Typical Size for a Front Porch

General Depth

• A standard front porch requires a depth of at least 8 feet to allow room for columns or posts. Because a typical homeowner wants chairs on the porch, a deeper porch of 10 or 12 feet works even better. The length of a porch is usually 12-24 feet in most house plans. However, you might want a porch to fit across the entire front of the house and wrap around one side. Dimensions are affected by several factors that include matching the porch shape to fit the home's architectural design.

Insufficient Floor Space

• A porch too small can cause safety risks. If a porch landing is too narrow in depth from the outer edge to the house facade, you may have posts that block your ability to walk around easily. With a skimpy porch landing, it's easier to break a window or fall off the front of the porch if you move chairs about, for example. A porch just 6 feet wide, for example, doesn't typically allow ample room for two people to walk past each other with posts and chairs in place.

Posts and Column Space

• Sketch a furniture placement design for a porch you will build. If you consider the activities your family will enjoy on the porch, you can figure out the best placement of chairs and tables, the front door, window openings and steps in relation to the porch decking. Allowing for columns or posts along the perimeter, you will still need interior square footage -- not counting the room taken up by those posts -- that is 8 feet deep. This is wide enough for chairs along the house wall and walking space for guests.

Architecture of the House

• Don't build a porch too long on the front of the house. All houses don't look appropriate with a porch built the same length as the house width. A formal colonial house often looks best with a porch that sits between two large windows on the front, for example. Extending the porch wider can give the house a country look. A 15-foot wide porch on the front of a very formal house might serve mainly for looks only. Don't plan to add sitting chairs, necessarily. Instead, use more decorative plants or iron chairs just for visual interest.

Porch Roof Size

• Sketch the house on graph paper and draw various porch sizes. Using different angles for the sketches will give you the true perspective on dimensions to use. If you draw a porch that is 15 feet wide by 10 feet deep, for instance, the porch roof lines must look complementary with the house. The porch roof overhangs and guttering must fit seamlessly with what's in place on the house. Determine the size of the porch roof and the overhangs as you decide on dimensions for the porch floor area.