If you had a front porch would you sit on it?

[lookingforanexcuse]

It’s so common in America and here I rarely see any houses with front porches.

Would be nice to have a morning coffee and watch the world go by.

If I had a nice front garden with a bit of grass and some colourful flowers, absolutely.

But we're right next to the road, so absolutely not here.

You must have a garden you can sit in?

Maybe in your area. Bit of a sweeping statement!

Absolutely.

I've always sat out the front even without a porch. I just put a chair and a glass of wine out.

No. If I want to sit outside I can sit in the back garden or in the front garden (where I'm mostly concealed by foliage, but from which I can see one neighbour if she's on her drive). There is not much 'world going by' on my cul-de-sac! I'd rather have privacy.

It's far nicer to have a SF back garden and add shade with trees and parasols than it is to have a dank, dark back garden.
Love the sun shining into my kitchen and dining room in the winter.
I wouldn't even view a house with a NF back garden.

Yes, I used to have one and used to sit on it. Not in the UK however, and more common to have one here.

I think it would be lovely but recently I read about a poor woman having a ciggie on her front doorstep and was brutally murdered by a stranger walking past. It was horrific. Scared me so much.

When I had the title I had a vision of sitting 'on' as in on top of the porch (roof). I was going to suggest that sitting 'in' the porch might be more comfortable... but it makes more sense if it's one of those open air ones (is that not a verandah?).
Our elderly neighbour often sits in his because it is a suntrap with a lot of glass windows. We are on a very quiet cul de sac though. It's lovely waving to him as we go past.

I was walking thru a rough immigrant area of Ipswich recently. Little terrace homes where the front door is straight on the pavement. Nowhere to put wheely bins but out front so they crowd the pavement. Sporadic rubbish on ground. Somehow the bin lorry gets down there, but I can't fathom how, as the road is chocka with cars parked both sides.

Every home has a personality, personalised touches. Every 10th house or so had a chair out front. Mixed race-culture-age kids were out playing noisily at the street end. Women were out diligently sweeping the patch of pavement outside their own door. I smiled & waved hello at a family of 3 older adults outside on their chairs eating pistachios.

I would so totally be out on my porch in that area (or on a chair because there is no porch). Best people watching ever.

We're out in the (US) country now so there's not so much 'sittin' and visitin'' on our porch, but we do enjoy sitting there, or on the front lawn just watching the birds and the occasional car.

But growing up, 'porch sitting' was a real thing. I suppose it still is. People would sit out and watch the world go by or watch the kids playing on the lawn. Neighbours would stroll by, stop for a few words, then continue on their way. Sometimes they'd come up, sit down and visit a bit before moving on. My aunt and uncle's front porch was sort of a gathering place and in the summer there'd be a little crowd of people sitting around visiting.

You don't have to have a front lawn and a porch though. Plenty of people living in cities sit on their stoops and do the same thing.

I think that's a nice thing @AcrossthePond55 , people in the USA are clearly not as anti social as us Brits.

I'm in Australia and I'd love a front verandah to sit on, and would do it, but planning laws forbid: you can't extend the front of house beyond the line set by the house next door. Probably go the whole hog and do it Aussie style, with a sofa!

I'm fortunate in that my house is on rising ground so the front fence completely conceals the garden, making it private. I use it far more than the back garden as both kitchen and living room are on either side of the front door, so easy to step out and get into the sun. I have a swing seat, bench and small table there. While I can't see the world go by, and it's very quiet suburban street anyway, I feel sheltered and surrounded by trees and flowers and birds. Writing this has made me long for the summer - spring is here now, but in Melbourne fashion it's the least consistent season.

I have heard this about north facing gardens but our back garden isn't dark and dank. It gets plenty of sun in the afternoon when the sun passes over the roof of the house. I'm so glad we didn't write our house off for having a NF garden.

Definitely not. I love the privacy of my garden, I don’t want to watch the world and I don’t want the world watching me.

I'm longing for summer too - in NZ. So far spring is going well, with higher than usual temps. Really, we only have three cold months - but they seem so loooong ......
Soon we will be basking in the heat, just hang on in there. 😎

Still nicer to have SF.
It's reflected in house prices.

We’ve got a balcony at the front of the house that we sit on sometimes

Yes! In fact we are remodeling our house now and putting a small patio in the front, a little like this photo.

I do live in the US though, and my house is set back (about the same distance as on the photo.) I live on a corner, in the city, with lots of dog walkers and people around. I like to be nosy social.

No. I don't want the neighbours to see me in my dressing gown, scrolling through Mumsnet while drinking my morning coffee. Some things need privacy.

Not on the London street where we live, it's annoyingly busy with pedestrians (but thankfully not with cars thanks to LTNs). I dislike even having people peer into my hallway when they're passing when I leave the house. We sit at the back where there's a bit more privacy, though we're still very overlooked.

PILs live in the US and they have a porch but never sit out there. They have a huge back garden but don't really spend time out there either, it's too humid usually and they spend most evenings in their dark living room.

Yes, if there were no ants nearby. I like sitting on the doorstep with a cup of tea and looking out on a morning when it feels fresh. People say hello as they walk past, too.

I know it's reflected in house prices (although I've only seen that on MN) but in my experience I can't see why. That's why I commented. In these recent summers of heat waves our back garden has had a lovely mix of sun and shade and I wouldn't sit out in the front garden because it's too hot and sunny.

zonder we have a sunny north facing garden, must depend on how big the garden is and how built up the area

this garden is a lot sunnier than our last one

I've never understood all this fuss about south facing gardens in the UK. I don't live there and have literally never heard anyone here discussing the garden and which way it faces, and it certainly doesn't affect house prices. Yet people in the UK go on about it all the time.