No Porches, No Decks, All Garage, What the Heck

February 9, 2009

Post Tags: architecture , garages , porches and decks

Why don’t we see many porches or decks in Tucson and why are there so many homes with the garage out front? Climate and geography have a lot to do with all of these. They are also the reason you won’t find many homes with a basement in Tucson.

The porches and decks were a part of the bungalow style of building. This was very popular at one time in Tucson when styles of homes were influenced by architecture from other parts of the country. Home in wet climates were often build up above ground three or four feet. In case of flooding or high build up of snowfall the home could remain high and dry.

What makes Tucson Different.

We don’t have high flooding (monsoon, yes)
We have bed rock very close the surface (you would have to blast bedrock to create a basement, cost prohibitive)
We have subterranean termites they love wood especially floors as an entry point
We have lots of sun, very intense sun
Land is a premium (lots are small)

All of these factors come together in how homes are built now in Tucson.

Alleys are a thing of the past

In the older parts of town where the bungalows and older homes are built there is also the influence of how the streets are laid out. There are alleys behind many of the homes. I don’t know when the stopped putting in alleys but it has been more than 40 or 50 years I would guess.

Most streets and neighborhoods are now laid out with back yards, back to back. Lots are narrow meaning you can get more homes on a street with a narrow lot and make it deeper than it is wide (the exception being cul-de-sac lots). The result of this type of layout.

The city doesn’t have to maintain alleys
There are no weeds or junk stored in alleys
Garages are in the front of the house (no place else to put them)
Garbage pickup is from the front of the house and street

There is an advantage to having the garage in the front of the house if the front faces South. One thing you learn quickly here is the influence of the sun on a home. The south and west sides of a home take a beating from the sun.

This also means those are the hottest areas of the home in the summer (and it is almost always summer). The end result, if you put the garage in the front of the house facing south, you don’t have to cool the garage and the rooms behind the garage are shaded and easier to cool themselves.

Since there are few garages with windows in the front less maintenance. This is one advantage of the home facing south. It also means your back yard is facing north or east and you can use your back yard during the hottest months of the year because they are shaded.

No Porches or Decks

We don’t have basements as described earlier. Most construction is at ground level. Most homes will only have a small step up to get in the front door. Construction is on a slab. These days many of those slabs are post tension slabs. The post tension slab really helps prevent termintes from coming into the house from underground.

When a home is built at ground level there is no need for a porch and no room for a deck. Both porches and decks are usually made of wood. Wood is lunch for termites and destroyed by direct sunlight. Therefore, there are very few decks in the Tucson area.

No Porch but a Patio

We do have a patios which aren’t exactly like a porch but fulfill a similar roll. We don’t sit out in the front yard or the porch and watch people walk by. Another thing about most of Tucson, Oro Valley and Marana. It isn’t urban like you walk down to the corner store to pick up a few things. It is spread out and you usually drive to get anywhere, even for a cup of coffee.

The patio with an outdoor kitchen (built in grill) and fire pit are the place where friends and neighbors gather to socialize and eat. We do that almost all year round in Tucson. Even in WINTER we can eat out doors most of the time in the evening or night. The outdoor patio, back yard flagstone, brick or paver area is the southwest version of the porch and deck.

Living in Tucson isn’t like living where it is cold, rainy, tornado prone, hurricane possible. It is dry, hot, sunlight, and desert. It has a beauty all its own.