Wrap-around porch

Today is wrap-around porch day at House-of-Mine. I love to delve into technicalities. I'm a details person, which is sort of ironic considering how clumsy and messy I am. Anyway, in my mind's eye, I love things to be "just so" and will do endless research on the tiniest detail, just to know exactly what it's all about, how it works, and whether it suits my purpose exactly.

After spending months figuring out the ideal nest or, rather, concomitantly, I decided that I wanted a (fully mosquito-netted) wrap-around porch: an indoors-outdoors kind of transitional space where I can enjoy the breeze and have my meals, keep a couple of dogs at night, and even work when the room is too stuffy or boring.

It will also serve another purpose: I've always wanted to use compressed stabilised earth blocks to build my house and, although online sources tell me that, if done properly, it's as sturdy as cement blocks, locals consider it as not durable. I suspect both sources are right: "done properly" is the issue. I fully intend to supervise closely and give specific instructions for the block-making stage, but I won't be around 24/7 and chances are that somewhere along the line, the block-makers will take a few liberties with the proper specifications. I therefore have to make provisions for it and protect the walls against the elements. Enter the wrap-around porch.

Because I like simple designs, I think what I would feel most comfortable with is just an overhanging roof held by some type of pillars.

In terms of depth, I think something in the region of 2.50-3.00m (98-118 in) would be ideal. Enough to have outside sitting, dining, and working spaces when the weather allows it. Enough, too, behind the kitchen and bathroom area, to have a few clothes lines where the laundry would be protected against sudden downpours.

What I now need to ascertain is how much more foundation work will be needed. This will all have to be factored in to decide whether the porch will be built immediately, or later on. This is a question for an architect, no doubt, but I'll keep looking into it in the meantime...