Home Improvement Inside » Verandah

Verandahs A Place For Entertainment

Ed — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:17:54 +0000

As per the dictionary, Verandah is the covered entrance along the exterior of a shop or a house. It can also be termed as big gallery or terrace on the same plane as the ground floor. It is said to have originated from two native Indian languages, Hindi and Bengali, baranda, but in reality is just an altered copy of Portuguese and older Spanish veranda which is a balustrade or balcony.

Since time immemorial, India has been invaded by foreign forces like the Muslims, Dutch, Portuguese and the English; she has adopted the different traditions brought in by these invading forces. These traditions are now incorporated in Indian architecture, which eventually developed as a fusion of the east and the west culture.

This was made to give protection more against the sun than the rain. This was either curved or sloped in structure. There is yet another meaning to this word in the dictionary, it is, an open porch extending in the front and the sides of a building, giving protection against the sun and the rain. The decisive origin of this word is most probably European or maybe Latin meaning barra-, which means barrier.

Verandahs are a great place for family based entertainment. It is a place where families get together with other members of their family and friends and spend time entertaining each other with small talk, while the children play indoor games under the watchful eyes of their parents and grand parents. In a number of ways, it is a perfect setting of an ideal family and community life.

In places where the climate is sultry and warm the verandah is one place where people collect in the evenings to enjoy the cool breeze and entertain themselves with some tea, gossip or catch up with the happenings of the day. It is an open-air extension of the drawing room where the family collects after completing their daily chores.

Thus the verandah is that place in a house which gives all the family members like the grandparents, parents and children space to unwind themselves, provide scope for entertainment everyday of their lives after they are done with their day to day work.

Floor Lamps Verandah

Ed — Sun, 08 May 2011 19:32:27 +0000

As per the dictionary, Verandah is the covered entrance along the exterior of a shop or a house. It can also be termed as big gallery or terrace on the same plane as the ground floor. It is said to have originated from two native Indian languages, Hindi and Bengali, baranda, but in reality it is just an altered copy of Portuguese and older Spanish veranda which is a balustrade or balcony.

In the Oxford English Dictionary, the second meaning of Verandah is a covering built at the side of the building, particularly one built over the street outside the trading site found particularly in Australia and New Zealand. There is yet another meaning to this word in the dictionary, it is, an open porch extending in the front and the sides of a building, giving protection against the sun and the rain. The decisive origin of this word is most probably European or maybe Latin meaning barra-, which means barrier.

In a number of ways, it is a perfect setting of an ideal family and community life. In places where the climate is sultry and warm the verandah is one place where people collect in the evenings to enjoy the cool breeze and entertain themselves with some tea, gossip or catch up with the happenings of the day. It is an open-air extension of the drawing room where the family collects after completing their daily chores.

The verandah is greatly used by family members in the evening hours so it is very essential to have good lighting, which is suitable for that hour of the day. It should be subdued not glaring and movable if necessary. Thus, it is practical to have Floor Lamps in the verandah. Floor lamps are available in a variety of colours textures and made with different material. You can pick up any floor lamp from any shop and match it to your decor.

Vintage Verandah

Ed — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:06:48 +0000

A Verandah in simple words is an open roofed porch or gallery built around a building in the centre. A Verandah as per the Oxford English Dictionary is a word that originated in India and refers to the railings, balustrade or balconies.

From time immemorial, India has faced invasion by foreign forces like the Muslims, Dutch, Portuguese and the English and has adopted the different architectural traditions brought by these invading forces. These traditions have been incorporated in Indian architecture, which eventually developed as a fusion of the east and the west culture.

A verandah is a large balcony built on the ground floor and is commonly known as barandah in Hindi and Bengali, two native Indian languages. There is another surprising meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary, which means, Verandah is a covering built at the side of the building, particularly one built over the street outside the trading site found particularly in Australia and NewZealand.

The traditional Verandah has been in existence from another era bygone. There are some typical features found in the verandah of those times. The verandah had pillars supporting the roof which were made of wood or wrought iron and not steel .They had some typical features like, they could be front portal additions, or countryside portals.

They had porch posts, porch railings and balusters. They were made of solid wood; the posts were as decorative with carvings as they were useful. The verandah doors were so solid that they prevented the storm from creating havoc inside and simultaneously prevented the cold breeze from entering the houses.

