Thursday Thoughts # 68
from 6 Ways to Mental by R Mac Wheeler
" ...all that small talk. I couldn't see the purpose. Why share your opinion about current affairs? Politics doesn't require discussion. All the parties are ignorant fools stealing the public blind. Who wants to talk about wars and crime?"
Todays Thoughts.
Modern house building styles.
Have we all noticed that trend for square, blocky porticoes at the front of houses?
Does anyone else think they look out of place?
Are we trying to mimic the feeling of walking into a grand hotel?
A sheltered entrance is a good idea, and done properly can look very nice.
But far too many are over-sized and simply do not suit the house.
In particular, an older style home that has been "renovated" with a big square portico added, just looks wrong to me.
Here's an example:
from the real estate section of the paper; this new home design isn't as bad as some I've seen; the portico isn't a solid concrete frame, it is broken by the posts supporting the top section. But it still looks wrong to me. It would look far better, in my opinion, without that top section; if the roof was set directly onto the posts thus bringing it into line with the rest of the roof.
Here's another example:
from the same section of the same paper; in this two storey home, the portico looks much more balanced, with the extra weight of the second storey behind it, the extra width of the home and the fact the adjacent section is faced with matching stone. This final detail helps to tie the portico to the rest of the house.
What's your opinion on this latest building fashion? Would you add a portico to your existing home? If you are building a home, will you choose a style with a portico?
" ...all that small talk. I couldn't see the purpose. Why share your opinion about current affairs? Politics doesn't require discussion. All the parties are ignorant fools stealing the public blind. Who wants to talk about wars and crime?"
Todays Thoughts.
Modern house building styles.
Have we all noticed that trend for square, blocky porticoes at the front of houses?
Does anyone else think they look out of place?
Are we trying to mimic the feeling of walking into a grand hotel?
A sheltered entrance is a good idea, and done properly can look very nice.
But far too many are over-sized and simply do not suit the house.
In particular, an older style home that has been "renovated" with a big square portico added, just looks wrong to me.
Here's an example:
Here's another example:
What's your opinion on this latest building fashion? Would you add a portico to your existing home? If you are building a home, will you choose a style with a portico?
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I do like a sheltered entrance, but agree many of them are obviously 'tacked on' later.
ReplyDeleteIt needs to look as if it belongs...
I think a portico needs a double front door in order to be welcoming and not a single file entrance.
ReplyDeleteEvery house should have a full covered porch.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm with you, River...I think they look ridiculous. I'm not fond of the new style houses....they all look the same and they look unfriendly...not warm and welcoming at all, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; my point exactly. They look like they don't belong.
ReplyDeleteJoanne; yes, a double door would look better, but many houses just aren't big enough to look 'right' with such a structure.
joeh; ideally, yes.
Lee; too many of the newest styles look like a bunch of cardboard boxes have been stuck together. Add an oversized portico and that just makes it worse. Their individuality is going to have to come from the gardens as they grow; that's if there is room for a garden at all.
An integrated front porch is desirable but only a portico if the house is grand.
ReplyDeleteNice to go to a front door that is sheltered. I don't care for the type in the first photo, the second one is well balanced thus less noticable. Some I've seen are hideous.
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't retrofit a blocky portico to a home if it didn't suit the style.
ReplyDeleteThe square look frontage is a building trend that's been around for a while now. Mostly because this configuration is economically viable for builders to build today, which they pass on to customers to keep the homes "affordable" - and I choke on that word, seeing as all houses are so overpriced these days.
Hence the plethora of squared off-the-plan homes.
I prefer a gabled, steeper roof, but, they are very cost prohibitive these days.
Andrew; I agree one hundred percent.
ReplyDeleteMargaret-whiteangel; a sheltered porch is always welcome, but an over-sized blocky portico doesn't say 'welcome' to me.
Vicki; 'affordable' means only those with Joe Hockey's "high income jobs' I'm afraid. the rest of us might as well pitch a tent somewhere. The other option is to buy what you want and pass it down to your children and grandchildren to keep paying off the mortgage.
I like the steeper roofs myself, all the heat from the house went upward and was trapped away from the ceilings, it's a great cooling method.
What the heck is wrong with the LANDSCAPER, was my first thought. They need a big flaming red or pink sort of tree about, maybe a large Japanese Maple or something. And lose that scrubby gravel pit or whatever that is in the front.
ReplyDeleteLarger shrubs, maybe some rock or interesting I don't know what to make that house look less like it was plopped down in such a way as to put as many homes on the lots as possible, yk?
... I'm not a lover of these entrances either... I prefer a nice porch or verandah.. xxx
ReplyDeleteHugs... Barb xxx