Porch vs Patio vs Deck vs Stoop vs Balcony. Discuss

[DMZwerg]

A deck is wood or composite here. Porches do not have to be covered. Yankees have it all wrong.

What is the difference between a non covered wood porch and a deck? What's next, an non covered house?

Sorry ResGuy, I gotta go with Hicks on this one ... a porch may or may not be covered.

To me the difference is that a deck is NOT cement and a porch may or may not be cement and may or may not be covered. Porch could be Cement and not covered, cement & covered, or not-cement and covered.

To answer Hicks, if it is not-cement and not-covered then it is a deck. I sometimes use a term "covered deck" to explain a transitional space that is obviously part of a deck but is under some sort of cover.

I have also seen covered patios.

Stoop is a small entry area into the house, may have a shed roof or may not. It's just large enough to allow access to the entry door.

Porch is an attached exterior covered area large enough for several people. The intended use is for lounging or entertaining.

My mentor taught me that the difference between a porch and a stoop is that a porch has room for a couple of chairs yet still allows people to use the door, a stoop does not.

Mr. Rex also stated effectively the same thing


Yeah, slight differences, but we all live in different areas and are different people so the locals may have different names for things (like Polish Flats in Milwaukee) and we individuals may at times also have/use different terms depending on how we were raised or understand things.

 

[AnonApprsr]

A porch has to be covered or it's a deck (or patio I guess depending on grading and material.)

 

[DMZwerg]

A porch has to be covered or it's a deck (or patio I guess depending on grading and material.)

Not according to Marshall & Swift
(Open Slab, ... Add for Roof, Add for Ceiling)


As for ResGuy's post of pictures of open porches, check out page 8-9 where they stop having roofs and cross into what I would call "decks". One could postulate that a patio is ground level and a porch is elevated, and that a deck is a subset of porches ...

BTW, definition of a deck is a raised wood o(or wood-like) platform enclosed by a railing, therefore all else would be porches, patios or a subset/sub-style thereof ... and yes, a balcony could be a subset of either a porch or deck.

 

[ctapraser]

The difference between a deck and a porch.....a roof!

 

[andrew81]

Porch
- on the front. uncovered, covered, or enclosed
- raised or ground level
- on the side or back. fully enclosed with walls, ceiling, windows, and door. enclosed porch
- fully enclosed with finished walls, finished ceiling, windows, and not heated and/or cooled, its an finished porch
- fully enclosed with finished walls, finished ceiling, windows, and heated and/or cooled, its a finished porch counted as living space

Sunroom
- on front, side, or back
- fully enclosed with walls, ceiling, larger windows, and heated and/or cooled,
- fully enclosed with finished walls, finished ceiling, larger windows, and heated and/or cooled, sunroom counted as living space

Deck
- on the side or back
- uncovered, covered, or screened
- not fully enclosed with walls, ceiling, windows, and door. if so its a porch.

Patio
- on the side or back
- uncovered, covered, or screened
- not fully enclosed with walls, ceiling, windows, and door. if so its a porch.

Stoop
- on front, side, or back
- too small for lounging, only used for stepping up to door level
- typically covered, but never enclosed, if enclosed its a foyer

Balcony
- above first floor
- on the front, side, or back
- uncovered, covered, screened, typically not enclosed
- large enough for casual lounging of 2-4 people
- large enough for a few people and extra space for entertaining, its a deck or enclosed porch

 

[residentialguy]

What is this balony that porches can only go on the front or vice versa???

 

[andrew81]

If its on the front, even if its constructed of what would be called a deck or patio, I still call it a porch. That's how the assessors and listing agents call it, so I do what's customary in my market.

 

[prasercat]

In my view, while it is always desirable to be able to categorize things into an orderly system for practical reasons, any system needs to allow for flexibility.

In pursuit of this belief, I try not to trap concepts inside steel bars and throw away the key, so I keep my definitions less constrained and more basic.

Porch - To me, the porch is associated with the main entry of a home in whatever its form or material, covered or uncovered - but it implies a living space (room to put chairs) and not just a walking transition from exterior to the home's interior.

I use "Stoop" or "Landing" or "Covered Entry" where applicable for just walking transitions

Decks are made of decking materials which implies a suspended surface under which there is a supporting structure. You could have concrete decking (I've seen these covered and uncovered, even radiant in-deck heated), they can be of steel or wood (all hands on deck!), they can be of any material really that creates a "deck".

Patios are normally masonry and are placed upon the ground or other surface without any substructure associated with it and are normally found within yard areas. However, one can create a "yard like" area on a roof and put a patio upon it and have a "roof patio" or you could put wood decking over the roof structure and have a "roof deck".

Balcony's project out from the living areas of a home and should be rather diminutive in size. They are normally cantilevered for support, or they can rest upon a projecting roof structure. They can be covered or uncovered, they can be made of any material.

If I see posts going up to support it, I normally call it a deck. Balcony's are what you would mostly find in stacked condominiums or other high density living projects and in detached homes here in the US projecting from small living areas; such as, bedrooms. Large areas of the home normally need large outdoor living areas, so a balcony off the main living areas of a single family detached home would be rather odd since it would have limited functionality desired by the market; such as, room for grilling space with a table and chairs to enjoy the outdoors and a view if applicable.

If I see what looks like a covered porch (porches are most often covered) that isn't where the main entry is located, I normally call it one of the following: Covered Patio, Covered Deck, Verandah.

So, you can have a parking deck made of any material, for properties on sloping lots requiring a suspended surface to create a parking space for a vehicle, or a parking patio, normally called a parking pad, RV pad or driveway.

 

[AnonApprsr]

As long as everyone agrees (except ANSI) that my definitions are correct I think it's safe to say I'm awesome.

So yeah, I'm right, time to lock the thread down.