The vintage verandah was typically a meeting place for the family at dusk when the family members returned home from their respective jobs. It was the traditional place where people sat in the privacy of their homes yet could see the road and exchange pleasantries with the neighbors or passersby. It was the place in the house, which gave you a view to the outside world.

A person who was welcomed in the household was welcomed here and then escorted inside while those who were merely running errands were dealt with here. The elders of the family were normally spotted here as it gave them the security of their house and family and gave them an exposure to the outside world. The vintage verandah was thus a very important part of the house, which gave the members a lot of security and exposure to the world outside.

In most of the Asian countries, verandah is first visual contact while entering the premises. It acts as a welcoming gesture to the visitors. Special and formal guests would be received at the main door and then taken to the main living or drawing room, while local merchants, postman milkman etc. are received and dealt with in verandah itself. Thus the way of receiving visitors are distinguished spatially according to the meaning and the role of the guest.

Marble Verandahs

Ed — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:59:48 +0000

Verandahs are extensions to your home. So when you are building your home or redecorating your home make sure that you pay attention to the flooring of your verandah. It is not enough if you have a nice looking verandah which is tastefully decorated but it should also have good flooring which will add more value to the verandah.

People tend to be casual when it comes to floors thinking it is just the ground you walk on. The floor has been given its due place with the advent of home decor. It adds ambience to a place while it sets the tone to the room.

The verandah is just another extended room to your home and the floor too can be renovated in which ever way you want just like you renovate different things.

If you are thinking of changing the floor of your verandah then you should consider using marble for the flooring. Marble flooring gives that expensive and luxurious look and adds value to your verandah. Marble flooring for verandahs come in different budgets to suit different people.

The Indian marble especially the Makrana variety which is quite common in many homes today do not cost much. But it has been found that many Indian marbles crack easily and are prone to attract dust.

For those people who money to splurge than it is best that they go in for Italian, Spanish or even Greek Marble. These are the best in the world and are pretty expensive. These marbles are known for their sparkling finish and with proper lighting you can have an exquisite verandah which simply looks gorgeous.

Marble floorings when you use them ion verandahs give the verandahs a unique look and when you have guest coming for dinner and you sit with them in the verandah at night you will surely feel proud as your guest will find the flooring reflecting the soft lighting and the whole place simply looks beautiful.

If you are looking for marble flooring for your verandah then you must go to the internet where you will a wide choice of marble which is available. The description of the stone and its quality are all given there. You can also check the prices easily. This will certainly help you to pan your marble flooring for your verandah.

Decks Gazebos And Enclosed Verandahs

Ed — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:20:48 +0000

Verandahs are integral parts of your house. Irrespective of which side the verandah is, the front or back or side, it adds a beautiful touch to the house. Being open on three sides, Verandahs are hence spacious.

During the summer months, these are great places for the children to play during the day. This is so because it is spacious. Also, children would be protected from the heat of the sun. You can also spend time with your family and children during the evening and nights as these can be used as sit outs.

Verandahs can also be decorated in different ways to give them a unique look. If they are in the front side of the house, visitors' eyes would first fall on them. Hence, people spend a lot of time and money to plan and decorate their verandahs.

Some of the concepts that are popular are decks, gazebos and enclosed verandahs. A deck is nothing but a fully functional floor. It serves as a bridge between your internal living areas with your external entertaining area, integrating the two.

According to your requirement, you can build the deck at any level. You can also split a large area by having multiple level decks. Another option is to build the deck such that it just follows the natural contours of your site. You can use a deck for any activity and hence the utility of this idea is immense.

A gazebo is usually a roofed structure. It is not always open sided. There is generally a gap between the gazebo and the main dwelling. The advantage of this is that it provides good view and is a great place to sit back and relax. It acts as a retreat from where you can watch the outside happenings and yet be away from it. A lot of people use the gazebo as a place from where they can observe their children, pets and even plants.

Now days, enclosed verandahs are also catching up. During extreme weather conditions, be it heat or cold, these provide a protection at the same time allowing you to enjoy the happenings outside.

Thus, decks, gazebos and enclosed verandahs are great options to spice up your home.

New Verandah Designs

Ed — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 22:35:48 +0000

A Verandah in simple words is an open roofed porch or gallery built around a building built in the centre. A Verandah as per the Oxford English Dictionary is a word that originated in India and refers to the railings, balustrade or balconies.

