How To Add A Front Porch To A Ranch House

Almost anyone with Southern claret has a soft spot for front porches. Not only are we known for them in the South, but we know how to make the most of them. The first dwelling house my married man and I purchased, at the ripe quondam age of 23, was in Spokane, WA, where we were stationed. It was a new structure Craftsman ranch with a front porch. I wasted no time putting out some white rocking chairs and potted plants, as was the tradition in my Carolinas upbringing. But the neighbors thought we were nuts! We sat out there waving at people, and while some returned the gesture (likely other Southern transplants), others stared quizzically.

It just goes to show, for folks living in Tidewater Virginia and the remainder of the S, we run into front porches as a way to connect with people. Non simply our neighbors, but our own families. We can watch our teens shooting baskets in the driveway, or our grandchildren toddling on tricycles forth the sidewalk. We can congregate on them for long good-byes (another Southern staple) afterwards family holidays.

Front porches are hot right now for both new construction and remodels, equally Hampton Roads homeowners seek a stronger sense of community. Simply fifty-fifty the most introverted homeowner—who might avoid "setting" on the porch during tiptop hours for passersby—tin still appreciate the aesthetic qualities of front porches. People are oftentimes surprised what a divergence adding a front porch makes on their home. They allow y'all to add architectural item to merely about whatsoever style of house, either complementing or transforming the existing look. Even a small portico can add a dandy amount of style and function.

Here are some cardinal reasons to add a front porch to your home:

Curb Appeal

There's just no denying that a front porch is a beautiful thing to behold. Sometimes it'southward a matter of replacing a small, dated front porch with a grand new one. In other cases, a flat-fronted house that lacks character becomes a showplace through the dimension and character of a front porch add-on. Most oft they are THE focal point of the house. I usually preach that the front end door is the focal point, and that can yet be true depending on the depth and manner of your porch, merely sometimes the porch becomes your new centerpiece. Often your heart will go beginning to the porch gable or the columns, so they offering a wonderful opportunity to beautify. In the paradigm above, a pocket-size boxy business firm becomes a work of fine art with a new porch and some unique woodwork in the gable.

PHOTO CREDIT: clsz, Houzz

Customization

Does your business firm look like every other business firm on the block? Or maybe information technology looks like the 1960s came in that location to dice. A front porch is your chance to modernize and stand out. The style of the porch can make up one's mind the style of the entire house, so y'all tin get traditional, contemporary, craftsman, Victorian… whatsoever mode you've e'er dreamed of. Or, if y'all desire to continue with your current style, you can ask your home contractor to suggest a fashion that harmonizes with the residue of your house.

Because front porches are customized to your home, you get to cull everything, from size and shape to materials. But don't focus solely on looks—your terminal choice should also reflect how your family plans to use the space (entertaining? quiet relaxation?), how much of your lawn yous're willing to cede, and of grade, upkeep. Hither is a overnice ready of blueprint options.

Fixing Awkward Architecture

Considering they are then customizable, front porches can solve a wide range of architectural sins. In the photo above, from a recent task by Quality Built Exteriors, a colonial home had a large blank area as its unfortunate focal point between the entry door and the pocket-size octagonal window. Quality Built created a portico that not only pulled together the architecture visually, but provided the practical benefits of a covered porch. The task also included new, attractive vinyl porch railings (maintenance free!).

More than Living Area

A forepart porch is a fashion to gain foursquare footage for a much lower cost than a room addition. Here in Hampton Roads, where the cold months are few, you can savor the space during most seasons. A covered porch is even a identify to bask the outdoors in the rain—my husband loves to sit out and sentinel the precipitation and breathe in the moist air. And so of course, if you savor decorating, it'south a fun opportunity to find furniture and rugs and accessories, and pull them together into a cute outdoor living space. (Be sure to read my previous article on decorating your deck… the same ideas apply to a front end porch!)

Resale Value

The National Association of Abode Builders accept identified outdoor living spaces as an "essential pattern trend," capping a 10-year increment in homeowner requests for front porch space in new homes. Requests for porches now exceed those for garages in new construction! So even though the key consideration of a front porch addition is your own enjoyment, you tin can too reap extra rewards at resale fourth dimension. For nigh of the country, calculation a porch will provide an 84% return on investment, on average, especially in warmer climates like Hampton Roads.

Welcoming Guests

Even a modest-size forepart porch enhances the sense of entry into your house. A elementary portico porch tin can protect guests while they wait at the front end door (as well equally yourself while you bollix through your keys). It's a gathering space for hellos and expert-byes, which can be enhanced with a "welcome" sign or mat. I actually have a "y'all come back" sign leading off my rear porch! Your porch besides makes a handy spot to initially place luggage for overnight guests when unloading the car, before taking everything inside.

Delivery Protection

An increasing number of homeowners are having a porch comprehend added specifically for Amazon! As you tin see in the photo above—Christmas gifts from Amazon on my own front porch, on a very rainy day this past December—covered porches are a modern necessity! In improver to packages, it will proceed your pizza commitment driver dry while she waits for you to sign the receipt.

Energy Efficiency

Your covered porch keeps direct sunday away from doors and windows (at least in the areas under the roof!). Likewise, rain is kept at bay. This pocket-sized free energy saving can add up over time. You lot also will notice that your front door paint fades slower!

Before starting your front end porch improver, consider:

Regulations: Because a front porch addition will change the exterior appearance of your home—and likely, your home'south footprint on the lot—you might be required to obtain prior approval from your homeowners clan and your municipality. Make sure your contractor has pulled the proper permits! Quality Congenital Exteriors follows rules by the book, simply there are less-scrupulous home improvement companies out there, then buyer beware!

Budget: As a do-it-yourself project, adding a front end porch tin can exist as petty as a few thousand dollars in fabric costs. Of course, you're taking considerable risk, both in regulations (encounter above) and structural integrity, so I suggest hiring out the work unless you personally take a background in construction.

So how much does it cost to have a forepart porch added to your home? According to Home Advisor, the cost to build a 200-foursquare-foot covered porch ranged from $4,600 to $22,000 in 2019, or $ten,500 on average. Y'all can expect to pay $23 to $110 per foursquare foot, which includes floor, steps, posts, railing, roofing and more than. Don't have that much sitting in the bank? Not to worry, Quality Built Exteriors volition finance your forepart porch improver, and any other dwelling improvement project!

Desire an guess on a front porch addition in Hampton Roads?

Schedule Quality Built to come requite you a free quote!