Examples of porches added on to Victorian terraces that don't look awful?

[Blibbyblobby]

Our house is a small bay-windowed Victorian terrace. The previous owners removed most of the interior walls so what was the front room, dining room and hallway is now one open space about 4M wide by 7M long.

Given the size of the houses it's definitely a better use of space, but there's one drawback and that's the porch.

The original layout had a porch recess so the front door was set back about 50cm into the hallway - like this (but the house is smaller) www.alamy.com/stock-photo-exterior-of-a-small-traditional-terraced-house-with-a-bay-window-84357698.html

When they took out the hallway they relocated the front door flush with the front wall of the house but this lost the porch area so they added a new lean-to style porch on the outside of the house, something like this but with a bay window: images.app.goo.gl/o3sKVK7yFfT6D9u67

The porch is rotting and needs to be rebuilt. Aesthetically I'd happily get rid of it entirely but practically it's much better than a front door opening directly into the living room (doormat, wet umbrellas, post on the floor, etc). I might live with that but DH won't.

I'm resigned to the fact this is never going to look great, but if anyone has any examples of a porch added on to a Victorian terrace that looks even just ok-ish, I'd love to see them!

Something like this?

Oooo, I should say I think the porch example I linked to looks ok! I don't mean to insult someone's home. A lean-to porch looks fine on a flat-fronted house like that one - it's the porch-bay combo I'm struggling with.

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=42400914&sale=89686476&country=england

These Edwardian houses look ok in person. The porches are pitched with a lot of period detail on them. I think they might be original as there are a few of the same along the road.

But I do agree that it’s generally a bit unfortunate looking. Perhaps a bit of wisteria, stained glass and nice tiling can detract from the fact there’s a porch on a bay fronted property.

@maybemu

Something like this?

That definitely looks better than mine! But it's a 1930s house, the bay itself is quite plain and and the shape of the porch echoes the gable so it all hangs together. I've got the typical Victorian white faux-pillars and decorative twiddles (

@JoJoSM2

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=42400914&sale=89686476&country=england

These Edwardian houses look ok in person. The porches are pitched with a lot of period detail on them. I think they might be original as there are a few of the same along the road.

But I do agree that it’s generally a bit unfortunate looking. Perhaps a bit of wisteria, stained glass and nice tiling can detract from the fact there’s a porch on a bay fronted property.

Yes, the gable definitely looks better than lean to.

I've just realised a gable would cut across the white twiddley bits above the original porch [cry]

I love wisteria! But the front of the house is north-facing so I'v always assumed it's not an option (very happy to be wrong about that...).

I do have a clematis on the other side of the bay that flowers reliably every year so that might be worth a try.

I've just been streetviewing to see if any neighbours have solved the problem - my god, between us we have a dire selection of porches! But there is one who has gone for a lean to but much narrow than mine, just the width of the door, and that seems to fit the proportions of the house better. I think because it keeps the same amount of wall between the door and the bay window.

Ours is like the one with the green door but there are lots like the other pictures around here, not full porches just a little bit of shelter

Would something like these work?

Has your neighbour got one? They would look odd if they were different?

Yes you'll need to coordinate with your neighbour as ideally it would cover both doors. I've attached some original edwardian versions but if your bay isn't square this might not work.

Neighbour's bay has been removed. They have a square front pvc add-on that replaced the bay and forms a porch with a lean- to roof that joins onto mine but doesn't line up (there's a 2 inch step). So on the whole, while mismatching the neighbour is going to look odd, it's no worse than what's already there.

A porch that's just a canopy isn't the thing because we want a space between the exterior door and living area for doormat, post and wet brollies.

I think all these nice examples have helped clarify there just isn't a solution that works for my layout :( Probably just rebuilding what we have with slightly better proportions is all we can do unless the neighbours sell to someone who's prepared to reinstate the bay and go halves on a porch.

What about keeping the front facade lovely and as intended but creating a brolly area inside?

Here, a bit of wall has been left between the front door and the living area.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81874786.html

This on is all modern but the structure they put in between the front door and the living area looks like it not only separates but also offers coat/shoe storage:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85391452.html

My Victorian house had the same internal modifications (although a little internal vestibule area instead of a porch) and after much debate we've just reinstated the hallway and I'm already so pleased we did. The loss of space was so worth it for making the house layout 'work' again.

But if you don't want to put a hallway back in I'd just add what my house had - a little vestibule/entrance area. Just a little walled off box inside your front door with a second doorway leading to the open plan downstairs.

There are lots of bay-fronted Victorian houses around me with porches added and none of them look great.