Using a Digital Darkroom to design a porch on home in small, rural town.

1. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS
A provocative image like this should get your attention…no?

2. USING THE DIGITAL
DARKROOM TO DESIGN
A PORCH
T. Pitre, 2002
In early 2002, I set out to change the façade of
my little, concrete block house in town. I used my
digital camera, photo editing software, scanner and
copier to design a new front porch and walkway.

3. The house BEFORE
Summer,
2001

4. The First Phase
Initial plot plan
was to include
driveway and
carport.
Paintshop was
used for the
simple line
drawing and
plot plan.

5. Next step..
Plan view –
East elevation
with planned
porch to test
proportions.
Not to scale

6. The process begins…
I took a
black and
white,
digital
photo of
house
with
existing
walk, and
trellis.

7. Converting the photograph
Next – the
photo was
converted to
a simple line
“drawing”
using
PhotoShop

8. Further conversion to a “sketch” and
subsequent removal of trellis from photo.

9. Designing the walkway
First, a print
is made of
the façade
with laser
printer.
Next, several
photocopies
are made of
print. Third,
preliminary
drawings are
made of the
new,
exposed
aggregate
walk.
One drawing
was scanned
and included
here.

10. The Porch Design
Tracing
paper is
placed over
another
photocopy.
The porch
design
begins.
Roof pitch
and overall
dimensions
are
considered

11. The Completed Project
The porch is
all rough-
sawn, full-
dimension
cedar.

12. Detail of Porch
March, 2002

13. Detail of Porch-side view

14. Detail, II

15. Copyright, 2002-11, T. Pitre