Secrets Revealed: The Hidden Purpose of Those Mysterious Holes in Front Porch Walls!

A front porch has, and will, always anchor home architecture. It serves as a courteous entrance, and is a place to linger and interact with others. One element that tends to catch the eye when looking at front porches, from your own or someone else’s home, is the holes in the walls of the front porch of brick. What are holes in the wall for? When you look into the history of architecture and architectural design, you will realize these voids – these openings – are not arbitrary. Designers usually think them through very carefully. They aim to incorporate both function and aesthetics into use.

Drainage is a very common reason that there are holes in front porch walls. The surface area of the porch can literally be a battle ground in heavy rain when water collects into pools. Architects and builders are very clever in how they schedule drainage holes into the design to avoid these situations. The holes are escape routes for the rain to leave the porch surface. This prevents pooling that could damage and erode.

But holes serve more than just drainage. They were also a casualty of choice for mail chutes. Long before mailboxes were of the modern design, people would drop stuff through holes. They delivered mail onto your side of the door for mail delivery, without going outside. This is an example of architects using architectural design to multiplex function. It is also a very clever strategy considering the convenience.

Again, ventilation is the most undervalued aspect of architectural design. But holes in the front porch wall will have a protective measure for ventilation. All damage-prone areas require airflow for possible drying out purposes. They allow possible moisture build-up that can lead to mold and decay. An opening in a porch wall allows airflow. It also allows a way for drying (a passive way) for the porch after it rains. This keeps the porch healthy.

Perhaps too these openings were also used for utility purposes. Years ago, when heating was by coal and firewood, delivery people would walk into the opening. They made their dedication directly into the house. This saved the home-owner the heavy cart load through the front door.

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