Cleveland Park, DC - Front Porch

Brief Explanation of the Scope of Work

This house was the neighborhood ugly duckling. Using the local architectural vernacular, we were able to tie this “non-contributing” home into the fabric of the other facades on the street by building a new front porch. Our goal was to make it contributing. Construction costs were $53,600. We hope that, over time, our design effort will change this home’s status to “contributing”.

Unusual Constraints or Challenges & Creative Solutions

The lack of architectural character of the existing 1955 home led the design process through an interesting transformation from tapered, stone columns in our first hand-drawn sketch, to ultimately a very traditionally detailed porch with elements borrowed from other neighboring homes.

Located in Cleveland Park, DC, the project was subject to 3 review boards: the DC Historic Preservation Review Board, the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), and the Cleveland Park Historical Society. We worked closely with the homeowner as we sought input from each of the three review committees.

The owners desired a traditional porch with a painted wood floor so it could act as an extension of their first floor living space and transform the appearance of their home. We implemented 3-D CAD renderings to help refine the design and explore alternatives, for instance, we decided to fatten-up the columns and make other design changes based not only on these computer-generated images, but also on hand-drafted plans and elevations.

We created final presentation drawings for the historic committees. A study of neighborhood homes provided the palette of architectural details ultimately used on the project. In order to comply with historic regulations, we used only historically accurate materials.

Tongue-and-groove pine flooring was carefully pre-primed and gapped during installation to allow for swelling and movement from seasonal moisture absorption. Other wood details were carefully designed for appropriate flashing weatherproofing.

The porch is lit with 4” down light for ambient and stairway lighting. Two wall sconces accent the doorway. GFI, telephone, and data receptacles were added to allow the porch to function as an outdoor room to function as an outdoor office. A ceiling fan provides a cooling breeze.

Before and after photos really do the talking. They show the sharp contrast and substantially increased value and functionality of the home. Careful planning and accurate material take-offs during estimating helped bring the project in on budget. The final design successfully expands the first floor living area and provides the owners and their children a great place to work and play.

Before and After shots - Front Facade