Patios

For all those who don’t know and for the sake of the Europeans who don’t use them, a porch is a covered outdoor living space surrounded by bars or columns. A porch is lower than the floor of the house and it is usually external to the walls, but however, it is also used as some type of balcony altogether. Can you build a porch yourself? Yes, if you are a master in carpentry. Or else you can hire a professional company to build it for you.

Screened
I have a screened balcony at my house. The purpose is the same when it comes to a screened porch. A screened porch is like a normal external structure of the house, but it is covered with screened windows and enclosed. This is usually done for privacy concerns, to better use the porch as a living space and more. A screened porch is ideal for families and for those that like spending more indoor time while enjoying an outdoor view. A screened door is usually installed to the porch to match up everything together.

Sleeping Porch
Like a screened porch a sleeping porch is usually enclosed with screened windows but it is also furnished in a warmer style for the people that are going to sleep there during the night. Sleeping porches were invented around the end of the nineteen hundreds when the most popular belief was that sleeping in the night’s fresh air is good for you and it can help prevent many diseases. A sleeping porch is mostly used during the warmer months to sleep since it can get cold in the winter. After all, even though it is closed it is still a porch. You can have a sleeping porch on a ground level or even on a higher story.

Rain Porch
You can already imagine what a rain porch is and what it is used for. Rain porches have their origin from the Southeast of the United States. One of the main characteristics of a rain porch is the roof that extends from the house, on top of the porch to make sure the porch is protected from rain and that water is going to fall away from the house. The roof is extended beyond the edge of the porch to make sure the water goes away and it is held by free-standing supports that are put into the ground instead of the floor of the porch.

Portico Porch
This Italian style porch comes from antique Rome. The porch leads to the entrance of the house and it has a roof supported by four columns on the angles. The porch is usually enclosed by walls or bars on the side. The ancient Greeks would also use these types of porches. One great style of portico porches is the one on the East side of the United States Capitol. These porches are classy and they make the entrance of the house look like a temple from far away.