What we thought
It is 12 feet wide and the full 36 feet width of the lodge.
One of the reasons we built it so big, was so that it would be in scale with the rest of the house.
The second reason is that most porches, in my experience, aren't big enough to do what a porch should do.
Our current 8 foot wide dining room isn't big enough to get around the table while everyone is seated, so I figured 8 foot wouldn't be wide enough for seating around a picinic table either, without someone falling off the porch in the process.
We situated the lodge so that the front side is the non weather side, and will be the cool side of the house as well. So in the summer, it will be a fine place for dinner on
By the time we gather a dozen people or so on the porch for a good ol' fashioned pea shelling on a sweet evening, I think we will be happy to have such a a good large porch.
I think a porch adds such an inviting homey character to a house, and in this case, changed the perspective on the exterior immensely. We are really excited a the dramatic change. I especially like how well the log gable in the front turned out. Good job honey!