Board allows tiled porch at 312 Finley with riser tile removed and sidewalk replacement with control joints

The Montgomery City Architecture Review Board on Oct. 11 approved a homeowner’s request to retain recently installed tile on a front porch at 312 Finley Avenue, subject to removal of patterned tile on the stair risers and replacement with the border/quarry tile used along the porch edge; the board also approved replacement of the sidewalk with control joints to reduce cracking.

The homeowner, who said they believed the porch’s surface change was permissible because the project used colors from the board’s posted palette and did not change structural elements, explained they tiled the porch to address water pooling and deteriorating painted concrete. Board members and preservation advocates said the field tile on the porch was acceptable but that the patterned riser tile drew undue attention; several members recommended replacing the riser tile with the same border or quarry tile used at the porch edge so the porch reads more like a rug than an interior floor.

Laura Callaway of the Garden District Preservation Association said she was not certain about period appropriateness for tile on a frame house but agreed the riser pattern should be replaced; other board members echoed that position. The board approved the sidewalk replacement and asked that the new concrete be divided with control joints to prevent large monolithic slabs and future cracking.

The motion carried on an immediate vote; the board’s approval allows the homeowner to keep the porch tile except for the riser pattern, which must be replaced as described.