I will soon be replacing the discolored, wrinkled, vinyl lattice the previous owner slap-dashed onto my house. What are some attractive alternatives, especially those which would have been found in the 1920s when my Craftsman was built? Thanks to all! <br>Dan

Dan, <br>I've seen crawl space covers that are a simple wood frame and plank door, hinged on one side and held closed with a hook and eye latch. I've seen wood frame with a diamond design made of narrow strips of wood. My house has metal grates held in place by butterfly turn locks like you see on window screens. Turn the locks open and lift off the grate to get under the house. So it can be pretty much whatever you prefer.

Dan, <br> <br>I'm wondering...is what you are describing the use of the criss-cross lattice as a "siding" around the sides of a porch "crawl space"? <br> <br>Tim

Yes, what would be called skirting around a mobile home. Mine runs not only around the porch but down the sides, so there will be a lot of it showing.

Oh, I feel stupid, I thought you were talking about an access cover to get into the crawl space. Sorry.

Don't feel stupid, Rick! I thought the same thing at first!

OK, I also have this criss-cross lattice stuff (skirting) hanging under my front porch. I took it off the back porch last spring and put up wide-plank, tongue-and-groove siding for the exterior workshop walls. This looks ok in the back of the house and works with the original "barn doors" and the design back there. <br> <br>However, for a front porch I want something different. I've been driving and walking around my neighborhood (which is chock full of historic bungalows) looking for ideas. Sadly, it seems that the only thing that is pervasive is to fully enclose the "crawl space" with some form of paneled siding. A lot of homes have the criss-cross lattice in the non-historic sections, but it is not common elsewhere. I did notice one neighbor who redesigned their porch railing with a bit of an asian theme and continued this below with the skirt. It is very hard to describe without a picture...this is the closest I could find: asian influenced lattice thingy. <br> <br>I've looked around the net, and it is hard to find images of other bungalows with "skirts" covering crawl spaces. The best that I found is this one where a stone landscaping wall was strategically used: photo of porch and strategic stone wall. <br> <br>Most other photos show that the common way to disguise the skirting is with well-placed landscaping...Shrubbery! <br> <br>Cheers, <br>Tim

I like that MacIntosh pattern gate in the photo, would make interesting porch skirting. I looked at some of the old Aladdin catalogs and two types of lattice work are prevelent, the lattice running at 45 degree angles to each other or at 90 degrees.

That is Macintosh...I didn't catch that. I just thought it looked like a martini or margarita glass...ha ha. <br> <br>Tim

Thanks to all who responded. The "Asian" appears to be a variation of square lattice, which seems a bit more formal than the angled. Someone else mentioned using boards or siding, and this gives me more options to consider. In addition to looking good, it has to ventilate and keep animals out! <br>Dan

Dan, <br> <br>You might try scrolling through the "exteriors" category of photos at Keister's site (the one I linked to). There are a few more pictures of gates, railings, etc. there that would be good design choices. I understand what you mean about vertical/horizontal being relatively formal. That is the reason that I have been considering those for my house, because the X-lattice is a bit too informal for even our modest house...as you pointed out, reminds me of a trailer. <br> <br>I will say that one idea popped in my head thinking about ventilation...perhaps you could have a siding type wall that doesn't quite go the full height? Then you might consider galvanized hardware screens in the open space to keep flying squirrels out. <br> <br>Tim