HPC of South Bend and St. Joseph County - Standards Update Draft

Home Browse Search

City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 95 For More Information: Porches, Decks and Stoops Porches have a physical purpose, providing shade for the interior of the home and a place for owners to catch a cool breeze . They also provide a public purpose—creating opportunities for owners to interact with their neighbors passing by on the sidewalk . The repetition of porches on a street is a very important part of the look and feel of a historic residential district . Porches can suffer from a variety of ills—fom the complete enclosure of a previously open porch to replacement of original supports with newer supports that do not match the design of the house . Original porches on a house may have been replaced since it was constructed but those “new” porches may themselves be considered an important part of the historic look of the house . As common example, a Victorian era house that originally had a wood porch may have had its posts replaced with a concrete craftsmen period support . That new porch may have been needed to replace one that had deteriorated or was completed by the owner to update the exterior to keep up with the design trends of the time . The National Park Service offers several briefs that can help guide you about your porch—here . For questions about painting go here . The National Park Service has an outline about porches here . Best Practices • When looking at a porch project, figure out the period of the porch (is it original or not?). Then, determine if the existing porch is considered an important part of the historic look of the house . • Preserve a porch that is considered important to the design of the house in its original form, materials, and design . • Repair parts of a porch to match—i .e . a turned column with a turned column, a classical column with a classical column . • When restoring an altered porch or one that has some important parts removed, pay attention to: –Size and design of the supports . –Height of the baluster . Historic balusters that do not meet current code can be supplemented with a top rail rather than replaced wholesale . –Materials—brick or wood . –Decorative elements such as brackets—or the intentional lack thereof . –Porch floor materials—tongue and groove is the historical look but that can be achieved using traditional pine flooring or newer composite materials . –Do not use modern deck boards or railings for historic porches . Return to the Table of Contents Porches, Decks and Stoops DRAFT