommy "Hiding vanity/wall gap" discussion.
Thank you, :D
3 months ago ·
Red Rock Pools and Spas and Red Rock Contractors You an always Remove the skylight on the outside of the roof, and keep it on the inside by installing lighting with the skylight and covering it with some sort of lexan panel similar to what it currently looks like inside. Solves your exterior problem, and will look like it is still a skylight from the inside but it is now a light fixture instead.
I prefer Ironwood builders first plan
3 months ago ·
Transforming Rooms A porch will be a wonderful addition! You should center it, with the two windows left of the door & one window right of door all under the porch. Here's a blog with lots of porch photos & tips:

http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com/search?q=porch

Also, front door paints can make a big impact:

http://www.interiordesigngreensboro.com/search?q=paint+front+door
3 months ago ·
dockeebler Thanks, all!! Here's a side picture. We bought this house a few years ago and are just getting to adding the deck, porches, plan to change the siding, etc. In order to have space for the porch and parking, the current project are the multiple retaining walls being installed after digging out the mountain. I took the first picture from the driveway above the house. This picture may add to the roofline discussion. I love the double gable idea, but don't know if that would work.
3 months ago ·
Yarbro Home Improvement LLC Comments if moving skylights are not a option.

Ridge of new gable cannot be any higher or not much higher then the bottom of the skylights. Could be as shallow as a 2:12 pitch

Height of ridge falls between the 2 skylights and somewhere between the bottom and top of the skylights, but the pitch is going to be extreme (so that valleys miss bottom corners of skylights) and nowhere close to matching the existing gables.

Can you live with that, is the question
3 months ago ·
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