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One sunny day in June, the porch was getting underway!
Now for the rant: the state I live in is known for its rain complaints. I have seen many moldy, dry-rotted houses on the rainy side of the mountains. It did not take me long living here to wonder, why aren't porches part of the vernacular architecture? Specifically, wrap-around porches. They would extend the life of siding, keep the damp feeling down on the inside of the house, and allow the inmates of the house a dry place to walk around and get some exercise in the wet winter. As it is, not a lot of people venture out-of-doors when it is drizzly. A wrap-around porch could bring about healthier movement in wintertime.
Now, not having been here a hundred years ago, I might be completely mistaken in this judgement. Perhaps they did have wrap-around porches then, but they have since rotted away themselves and not been replaced. I know that the new houses have very small porches, if any, and most not more than a dark cave-like corridor to the front door. The rain is still a problem and the architecture has not reflected the solution.
On the other side of the mountains, where the sun shines most of the year, a deep porch is important for the shade and I think I see more porches around. Reminds me of that old Aesop's fable of the quest to get the man's coat...guess the sun still wins.