A place to sit and watch Pasadena pass by - porch design

Sunset, March, 1984

A place to sit and watch Pasadena pass by

A front porch is a romantic, easygoing place. Here you can sit in comfortable chairs, surrounded by friends and family, and watch the world pass by.

Before homeowner Dede Eddy added a front porch to her boxy two-story house. there was no way to enjoy the front yard. The undersize front stoop barely had standing room for two people.

The Pasadena landseape architecture firm of Eriksson, Peters, Thoms and Associates designed an addition that put a 10-by 45-foot porch along the front of the house, with 6-foot-wide side sections. The porch's sloping shingled roof and double bands of white railings broadened and lowered the mass of the house, increasing its visual appeal. Structurally, the addition did not interfere with the house it rests on its own perimeter foundation (faced with river stones) and ledgers that are attached to the house.

One feature of the porch provides an unexpected bonus. By moving three extra sections of railing to block off the front and side entries. Mrs. Eddy can turn the whole/porch into a giant playpen for her five grandchildren.

Photo: Inviting porch has redwood deck, white railing and posts, grooved plywood overhead

Photo: Before: boxy house had formal look with minimal front stoop, no place to sit

Photo: After: addition widens house, wraps around sides. Upper rail masks its flat gravel roof

Photo: Removable sections of railing fit between posts at entry (and in two openings at the side) to create a U-shaped playpen

Photo: When not in use, removable sections fit under the lip of the fixed railing; they're secured to posts with barrel bolts.