Redwood decks are not the same as old grey painted porches. Life in fifty years has changed, and our choice of architecture in our homes reflects the feeling of society as much as taste and innovation.
Decks are in our backyards, often raised far above the ground so we can look out upon our happy little acre without touching grass except to mow it. Privacy is what a deck affords us; keeping us from view of prying eyes that might intrude upon our relaxation or our choice of who we choose to share it with at private barbeques. Permission to come aboard, sir?
A porch was entertainment in itself. It looked out on the street, and the street looked back. People sat out front so as not to miss the chance to say hello to neighbors walking by, to invite them up for lemonade and sit a spell to ask them how they were and what was new.
Just a few years back, with houses getting big and bigger, the porch was reinvented and even wrapped around a side or two. Comfortable, inviting, just like the old houses of our youth. Only the people sitting on them are missing from the scene. Most likely, on a sunny weekend or in the evenings, the people are out on the hidden from the world back deck.
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Wouldn’t this also mean that the neighborhood has also changed and the way people make one. If I build a porch I “expect” to sit out front and watch. The deck, as you suggest, implies a “retreating from” rather than a projection out.
What strange neighborhoods. I know some in simsbury that have that vacant look. Huge spreads of lawn, great gardens, but the fprnt of the house is flat and quiet. Everything is “inside.” This, I would claim, is fine if people choose to live this way. But my wife and I miss our porch in El Paso and consider the enclosed porch in the rear of our present house a little stifling. We’d love a porch here. But our house is of colonial style and won’t allow a porch. And nobody’s coming for a visit, although you may come to the house whenever you wish.
Exactly. The lifestyle dictates the architecture. Perhaps it started when the automobile allowed faster and easier transportation to family and friends rather than being stuck with the folks next door for companionship.
Nobody comes for a visit? I’ll be there Friday night for dinner. And it’ll be a surprise to you and your wife because you never read comments. Hope you have plenty of food.