Why have a New Porch for your Home?
UK planning restrictions allow practically any homeowner to add a small porch at the front of their house. Providing the dimensions are within certain limits, you shouldn’t need planning permission.
When it comes to modernising a home, there are various avenues homeowners can take, whether that be redecorating the living room or sprucing up the bathroom; but when it comes to modernising and extending your home a porch should be your first port of call. A well-suited porch is a common feature of most modern homes. If chosen correctly, not only can a porch compliment your home’s exterior and improve its style, but it also offers practicalities that can come in handy for homeowners.
The key benefits of having a new porch added to your home.
Increased natural light
A porch is usually made of three exterior walls that attach on to a house, of which they are often made up of panels of glass. The transparent glass allows copious amount of natural light in, creating a lovely, warm welcome to your guests and lighting your home up!
Home security
Having a porch extension on the front or back of your home offers you extra security. It’s another barrier between your home and the outside, protecting you, your family and your possessions. Our porches consist of a range of security by design. The safety features including: high security hinges and handles, dog bolts, anti-bump/snap handles and multi-point locking mechanisms. A porch acts as an extra barrier, protecting your home from any unwanted visitors. A porch will serve as an extra layer of defence against intruders, so if a burglar does attempt to break into your property, they will have to successfully break through two entrances, rather than one, which may be enough to put them off even trying. If you have a good quality PVCu or composite door fitted, few burglars will risk trying to get in. Porches offer the same multi-point locks as your main front door; it would simply take too much time to break through two of them.
Creating the WOW factor
A porch modernises the exterior of a home, whilst blending in seamlessly with the original build of a house. The idea of a porch is not to take away from the original character or personality of a home, it’s too enhance it. A well-built porch can no doubt improve the aesthetics of your property, enhancing kerbside appeal with a stylish entrance to your home. It becomes the main focal point from the outside and could even add value to your property, if and when the time comes that you decide to move on.
Adding extra space and Storage
For most houses that don’t have a porch, homeowners or guests enter through the front door and step straight into the living room or hallway. By having a porch there’s a more defined separation between rooms and the outside. A porch doesn’t have to be an empty space that only serves a purpose from the outside appearance. It is an ideal place to keep your shoes and coats, and might even encourage others to take their shoes off before entering the home if there is an actual place to keep them. So overall it can help keep your home better organised, cleaner, avoiding mess and clutter from entering the home. A porch creates more space and storage within the home. Instead of having shoes and coats piled on racks in the hall, everything can be safely put away in an orderly fashion in the porch. Porches add useful hanging space for garments, or space to store shoes. If your gas or electricity meter is located near the door, a porch will enclose it and make it look tidy. If extra storage isn’t your thing, you can always decorate and customise your porch extension with indoor plants that need the cooler environment.
Improve energy efficiency
A porch could also help to improve energy efficiency by preventing heat loss to the outside. If designed correctly, you should be able to enter your porch, close the door, and then open the door to the house, so the warm air indoors is retained
Getting the right people
Why? Look around your own neighbourhood at the various porches that have been added. Some will be very attractive and they will blend very nicely with the appearance of the property. Others will be noticeably basic and look more like plastic boxes attached to the front.
Here at Smart Constructions we take pride in helping homeowners create their dream home with various improvements, including porches in many styles and finishes. Employing us, we guarantee you a professional installation with peace of mind. We can help assist throughout all stages of your porch creation, including the initial design, arranging planning permission if necessary, through to the final installation.
The permitted development allowances described here apply to houses only. Adding a porch to any external door of your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided:
1. the ground floor area (measured externally) would not exceed three square meters.
2. no part would be more than three meters above ground level (height needs to be measured in the same way as for a house extension).
3. no part of the porch would be within two meters of any boundary of the dwelling house and the highway. The permitted development allowances described here apply to houses and not to:
Planning Portal Link: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/
To discuss a new porch, or replacement for an old porch, we will be pleased to give you free, expert advice. Contact us today for a FREE consultation and a quote, without obligation on 0808 123 9888 or email us sales@smartconstructions.co.uk
