Historic Zoning Commission

Gobblers Knob NC: Level II

5-D-22-HZ

Applicant Request

Enclosure of the front porch to provide conditioned interior space (a bathroom). On the façade, the porch has been enclosed with a 6'-7" wide swath of wood lap siding to match the existing siding, extending to the leftmost porch pier. The front door has been moved towards the façade, with additional siding extending to the projecting front-gable roof bay on the right. The left side elevation of the porch has been enclosed with wood lap siding and a 36" by 23" fixed vinyl window. Work also includes cornerboards which match the existing.

MODIFICATIONS PER 5/19/22 HZC MEETING: Porch enclosure denied by HZC; applicant to remove new exterior wall and restore front porch in original footprint. Two new columuns to be installed to match previous, along with a square picket guardrail.

Site Info

One-story frame residence with a cross gable roof, an exterior of wood lap siding, and a raised stucco-clad foundation. Exterior features a one-story, one bay front porch with stuccoed foundation, a sawn wood porch railing and square wood columns. Diamond-shaped gable vent.

1. 2221 Sherrod Road is a contributing resource to the Gobblers Knob NC overlay. The front porch is identified as a character-defining feature in the design guidelines' property description.

2. Review of the work is after-the-fact; the work was initiated without a building permit or COA.

3. Many districts' design guidelines discourage enclosing front porches, or recommend enclosing porches with "as much transparency as existed prior to the enclosure and is designed to be immediately removable" (ONK Design Guidelines). The applicable design guidelines do not have specific references to porch enclosure.

4. The district's guidelines note that "additions to the front of houses are not encouraged, but may be allowed provided they do not extend more than 15 feet or cover more than one-fourth of the front façade." The porch enclosure constitutes an addition and covers approximately 2/3rds of the front façade, including the original front door locations. The house no longer has a front porch, and the front door does not open to a landing or step large enough to meet building code.