There is something magical about porches. If you have a porch in your house, you can stay closer to the outdoors as well as experience the change in weather and the beauty of the different seasons. The feeling of warm sun rays falling on your skin on a winter’s day can’t be expressed in words. Similarly, drinking in the night hum of frogs, crickets, and wind chimes on a summer’s night is another great way to relax and unwind. Feeling the cool night breeze, watching the fireflies and stars enables you to forget about everything else in the world. All these things make a porch, a favourite place for many homeowners. Lots of people enjoy sitting on the porch bird-watching, taking in some beautiful scenery and relaxing around the pool, as porches offer great flexibility of use.
Log home owners just love to have a porch in their house, as it gives them the pleasure of living within the beauty and warmth of logs, as well as allowing them to enjoy outdoor living. Generally, log homes are designed and built to accommodate porches and decks. A cosy porch can be just as charming and beautiful as a large porch, so depending on the available space and budget you can erect any size of porch in your house. There are many kinds of porches and decks that you can build for your dream log home. Installing a porch is not as difficult as it seems, you just have to keep certain things in mind and you can successfully add a nice, appealing porch onto the entrance of your log cabin.
If you are installing a new porch in a log house, first you have to be sure that it is in proportion to the size of the house. A very big or very small porch, instead of adding to the beauty and charm of your log house, will take away its cosy look and make your log house look like a roughly erected structure. So, keeping the size of the porch in proportion to the house is really crucial. Next, the porch roof should reflect the same basic shape as the main roof on the house. Same roof styles will give a uniform look to the whole structure and nobody will ever be able to find out that the porch in your log house is a separate structure.
You should also consider the decking, porch wall, porch columns and the ceiling. Porch columns are a wonderful decorating piece and an amazing feature giving your porch a nice punch and facelift. Additionally, if you are installing a small porch, then these columns can also assist in giving your porch the look of a larger porch by grouping the columns in pairs. You can also pair them with curved balusters or rows of spindles, to give your porch a unique look. If you want to add privacy to your porch, then you can consider a porch wall. By keeping the height of the porch wall the same as the height of the first floor windowsills of your log house, it can really frame your porch and look wonderful.
When installing a porch in a log house, you can also consider porch decking. But make sure that the wood you use for the decking is pest resistant as well as rot resistant. Select a material that is attractive and durable at the same time. Remember your porch will get a decent amount of traffic and if you don’t want to repair your decking every now and then, then durability and sturdiness is crucial. Laying decking in a picture frame pattern, keeping the outer edge parallel to any steps is an attractive way to lay your decking.
Your small porch ceiling provides you with an opportunity to get in touch with your creative side and have fun. You can paint the porch ceiling in a fun or whimsical pattern. Certainly, you will want it to have the same feel and look as the rest of your front porch decorating. However, use your imagination to make it extraordinary. Did you know that sky blue is a popular colour for porch ceilings in a log house? Lighting is another important factor that needs to be considered when installing a porch in a log house. A huge variety of functional lighting fixtures are available that give just the right amount of light to give your porch an ideal look.
Also Remember:
* To use only stainless steel connectors and fasteners. Connectors and fasteners made with corrodible metals get damaged over time as well as degrading significantly.
* Although, high quality wood has good dimensional stability, porch flooring should always be installed keeping the potential expansion in mind.
* Install porch flooring boards with approx. ½ inch spacing around all fixed structures (Columns, posts or walls). You can use a trim board to cover this space.
* Also, choose either to install spacing in between the boards or acclimate the flooring board prior to installation.
* If the boards are installed at a 90 degree angle to the joist, install on a maximum joist spacing of 16 inches.
* Install above ground and higher than 18 inches above any exposed moisture or soil barrier to ensure proper ventilation.
* Slope at 1/8" to 1/4" per foot away from the log house to ensure moisture does not linger on the porch.
* At every joist of the porch board, install and secure stainless steel fasteners.
* Make sure you have all the tools available like drills, saws, flooring nailers etc.
* During construction, elevate the wood above ground level and use plastic to cover it and protect it against debris and mud.
* Slope away the soil under the porch from the structure to allow drainage.
* To shelter the porch from excessive rain you should also consider installing gutters and a large roof overhang.
Here you can find more information about various log houses.
