Enclosed Porch

Today's weather was pretty much your average day for early February--sunny, high temp 37 (3 C) up from a morning low of 24 (-3 C).  The twist is that it's actually November 13!  Yep, this is the coldest blast of arctic air this fall and a perfect day to evaluate my newly enclosed front porch.

The interior dimensions on the porch are 10' by 6' (3.0 x 1.8 meters).  The shorter gable ends each have a storm door with fixed tempered glass side lights.  The two bays on the long side are skinned with clear vinyl to create a greenhouse-like space.  The porch faces west, and it begins warming up mid morning with the low-angle sun streaming through the shorter front door side.  Temps continue to rise as the sun rotates around to the longer west facade.  On this chilly day, the temp at 2:30 in the shade was 69 inside the porch, while it was 37 outside.  Thirty degrees of free temperature boost is pretty darn cool... I mean hot!  Time for a late lunch in the hammock chair (thanks Andy and Kim!)

The rather unique aspect of the porch is that the clear panels get swapped out for screens in the warmer months  Whichever set isn't in use gets rolled up and stored in the garage attic, and the process takes about 20 minutes. 

As an aside, this photo shows my new steps up from the driveway to the porch.  Departing from my usual DIY approach, I hired a local mason to do the job, and I'm thrilled with the results. 

The porch was always a key aspect of the design, and I regret that it's taken 2.5 years to get it finished. Both storm doors include roll-up screens so I can control the ventilation as easily as opening a window.  This is particularly important in the swing seasons.  In summer, I love being outside and bug-free.  The porch roof serves to shade the west facade from the intense heat of the late afternoon sun, before it dips below the treeline.

In the winter, the space serves as an airlock to minimize the amount of cold air that comes into the house when the door is open.  On those rare occasions when I'm home and it's warmer on the porch than inside, I can use a fan to blow that free heat inside.  It's also great to dry my laundry on the porch to keep the clutter and moisture out of the living space since I don't use a dryer.

This fall I've been enjoying a quiet moment in the swinging chair around sunset to enjoy the birds and sky.  Even 5-10 minutes makes for a nice mood adjustment after work.  The porch is a relatively inexpensive space that has a significant benefit to the overall enjoyment and livability of the house.