Wrap-around porches

[Gascozark]

I'm still in the research and planning stages, so please bear with me.

I helped a friend a couple of years ago build a stick-built house with a fairly square footprint and an 8' wrap-around porch. I really love the porch. But, I notice that I don't see very many LHBA style homes with a wrap-around porch. They seem like they would have benefits as far as helping protect the log walls from the elements. Is there something that I'm missing? Does the LHBA style of building not lend itself to wrap-around porches?

If anyone has any links to pics of LHBA homes with wrap-around porches, that would be great!

Thanks!

[hemlock77]

There are a few members that have put wrap around porch on thier home. I suspect you don't se more of them is because of the expence and complexity it adds to the project.

[loghousenut]

But I'm cheap too. Actually a good porch fits right in with how we like to protect our walls from the elements.

[Shark]

It's on my list of things to do.....
the list hasn't been getting much shorted lately haha.

[bmurphy96]

I will be putting a 10' porch around both guest house and the main house.







keith







http://www.paragon-cs.com/shiloh

[jbeall]

The LHBA style definitely works well with wrap-around porches.

For our house, a wrap-around porch is a requirement, both because we really want one, and (as you suggested) we want to do everything we can to protect the logs.

[Basil]

i've been intending to post some more pictures of my house, just been lazy....

I built mine with a 10' wide (min) wrap-around porch. My reason was that i built with poplar, which checks badly and would have trapped the rain and funneled it into the house. I considered the porch as important as the foundation and roof structure for the longevity of the home.

It added about 10 months to the build time. That's a long time. My total outdoor porch and deck square footage is 3800 feet. It may even be bigger.

In terms of cost, it cost me almost as much to do the outdoor parts of my home as it did to finish the inside. Porch decking material (pressure treated) costs about $2-$3 per square foot. The roof structure overhead costs the same as it would on the main structure, absent insulation. we included ceiling fans, lights, and electrical outlets. Then we went nuts, added a kitchen, vaulted ceiling over the kitchen, and on and on. It kind of got out of hand really. But the expense of a porch is not something to be casually considered. I saved a lot of money by making my own porch posts out of red ceder and making my own porch rails too.

As far as i am concerned, all log homes should be built with a wrap-around porch. I just can't imagine having to waterproof and treat my logs, not to mention the fact that i sat in my outdoor bar last night, watching monday night football, and watched the stars, the game, and the fog rolling in off the creek.

[clairenj]

Ours is not wrap around but it is 12'x 30' with 9' wall height. The porch is along the eaves side. It is good to remember sight line out from the porch if you have large overhangs which we do. We have two sets of french doors which, since they are protected by the porch, open outward. Saves a ton of space inside. After I saw pictures of your porch, I got my hands on some very fine cedar logs to use outside for railings and such. thanks for the insight

[edkemper]

My plans include three residences. A 30X30 1bed/1bth house for my wife and I. A smaller 20X20 1bed/1bth house for my autistic son (my ranch manager) and another 30X30 1bed/1bth guest house. I think they will be side by side with adjoining, attached wrap around porches that connect house to house. If they're all 10 ft porches on three sides they could share 15ft side porches between them and stay uniform. Since they'll all be wheelchair accessible, this design seems at first blush, a good layout. Since they'll all be log homes, privacy will not be a problem. The connecting sides won't have windows.

I'm still a couple of years away from building the homes so I have time to figure this all out.

[Yuhjn]

In class they specifically mention wrap around porches being a great way to protect your walls and most importantly your bottom course of logs.

Porches are most highly recommended on the sides of your house that face the prevailing winds and rain as protection.

Also in 10-20 years, if you need to, you can tear down a pressure treated porch and rebuild it with fresh lumber. You cant do that with a log wall. So porches are truely a great idea and work perfectly on an LHBA home.

Porches are highly recommended.