A Verandah is a large balcony built on the ground floor and it is commonly known as barandah in Hindi and Bengali, two native Indian languages. There is another meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary, which states, Verandah is a covering built at the side of the building, particularly built over the street outside the trading site. This is referred to verandahs especially in Australia and New Zealand.

There is yet another meaning to this word in the dictionary, it is, an open porch extending in the front and the sides of a building, giving protection against the sun and the rain. The decisive origin of this word is most probably European or maybe Latin meaning barra- which means barrier.

Verandahs have been in vogue since time immemorial, one could say from the Elizabethan era or still beyond. They are a universal concept in home building; you find them all over the world. Now, with the changing times the concept of a traditional verandah is also changing.

Wood was the main raw material used to build verandahs in the earlier days; it is not so any more, more and more, options are available in the market today. The new design verandahs use a variety of material to make their designs. Cast aluminum is the perfect material for verandah furniture. It is strong, light weight, non-rusting, and is able to withstand the vagaries of the nature, like scorching heat, rains and extreme cold. It can also take in the boisterous children play.

Many designers are manufacturing different kinds of floorings, roofs, beams to improvise on the beauty and charm of the verandah. Top quality wood like cedar and teak is used to make the verandah more attractive and long lasting. Teak wood benches, tables, home and verandah accessories enhance the beauty and charm of the house.

Verandahs

Ed — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:33:48 +0000

A Verandah in simple words is an open roofed porch or gallery built around a building in the centre. A Verandah as per the Oxford English Dictionary is a word that originated in India and refers to the railings, balustrade or balconies.

A verandah is a large balcony built on the ground floor and is commonly known as barandah in Hindi and Bengali, two native Indian languages. There is another surprising meaning in which means, Verandah is a covering built at the side of the building, particularly one built over the street outside the trading site found particularly in Australia and New Zealand.

The traditional Verandah has been in existence from another era bygone. There are some typical features found in the verandah of those times. The verandah had pillars supporting the roof, which were made of wood or wrought iron and not steel .They had some typical features like, they could be front portal additions, or countryside portals.

They had porch posts, porch railings and balusters. They were made of solid wood; the posts were as decorative with carvings as they were useful. The enclosed verandah doors were so solid that they prevented the storm from creating havoc inside and simultaneously prevented the cold breeze from entering the houses.

Verandah in English homes is mainly for outdoor entertainment. Front verandahs, with roll down blinds and lovely glass enclosed rear verandah overlook the garden in most of the English homes. Many of the homes have large covered verandahs and open porches which overlook the garden and were one way of lowering the profile of the house and integrating it with the garden outside.

Verandahs and open porches are important since they enhance the cross ventilation once the doors are left open. Verandahs provide outdoor space from where the garden can be enjoyed and guests can be entertained. It can also be converted into an outdoor drawing room during warm summer afternoons.

Verandah

Ed — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:14:48 +0000

A Verandah as per the Oxford English Dictionary is a word that originated in India where it is found in several native languages. It refers to the railings, balustrade or balconies.

From time immemorial, India has been invaded by foreign forces like the Muslims, Dutch, Portuguese and the English and has adopted the different traditions brought by these invading forces. These traditions are now incorporated in Indian architecture which eventually developed as a fusion of the east and the west culture.

A Verandah in other words is an open roofed porch or gallery built around a building in the centre. It is a large balcony built on the ground floor and it is commonly known as barandah in Hindi and Bengali.

There is another surprising meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary, which means, Verandah is a covering built at the side of the building, particularly one built over the

street outside the trading site found particularly in Australia and New Zealand.

These were made to basically give protection against the sun than the rain. These were both curved or sloped in structure. There is yet another meaning to this word in the dictionary, it is, an open porch extending in the front and the sides of a building, giving protection against the sun and the rain. The decisive origin of this word is most probably European or maybe Latin meaning barra- which means barrier.

The Verandah has played a very significant role in the socio-cultural life of Asians. It is the best place to be in countries, which boast of a hot humid climate. It reflects the family and social life of people. It is a room built outside the house where all the members of a family enjoy the cool breeze and feel completely relaxed and at ease. This is a room which brings people from all ages and lifestyles together.

In most Asian homes the Verandah is the first place you get in touch with the members of a household. The entry into the house is through the Verandah, some exceptional guests are welcomed in the Verandah and then taken into the drawing room, whereas people like the vendors, postman and others are dealt with in the Verandah and sent off.

