A Porch for All Seasons
Often even the best-laid floor plans can be improved upon. When Colleen and Ed Morche first built their Arlington, Virginia, house eight years ago, they made it to their dream specifications: heavy on Arts and Crafts style, big enough for their budding family, and with a raised deck in back for relaxing on lazy afternoons. There was just one problem. "The deck got so much sun that we barely spent any time out there," says Colleen. "The heat was just too much." And as the three kids got older, the house was starting to feel smaller. So the Morches decided to extend their living space by ditching the deck and adding a screened-in porch in its footprint.
The new porch, which is accessed via the family room, overlooks nearby treetops and offers the family (including 7-year-old Regan Morche) a place to unwind. French doors lead to a small deck for grilling.
