Bermuda’s verandas have come a long way from their original purpose.
First introduced to Bermuda in the late 18th century by the British military garrison in St George’s, their job was to shade a building’s façade from the sunlight, and serve as a semi-private space for receiving visitors.
With modern technology and building materials, however, verandas have effectively become an additional room, adding valuable square footage as living, dining, cooking, relaxing and entertaining areas in their own right.
At the forefront of this modern design are Jacob Hocking and Lauren Grayston, owner and partner respectively of CTX Design Group, along with their team of architectural technicians and interior designers. They sat down with RG Home to explain how versatile verandas can be, what is possible with today’s technology and materials, and shared design tips for making the most of these shaded outdoor areas.
Exterior design
When designing a veranda from scratch, the priority, said Mr Hocking, is orientation.
“It has to be something that people want to occupy, and it has to perform the function it’s designed to perform, like provide proper shelter from the elements,” he said.
To ensure good ventilation, they should be designed “so at least two sides are open so that you can get cross breezes through them”.
He said: “Shade is one thing, but hot air and getting it to pass out of that space is important as well.”
It also needs to suit the house, so proportion is vital, but it also has to be sized for its intended use.
“If it’s a dining veranda, then it has to suit the dining table. If it’s a conversational setup, then it needs to fit the seating arrangement or furnishings that you want to have, and it needs to, at a minimum, meet those requirements.”
With so many verandas now providing a seamless indoor-outdoor living experience, they no longer have to sit at the entryway. Instead, they should be connected to the natural life of the home.
“Most will link to living rooms or kitchens. Those are the rooms that tend to benefit most from the connection to daily life,” he said, adding that “proximity to a garden or a swimming pool, some other feature of the property,” is also a benefit.
“Increasingly, people want a more relaxed, informal, nature-connected home and the veranda is the interface between the shelter of a home and the openness of nature.”
Fixtures, fittings, interior design
The most successful design feature for seamless indoor-outdoor and connected living incorporates wide openings with large sliding or accordion glass doors and flush sills, meaning the inside and outside are all on one level.
This can be taken a step further by using the same floor tile throughout, but with a non-slip finish for the exterior tiles, along with glass railings in place of traditional wooden ones. Ms Grayston said this “makes it feel even bigger, more connected”.
Another feature that has turned the veranda into a year-round useable space are hurricane screens, particularly electric ones, which roll up and down at the touch of a button. In addition to storm protection, said Mr Hocking, they offer “privacy, shade and security”.
Budget permitting, there is then no end to the “bells and whistles” you can add to make the veranda your favourite ‘room’ in the house.
“Kitchens, weather resistant cabinetry, Sunbrella fabrics,” Ms Grayston said. “Outdoor appliances,” added Mr Hocking.
One veranda they designed for a water front home in Riddell’s Bay had several different outdoor living and entertaining areas, including a sunken BBQ kitchen and a swim-up bar. They integrated planting to soften the hard surfaces and create separation between the different spaces without disconnecting them.
“They use it all the time,” Ms Grayston said.
Budget
If budget is a concern, note that simplicity saves money.
“The roof is the driving cost, so anything you can do to simplify the structure of the roof,” Mr Hocking suggested.
“Like, working with standard lumber lengths. If you go to Gorhams and buy a 12-foot rafter, that will probably do a 10-foot deep porch. Don’t buy a 14-foot rafter, because you’ll just cut three feet off of it and throw it in the trash. Be efficient with your material selection and the sizes based on the materials available.”
You can also find ways to maximise space. For a home on Oswego Island, Mr Hocking came up with a creative design featuring an interior dining room with two porch areas either side; the dining room has floor to ceiling glass doors on three sides so it can be opened up to create one long veranda.
“We were able to make a smaller porch feel larger by allowing an interior room to contribute to some of its square footage,” he said.
They also recommended investing in durable materials to keep maintenance costs down. For example, wooden columns can decay at the base, but you can create moisture gaps by setting them up on masonry plinths or stainless steel brackets.
Dream verandas
If money were no object, Ms Grayston’s ideal veranda would have large, open, wooden doors overlooking the water with conversational seating, a dining area and kitchen all connected to a pool, along with a fireplace or fire pit for ambiance. She would also love a wood panelled ceiling to warm her space up.
Mr Hocking’s ideal veranda would be “restrained but refined”, with natural materials such as limestone, hardwood and patinaed metals, as well as deep overhangs and openings that frame landscape views.
He would also love “multiple zones”, including a quiet area with a suspended daybed or hammock and lighting that is warm and subtle.
“Not just stick lights into the ceiling, use either uplights or bounce lights off of surfaces so that they’re not direct. It just gives a glow,” he said.
