All About Porch Roof Designs

Front Porch Ideas and MoreFront Porch Ideas and MoreFront Porch Ideas and More
Porch Roof Designs
Find us at PorchIdeas.com
Front Porch Ideas and More
Part 1: All About
Porch Roof
Designs
From our Front Porch Design Series
Find us at PorchIdeas.com
.
Cover photo (inset) by J. Paul Moore Photography

Part 1: Front Porch Design Series
All About Porch Roof Designs
Hello and welcome! We are Dave and Mary from Front Porch
Ideas and More. We are often asked what makes a great front
porch design.
Visit us at PorchIdeas.com

Porches Share Same Basic Structures
Most porches have the same components: foundation, piers,
joists, beams and rafters. What makes one porch more
extraordinary than another?

Let’s Start at the Top – Porch Roofs
The two of us love porches and in this Front Porch Design Series we
want to help define what makes for a wonderful front porch design.
Come along with us as we begin at the top - porch roof designs.
We'll help you see porch roofs in a brand new way.

Most of the time we focus at what's on the porch rather than how the
porch is protected - by the roof.
Let's look at some conceptual 3D drawings and photos of roof designs
to illustrate various roof design features.

Here is a simple ranch style home and we are going to show you three
different front porch designs for this home.

This porch has a flat roof - one of the least expensive types of roofs
to build. Notice that the roof is centered over the front door and
porch steps.

If you were to offset the roof to the right or the left of the front door, it would
change the overall appearance.
If you live in a cold, snowy area, a flat porch roof may not be a good option due
to heavy snow on your roof. It is always good to check with your local codes
department before beginning a project like this.

This flat roof is stunning on
this small curb-appealing
front porch.

Here we see the same ranch home with a shed type porch roof. The
shed roof adds visual interest to the main roof and blends in as if it
were always there.

Again, you could place the roof anywhere along the front of the
home and achieve a different perspective. Putting the porch steps in
a different location can change overall design as well.

Shed roofs are cost effective and by adding exterior trim like you
see in this photo, you spice up the structure by breaking up the
straight lines.

Now we see another variation: the ranch home with a gable style
roof. The height and width of your porch will help to determine the
pitch and height of your porch roof.

You may need to adjust the height and width based upon the
architecture of your home. When doing so, the overall design will
somewhat change. But this picture gives you a good basic idea.

Here you see a gable roof with a sunburst pattern at the top.

This gable roof has a steep pitch creating a heavier look. An
option to "lighten" the appearance of this porch roof is to open
the front of the gable so that the ceiling is exposed.

The slope of the gable roof on this porch is very similar to the slope of the
home's roof. And this is an example of opening up the gable that we
discussed in the last photo. It's a delightful option that gives the porch a
more open feel.

Here you see a basic two story home. Let's see how it changes with
various front porch styles and roofing designs.

Adding a large front porch with a flat roof adds instant charm to this
home.

Now you see the same porch with a shed style roof. Shed roofs are very
popular on two story homes.
Always check with your codes department to see what restrictions they
have for the distance between the windows on the second floor and the
porch roof.

Here is a wonderful farm home with a classic wraparound porch and
shed type roof. What is interesting is that they enclosed the side of
the porch. We love this idea - having both an open porch and a
screened porch. You have the best of both worlds.

Here is a classy gable roof option for the two story home. The porch
is smaller but still lends immense appeal to this home. The length of
the porch is somewhat dictated by the location of the windows on the
second story. If you wanted a longer porch, you could combine roof
styles like we show in the next photo.

This gable is open and you see a wonderful tongue and groove
ceiling to flatter the overall design.

We love this idea - a front porch design that has two gables that are
combined with a shed roof. There is probably always a shady spot to
sit on this porch.

Let us show you an example of how slight modifications to a roof
design can change the appearance of the front porch. On this porch
notice that the gable roof is centered above the front door.

This porch is very similar to the last one except that the gable is centered
over the porch rather than the front door. It gives the porch an entirely
different look. Which of the two placements do you prefer?

How about a hip style roof? While flat and shed roofs are popular, hip
style roofs are - hip! Hip roofs are often found on cottage style
homes. They have equal-angled sides and that is what makes them
hip.

A variation of the hips style roof is a Mansard roof commonly found on
front porches. They work well on two story homes where the
placement of the porch roof with the second story windows is
challenging.

Here we see an interesting and pleasing porch roof variation: a slightly
rounded hip roof. Adds unique charm to this porch.

One of our favorites: A bungalow style home. Do you know what kind
of roof it has? It's a hip roof and the front porch has a flat roof.

This small porch has a rounded flat roof and it's quite sophisticated.

A truly southern porch at its finest.

We’ve just barely touched the surface. Hopefully, you now have a better
understanding of how the style of your porch roof affects your overall
front porch design. Most importantly you want to make sure the design is
compatible with the style of your home.

As you can see, roofs do more than just cover your porch and can
directly affect your overall porch design.

In our continuing series on Front Porch Designs, we cover porch
railings, otherwise known as balustrades. We will show you some
interesting railing designs so please come back to continue the series.

For more information about porch roof designs and front porch designs,
please visit us at PorchIdeas.com
See you on the porch!

Photo Credits
Cumberland Landesign created the conceptual porch drawings in this
presentation.
(http://www.landscapearchitect-tn.com/Conceptual-Porch-Design-Drawings)

Front Porch Ideas and More
Thank you!
Visit us for more info on
Front Porch Designs
http://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/front-porch-design-ideas.html

All About Porch Roof Designs

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