Reading Buildings ~ Spotting how a historic house has changed over time is an important step in planning a restoration project. Even without documentary evidence like historic photos or building plans, it is often possible to see physical evidence of changes if you look carefully, such as evidence of a missing porch.
This lovely Queen Anne style house in Belfast, Maine, is missing a section of its original wrap-around porch. The first clue that something has been removed is the awkwardness of the clapboard application on the end of the remaining porch. If the porch had ended here originally, the eave trim would have wrapped around the corner and terminated against the house. On the side of the house, the infilled clapboards where the porch roof was located are detectable by their varying exposure and difference in the appearance of the paint. The left and right sides of the bay window do not match, showing where the original porch terminated on the right side.
The removal of porches is a common alteration. Exposure to the elements makes porches more challenging to maintain, and they often suffer from deferred maintenance, leading to their removal.
As character-defining features of a house, restoring them should be a priority in any restoration project. In this case, enough of the porch remains to provide models for the accurate replacement posts and trim at the eaves.
Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” how to identify and date changes made over time.
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© Scott T. Hanson 2025.
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