CHAPTER X
THE DAVENPORT BROWN HOUSE
In planning the remodeling of a farmhouse, has it ever occurred to you how much of the appearance of the exterior depends upon the architecture of verandas and porches? Not only must we give much thought to the alteration of the lines of the house which may be required by the interior plan, but we must be equally careful when it comes to the addition of entirely exterior features.
Modern country life demands plenty of veranda room and, whenever possible, sleeping-porches. One does not go to the country to sit indoors, even if the windows are all thrown open. There is nothing that will so materially improve the health as outdoor life; tired and jaded nerves are soon restored by use of a sleeping-porch, where the fresh air can soothe and induce restful slumber. In the early days, the porch or veranda did not exist; it may be supposed that our pioneer ancestors were too busy to enjoy any leisurely hours out of doors; at least, they made no provision in connection with their houses for such relaxation.
As the details of the exterior became more elaborate, the entrance porch was developed with free-standing columns. In time, this assumed greater importance, especially in the south, where columns the height of the whole building supported a roof across its entire front. In the north, the veranda was less frequently used, but there is occasional authority for both the front and the less pretentious back piazza. It is one of the additions which are imperative in remodeling the house, however, and it becomes something of a problem because there is no more definite authority for it.
If there is to be simply an entrance porch, offering a bit of shelter at the front door for stranger or friend, it may have much precedent in the porches of Georgian houses. In planning this, take into consideration that it should be an index of what one will find in the interior; it should be the keynote, as it were, of the entire house. Here we may have the same details and the same proportions as in the cornice of the roof, or the fireplace within. We find many porches that are sadly out of keeping with the rest of the house and seem very carelessly designed. It is far better to have none at all than one which is insignificant and out of scale; yet it must not be more elaborate than the house itself and tend to dwarf the main structure. Few people realize how important this feature is and how necessary that it should be a satisfactory adjunct to the architecture of the whole. It is almost the first thing we notice as we approach the house. Whether it is well placed and rightly proportioned, whether it has a proper overhang, good roof lines, and adequately supported cornice, affects to a very great extent the style and character of the house.
There were a great many different types of porch in the Georgian houses: the simple hood with a high-backed settle on either side that was commonly used at a side entrance; the gable-roofed and flat-roofed, square porch and circular, open and partly enclosed, with round and oval windows at the sides, were all developed to high perfection. The simple, Doric column, plain or fluted, with corresponding pilasters or three-fourths round against the house, was used on many of the porches; but the Ionic and Corinthian capitals are more elaborate than is appropriate for the simplicity of a farmhouse. From the infinite number of models which can be found, it should be a comparatively easy matter to construct an entrance porch, utilizing the details found in the house.
A veranda demands somewhat different manner of procedure. First it is necessary to decide where it shall be put. Where will it receive the best air and the least sun? It must, presumably, open from or adjacent to the living-room and yet be so placed that its roof will not cut off too much light. If the house is uncomfortably near the highway or neighbors, the matter of privacy cannot be neglected, and a thought may well be given to the outlook from the piazza. Let it enjoy any advantage of a fine view or a picturesque garden that may be compatible with its other requirements. Thus it may be at the front, at either or both sides, or in the rear. At the side of the ordinary, gable-roofed house, the roof of the veranda should as a rule be flat. If it is possible to continue the roof line of the house to include that of the porch, by all means let it be done; the unbroken sweep will usually be found excellent. At some angles it may seem too long and severe; then it is often possible to put a slight "kick" in it, especially if there is anything of the Dutch type about the building.
The floor of the porch in farmhouses should be low; it may be on a level with that of the house, or a step below it. It is well to let the underpinning be a continuation of that of the house, and it may then be covered with brick or tile, or the conventional boards. The columns or posts which support the roof are a stumbling block for many remodelers. These should closely copy the entrance porch, if there is one; even if it be no more than a flat semblance of a pilaster about the frame of the door, it will supply the correct motive. Lacking this, there will undoubtedly be some detail in the interior which can be magnified to the right proportion for the exterior,—the upright of a mantel or the frame of a door. For a house which can boast no such source of suggestion, a straight, square post with a simple molding would be the solution. The cornice should follow the detail of the entrance door or the house cornice; and it is effective and increases the apparent unity to repeat the decoration of the one on the other.
The rails and balusters of old houses were extremely simple and should be kept so in the remodeling. In the very early examples, the balusters were square and spaced far apart; later both square and turned balusters were used, and they were spaced twice their width. The design for these can often be taken from the stairs in the interior of the house. It is the modern tendency to use no railing about verandas, particularly when they are low or when they are screened in. Some of the flat-roofed type had a railing around the roof, and an open-air porch was thus made for the second story.