How to Add a Porch to a Tudor

Plan Exact Dimensions

• Draw the house design on graph paper. You will want to add a porch that looks original to the house, not added on. By creating the exact house dimensions, you can sketch various porch options. You can build a large back porch or a small front porch, for example. By sketching the porch dimensions to look appropriate with the house size, you can protect the home's curbside appeal.

Create the Porch's Style

• Sketch the basic porch shape. If the house has a hip roof, which means it has four gently sloping sides, the porch roof may look best with a hip roof as well. You can draw a sharply pitched A-frame roof fitting flat against a large two-story exterior wall for a side porch. Alternatively, you can draw a sloping roof across the home's front facade. A 45-degree pitch always looks appropriate for most porches, but you may use a 30-degree pitch if the porch is wide. Decide if the porch will have lower enclosed walls of stucco and brick support posts to fit the Tudor architecture.

Choose High-quality Materials

• Use the right materials. You will need to buy rafters that are substantial, such as 2-by-12-inch boards. Don't use skimpy rafters that are, for example, 2-by-6-inches. Generous materials are typically used throughout a Tudor-style home, so build the porch to support this stately type of structure. Plan to use a copper metal roof or cedar shakes on the porch. Cedar or oak wood will yield a better outcome for the structure than a softer wood, such as pine.

Construct Base Components

• Build the porch base first. You may want to pour a concrete base for the porch versus a wooden foundation. Construct all of the foundational components of the porch before adding stucco half-walls or roof framing. Decide whether you want to add concrete steps or construct them from wood. Steps made of stone or brick add even greater visual appeal to a Tudor home's porch.

Secure the Wood Properly

• Bolts are necessary to secure the porch framing to the house. Plan to bolt all wooden framing of the porch rafter area directly to the house framing. Never install this type of porch with screws or nails, or it may collapse in a short period of time. Heavy wood will pull loose by its own weight. When you install a roof cover of cedar shakes, this will add significantly more weight.

Add Finer Points

• Details are crucial for Tudor design. Everything from the spacing of posts to the way you trim exposed ends of rafter beams are important on this type of porch. Hardware used on the house entry door and hardware used for hanging baskets on the porch can enhance a Tudor-style home. Porch flooring may look best with a brick covering, too. On these types of homes, lattice installed on end sections or on the porch front can work well for shading the porch. Invest time in looking at Tudor homes in magazines to refine your finished porch.