The happenings in a Verandah is visible to the outside world, hence it is a very safe place to be in .Unfortunately now with population explosion in most metro cities there is acute need for land and so these grand old houses with Verandahs are giving way to high rise buildings and the culture of Verandahs is slowly diminishing.

Ornate Fences Gates And Verandah

Ed — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:11:48 +0000

Fences and gates are available in wide ranges. Edwardian and Federation style fretwork fences offer fences that are exclusively designed. They cater to the needs of the individual style needs and expectations.

Different styles and materials extend variety of fence design to suit the individual home and garden. Exclusive fretwork of Verandah will be an additional complement to the house or garden. Security and privacy play a vital role in fencing of the house and garden. Aesthetic sense may be given less priority. When the open yard is fenced properly with a gate which are attractive pets can find its way to roam around the outdoor. Tension and worries about the escape of pets will be avoided completely.

Few things need to be given importance before the installation and commencement of fencing work. The tuff job with regard to fencing is the selection of the required type. Fencing materials made out of wood wire metal and synthetic does not solve the purpose and hence should be avoided. Height color and style of the fence needs attention.

Two types of fences are extended. To maintain privacy from passerby and neighbors pre cut fence will be of very beneficial. It offers complete obstruction for the outsiders to enter below a certain level of height. Few days will adequate enough to complete the fencing work.

If appearance and looks are given first hand priority spilt rail fence will be favorable. Bottom quadrant can be protected with the help of wire mesh or with the help of other available landscape equipments.

Building License For Verandahs

Ed — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 00:09:48 +0000

A verandah is structure that extends around the house which is completely roofed. Verandah serves as a place where the family can sit around comfortably outdoors especially in good weather and enjoy themselves while the children play in the garden. A verandah is an ideal place for outdoor tea parties and social gatherings.

Building a veranda adds beauty to your home and it gives you additional room and space without additional expenditure. The size of the verandah you want to construct should be proportionate to the size of the property.

Before going in for construction of your veranda, it is very important to take approval from the local council. This approval is called the building license which is absolutely necessary before going in for any construction. It takes about three weeks to receive approval and license.

Normally, the company which takes up the contract to construct your verandah or patio organizes the license by applying to the council for approval. Along with the site plan of the property, they usually take the signature of the owner on the application and submit the required engineering plans and drawings to obtain the license.

Application details the requirements and conditions based on the prevailing laws which includes distance from the fence, height of the structure to be constructed and the maximum size of the verandah that is possible proportionate to the size of your property.

Normally, the columns and the patio roof must be at least one metre from the neighbouring fence. If you require the roof and columns to be closer than one metre, special permission has to be applied for and this also involves a special fees.

It is advisable not to go in for any kind of a deviation from the norms to avoid unnecessary problems. If any deviations are found by the authorities, you will have to face penalties and they may even demolish the extended structure. To avoid all this, complying with the requirements of the council is a must.

Having complied with all the above requirements and necessary approvals and licenses, the owner can go right ahead and construct his verandah.

How Long will it take to get my patio built?

ANSWER: Before we are able to build your patio, we recommend you receive approval from you local council. This is called a building license and can take anywhere up to 6 weeks to receive. The average waiting time for a council to grant this is 3weeks. Once we have a building license, we aim to have your patio built within 4 weeks. So the average time from start to finish is 6 weeks.

Do you handle council applications?

ANSWER: Yes, we normally apply for council approval on your behalf. We require a site plan of your property and usually your signature on the application. Then we will submit all the required drawings and engineering plans to obtain the building licence. We strive to have the whole process complete in the quickest possible time.

How big can I make my patio?

ANSWER : There are many factors that affect this decision. All homes along with any additions are meant to comply with the Residential Design Codes of Western Australia.This document details requirements and conditions that govern your patio addition which includes setbacks from fences, heights of the proposed structure and the maximum sizes possible depending on the size of the property. We are more than happy to advise you on whether your proposal will be acceptable and be compliant.

How close to my neighbor's fence can I get?

ANSWER: The Residential Design Codes again govern these dimensions, but a general rule is the patio roof and columns must be no closer than 1.0m from a neighboring fence line. With a signed consent form, we may be able to build the patio up to 500mm from the fence line. It can even be possible to put the columns of the patio right up against the fenceline as long as the roofline remains 500mm off. In most cases, requesting to put the patio closer than 1.0m will require a planning application as well as a building application and extra fees are usually involved.