So why did the Madisons have two porches on the east elevation?  The two porches were needed because in ca. 1797 there were no interior doorways between James Madison Sr.'s ca. 1764 rooms and President Madison's ca. 1797 rooms.  The Madisons mostly likely did not include interior access so they could maintain a sense of privacy between the two households and keep a clear division between President Madison’s living quarters and his father's.  So in order to access the rear yard from his ca. 1797 addition, President Madison needed to have a separate exit built.  This exit in turn needed its own porch and so resulted in the eccentric appearance of Montpelier’s East Elevation between ca. 1797 and ca. 1812.