New Porch is a Welcoming Addition

Tucked away in a dark and damp area by the front door, Dr. William and Margaret O’Hara’s original entryway was hardly the large and inviting front porch they envisioned for their Bird Rock home.

“You walked down a brick path that sloped from the street down to the porch, then as you passed through the front door, you stepped slightly down at the
threshold into the entry,” says architect Ione R. Stiegler. “Overall you had a faint feeling that the front of the house was sinking into the ground.”

With Stiegler’s new design, two risers lead up to the porch and the home is entered at the same elevation. “This gives you a sense of stepping up into the house instead of sinking,” says Stiegler. “We also created a visual lift to the building by introducing a slight arch to the fascia board between columns.”

The Doric columns, red brick paving and shed roof are period appropriate details that emphasize the home’s American Colonial Revival style. A transom window on the roof adds drama to the entry foyer and front façade.

With siding repainted a subtle gray, the crisp-white columns, eaves and window frames become eye-popping accents that give the modest home presence. The appealing all-white blossoms of a perennial garden provide even more ambient charm.