Porch

A porch (from Old French porche, from Latin porticus "colonnade", from porta "passage") is a construction usually external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by latticework, broad windows, screen, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.

There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location. All porches will allow for sufficient space for a person to comfortably pause before entering or after exiting the building. However, they may be larger. Verandahs, for example, are usually quite large and may encompass the entire facade as well as the sides of a structure. An extreme example is the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, which has the longest porch in the world at 660 feet (200 m) in length.

North America

In northeastern North America, a porch is a small area, usually unenclosed, at the main-floor height and used as a sitting area or for the removal of working clothes so as not to get the home's interior dirty, when the entrance door is accessed via the porch. In the Southwestern United States, ranch-style homes often use a covered porch to provide shade for the entrance and southern wall of the residence.

Vestibule (architecture)

A vestibule /ˈvɛstᵻbjuːl/ is an anteroom (antechamber) or small foyer leading into a larger space, such as a lobby, entrance hall, passage, etc., for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space view, reducing heat loss, providing space for outwear, etc. The term applies to structures in both modern and historical architecture since ancient times. In modern architecture, vestibule typically refers to a small room next to the outer door and connecting it with the interior of the building. In ancient Roman architecture, vestibule (Latin: vestibulum) referred to a partially enclosed area between the interior of the house and the street.

Modern usage

In contemporary usage, a vestibule constitutes an area surrounding the exterior door. It acts as an antechamber between the exterior and the interior structure. Often it connects the doorway to a lobby or hallway. It is the space one occupies once passing the door, but not yet in the main interior of the building.

Porch (company)

Porch is an online website that lets users connect and review local home improvement contractors and browse photos of home improvement projects. The site also features advice articles. Porch has information on 3.8 million home improvement professionals and 140 million projects across the United States.

History

Porch was founded in September, 2012 after co-founder Matt Ehrlichman noticed that there was no organized website to find the best home improvement professionals as he was building his home.

In April, 2014 Porch began offering Porch Premium, a paid subscription service for home professionals. The service included lead-generation tools such as promotional slots and special branding on the Porch website in addition to analytics on projects done in the local area.

Funding

In June, 2013 Porch announced a $6.25 million seed round, including investments from Ron Conway of SV Angel, Javier Olivan, and Jeffrey Skoll.

In September, 2014 Porch reported a $27.6 million Series A round, led by Lowe's. Joe Hanauer, Chairman of Move and former CEO of Coldwell Banker, joined the board of directors.