Porches, terraces and outbuildings
Porches, terraces and outbuildings
Screened porches, stone terraces, carriage houses and guest houses that belong to the main house.
An outdoor room is part of the house, and should be drawn as one. The design agreement starts with the house and the land, and works out how a porch, a terrace or a small building sits on both: its roof against the main roof, its floor against the grade, its foundation against the frost.
What the design agreement covers
A survey of the house, the grade and the site
Plans, elevations and sections of the new structure
Footing and structural drawings
Roof, trim and material details matched to the house
Utilities, drainage and lighting
What shapes the project
Four things set the shape of the project
Setbacks and wetlands
Where on the lot a structure may stand, and which reviews apply near water. We check before we draw.
Grade and drainage
Water has to go somewhere. We draw the grading and the drainage along with the structure.
Footings and frost
Footings go below the frost line, and the structure has to meet the old house without cracking it.
Utilities
Power, water and heat to a small building are drawn in design, and trenched before the foundation.
How it goes
The work, in order
- 01
Step 1: Survey and brief
We measure the house and the grade, and talk about how you will use the space.
- 02
Step 2: Design and engineering
Plans, elevations and the structural drawings.
- 03
Step 3: Permits and pricing
Filed with the town, and priced into a build agreement.
- 04
Step 4: Construction
Footings, frame, roof and enclosure, then finishes and landscaping tie-ins.
- 05
Step 5: Handover
A walk-through and the records.
Examples
Sample photographs, scope beside each
Sample photos.
Questions
Questions about this work
Do you build guest houses and carriage houses?
Yes, where zoning allows a second building on your lot. We check that in the first meetings, along with the utilities and the review that applies.
Who handles permits?
We prepare the drawings and the application, and we deal with the building department. You sign where the town requires the owner's signature. Near the water, or in a historic district, other reviews can apply, and we tell you which during design.
Can a porch become a year-round room?
Sometimes. It needs insulation, heating and windows, and the structure has to carry the extra weight. We tell you early whether your porch can.
What happens when something changes mid-project?
It is written down before it is built. A change has a page that says what changes, what it does to the schedule and what it does to the price, and work on it starts once you have signed.
Next step
A porch, a terrace or a small building?
Tell us what you have and what you want it to do. We will say how design would go.