Building a porch is a great way to add an attractive entrance to your home and can bring about a number of benefits. But what are the planning regulations involved in building a porch, what are the benefits of building a porch, and how do you build a porch? Read on to find out everything you need, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or queries.
Table of contents:
The benefits of adding a porch to your home
Increase potential selling value
By adding a porch to your home, you create a focal point which is often the first thing visitors see when they arrive. By enhancing your kerbside appeal with an attractive porch, you immediately add value to your property by improving the aesthetics and making it even more desirable.
Increase the amount of daylight entering the home
Another way in which porches provide visual and aesthetic benefits is that they can increase the amount of natural light that enters the home. Although not all porches are constructed with windows or panes of glass, the majority of porches contain large panes of glass that allow more natural light to pass through into the home, adding a sense of warmth and brightness to the internal environment.
Protect the external doorway
As well as improving aesthetics, porches can also have practical and functional benefits. Firstly, by adding a porch, you protect the doorway from external weather conditions, increasing its durability and ensuring the door remains sturdy and secure.
Create extra usable space
Additionally, by building a porch, you are adding extra usable space to your home. Porches are a great place to store coats, shoes and other items that can often end up cluttering up your home.
Add extra security
Another benefit of porches is that they can provide an extra level of security. By adding another door to the exterior of the building, you’re creating an extra barrier against potential burglars.
Improve insulation
Furthermore, adding a porch to your home or building can help improve insulation levels and reduce heat loss. Generally, porches allow you to open the external door, enter the porch and close the door again before opening the door into the building. This prevents warm air from leaving the building and stops cold air from entering the building.
Planning Permission for building porches
Generally, building a porch does not require any planning permission. As long as the porch is three metres squared or less, and is two metres or less from any boundary that has a highway such as a road or a footpath, planning permission is not required. However, generally, the porch cannot be more than 3 metres above ground with a flat or mono-pitched roof, and no more than 3.5 metres if it is a dual-pitched roof. Additionally, the materials used should create a similar appearance to that of the original building.
If you are considering building a porch on a listed building, you’ll probably require listed building consent or submit a planning application.
However, it is always recommended to check the planning portal to ensure planning permission rules haven’t changed. Find out more via the Planning Portal.
How to build a porch
Due to the need for a porch to be constructed safely, accurately and precisely, we’d generally recommend getting a professional in to build your porch. This 8-step guide below is for a basic enclosed brick porch with windows and a door, but there is an incredibly diverse range of porches that could be built.
1. Lay foundations
Once your porch has been designed, the first step is to set out the porch foundations. When building the foundations, it is important to ensure that they have been dug deep enough to provide stability. The depth of foundations can vary quite a lot, depending on the soil type, and any pipework or cabling that is beneath the surface in question.
2. Lay a damp proof course
Once the foundations have been laid, it’s crucial to lay a damp proof membrane to prevent not only plant growth but also to prevent damp from entering the porch and potentially passing into your building.
3. Add the subfloor
After the damp proof membrane has been laid, concrete is laid on top – this will act as a subfloor. If you’ve decided to use a timber floor, joists can be laid at this point to support the timber floor. Alternatively, ensure the subfloor has been laid high enough for another flooring material to be laid.
4. Begin bricklaying and lay the floor
Now the flooring has been prepared, the porch itself can be built up to the level of the damp proof course of the main building. Lay bricks evenly and accurately up to the DPC level, and then the flooring can be laid.
5. Add flooring protection
Once the flooring has been laid, add a covering over the floor to prevent any water damage or impact damage from occurring, and put some bricks on top to ensure it doesn’t lift up and expose the flooring.
6. Lay bricks at window level
If you’re installing windows, continue to install the brickwork up to the height of the window sill. At this point, you can install a window sill if required, before continuing the brickwork and blockwork up to the height of the roof timber. When you reach the top of where the window will sit, a lintel can be fitted.
7. Construct the roof
Once the brickwork has been completed, the roof can be constructed. The first step is to create a timber framework, and then install a breathable roof membrane, before installing the roof battens and laying the roof tiles or slates. Take a look at our guides on how to slate a roof and how to install cedar shingles for more detailed information on roofing projects.
8. Add gutters
Once the roof has been constructed, the gutters can be added. It is important to add gutters to prevent water damage over time, improve drainage and reduce any potential for flooding to occur or for puddles to form outside the front door.
Finishing touches
Now that the porch has been built, steps can be added to the outside for easy access, and the porch is ready for windows and doors to be fitted. It can also now be plastered and decorated.
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