Which is the porch door? Which is the front door??

[UpperLowerMiddleClass]

This is quite possibly the most pointless thread ever, but bear with me.

I live in a typical 3 bed semi detached house with a porch. I’ve always used the phrase ‘porch door’ to describe the door leading from the front garden into the porch. And the phrase ‘front door’ to describe the door leading from the porch into the hallway.

But according to my teenage daughter I am wrong! In her view the porch door is the one leading from the hallway into the porch, and the front door is the one leading from the porch into the front garden

To be fair, I can see her logic. Plus it makes sense that the front door is at the very front of the house.

So, have I been mistaken for 45 years? Which is the ‘porch door’ and which is the ‘front door’?

I'm with you. If you had no porch, the front door would still exist. It's a philosophical question rather than a building one 😀

You're right and she is wrong. Gavel!

We have the same set up as you and use the same labels as you!

Doesn’t it depend on the door? I’ve seen both

in out first house it was front door - porch door - hall but I’ve seen porch door - front door - hall

a front door is more substantial and the one people will knock etc

Team daughter. I'm 52, house I grew up in had same arrangement and the front door was the door at the very front of the house.

We have an ‘inside front door’ and a ‘Front front door’!

I'm with you OP. The way I see it is the front door and back door lead into the main dwelling space. A porch is an add on. If you removed the porch, the door to the house would still be the front door.

Do you keep the first door unlocked during the day? If so it is the porch door. If it is locked then it is the front door…in my opinion.

We don’t have a porch but could it also be anything to do with the type of door - is the ‘front door’ in your description an external door with locks etc or just an internal door? To me front door would be whatever is considered the final exit door at the front with all locks etc that generally come with a ‘front door’

A porch door does not lead directly into the house, it leads into a porch

A front door is the main door into the house whether the house has a porch or not

You are right OP

You are correct, OP. We refer to our doors the same way. Imagine your porch being removed - your front door would still be your front door!

You are right the front door leads into the house the porch door is from garden to porch .

Have you googled it OP
heres the answer

‘ The porch door is the outermost barrier enclosing the entryway, designed primarily to protect against weather and hide clutter.
The front door sits just behind it; it serves as the main, secure entrance to the primary house, keeping heat in and unwanted guests out.
A front door faces the outdoors directly if there is no enclosed porch. If a property features a built-on porch, the setup creates a two-door system with distinct differences:

The Porch Door
Purpose: Acts as a buffer against rain, wind, and muddy boots. It is commonly kept unlocked during the day to allow for deliveries or left unlocked if the inner door acts as the primary security.
Security: Usually provides a secondary layer of protection. While it can be locked, it often contains more glass to let natural light into the transition space.’

We have a porch, but only an internal door between it and the inside of the house, which leads straight into the living room. Our main front door is the double-glazed fully lockable one on the outside of the porch. All our neighbours with the same design of house have the door on the outside of their porch as their front door.

You are right your teen is wrong.

This is an extremely important question and I'm grateful to you for articulating it.

I think we need more info. Is the porch one which gives the impression of being built on to the house, rather than integral to it? Can you easily imagine the house without the porch? Does the inner door have the characteristics of a front door -- sturdy, secure?

If you answer 'yes' to all of the above questions, then the front door is the inner door.

If you answer 'no' to all of those questions, then the front door is the outer door.

If your answer is mixed, then we need a diagram.

To add - our porch is more of a hallway and inside we have a coat rack, shelves, a cupboard with the utility meters, and a variety of hats, shoes, shopping bags etc. It was built at the same time as the house and isn't an add-on afterwards.

Or
when is a porch not a porch

Do you have a plan because it sounds very different
you don’t have a porch it seems you have an internal hall door creating a lobby

Indeed. This may well be the nub of the matter.

You are correct of course. If you demolished your porch, and the porch door went with it, you are left with one door into the house, ie the front door.

It depends if your porch is integrated into the house or a lean to contraption added on later. If it’s integrated then the front door is the outside door. If it’s added on later then the front door is the inner door.

I'm with her. My front door leads into the porch and my porch door leads into the hall.

Sone porches aren't add ons though.

IMO the porch door is the first one you get to as you approach the front of the house. The front door is the second.