Front Porch Ideas and More PorchIdeas.com Maximize Your Home s Curb Appeal For Both Enjoyment And Value
Welcome, Maximizing your home s curb appeal, whether to enhance the look of your home for your own enjoyment or preparing it for sale, is easy to do, relatively inexpensive, and will increase your home s aesthetic value. Everyone notices a beautiful front porch or entranceway, many of which lead you to wonder what s inside such a beautiful home. We consider porches, no matter the size, the first room of your home. We ve traveled the country to find ideas for designing, building, decorating, and landscaping porches, stoops, and entranceways knowing the value a curb appealing one can be. We ve created this ebook to help you in that endeavor by providing ideas, tips, and examples for using one of your home s greatest assets your front porch, stoop, or entranceway, to increase its curb appeal. Mary and I hope you find our information most helpful. We love porches, Mary and Dave FrontPorchIdeas.com This ebook is complementary and is not for sale. You may not alter the content of this ebook without our consent. Although the content is copyrighted, you have permission to share this ebook with others, include in newsletters, articles, etc., as long as you credit FrontPorchIdeas.com 2
Whether you have a large wrap around front porch or small stoop, we have ideas and tips for creating a most curb appealing front porch and entranceway. 3
Add a Pop of Color! No matter the season adding a little color on the porch catches the eye and adds warmth to what would be an otherwise monochromatic scene. 4
Contrasting color combinations can be striking. You don t need expensive furniture and cushions to achieve the same result. You could just as easily place vases, lanterns, or other objects of contrasting colors on a small table. You could even place planters with contrasting colors strategically on your porch. 5
Pastels can work equally well and give your porch a calm and soothing appeal. The flowering plants add bursts of beautiful color. Be sure to maintain them because withered or drooping plants do not make for a curb appealing porch. 6
Here s a nicely furnished front porch that would appeal to almost everyone. Ferns work well as they provide consistent color and easily fill the containers. Note the mix of neutral tones and red cushions. Both complement the brick. 7
To warm up a bare porch, add a few chairs, a table with an outdoor lamp or colorful object, and a wreath for a welcoming look. Turn plain into charming! 8
It doesn t take much to stage your porch or stoop! A colorful front door with a subtle wreath and a wrought iron table can create a lot of charm and curb appeal. Tended flowers around the porch are eye-catching, too. Courtesy of Al Shutt 9
Outdoor rugs can be used on almost any size porch to add color and warmth. For a covered porch, you could use an inexpensive indoor rug like we do. Many are made of synthetic materials. Front-Porch-Ideas-And-More.com See our rug painting tutorial at the end of the slide show to see how to turn an ordinary rug into a curb appealing one! 10
Remember, curb appeal is the total package consisting of landscaping, porch amenities and furniture, along with the right color combinations. It doesn t have to be laborious or expensive as you can use items you already have. Covering existing cushions or painting a planter or other amenity can be fun, too! 11
Paint Your Front Door A freshly painted front door can add immense curb appeal to your home. Color can be a powerful tool and is one of the least expensive yet transforming actions you can take to help stage your home. 12
A red or blue front door can be very striking and attention-getting, especially against white trim. You can t go wrong with a basic white or black front door that is freshly painted. Note how the colors and heights of the foliage that frame this red front door create a visually appealing entrance. 13
The colors on this Victorian-style front door won t work on just any home but it definitely defines this entrance and adds appeal to this small stoop. Make sure the color or colors you choose also fit with the architecture of your home to achieve a cohesive look. 14
Choose aesthetically pleasing colors that would appeal to just about anyone. The vibrant color on this front door is quite striking and inviting. 15
Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com Note how this front door adds flair to this small front porch. See our entire porch paint and color section for more ideas. 16
Front Door Wreaths Placing an attractive wreath on your front door can add yet another dimension to your front porch. Select a wreath that fits the season and complements the style of your home. So many from which to choose; purchase or make your own! See our entire decorative front door wreath section for lots of wreath ideas and projects! 17
Painted Porch Columns and Railings Front-Porch-Ideas-And-More.com 18
A little paint on your porch columns can add just the right amount of pizzazz! You don t have to paint the entire column to achieve a nice look. Add color in locations as shown above or just at the tops, bottoms, or both as shown in the next picture. The advantage of painting porch columns or railings is that it is not permanent. If you don t like the results, paint over it! 19
Note the overall impact of this subtle paint scheme. Porch columns, the top and bottom rail of the balustrade, the front door, and the running trim between the porch columns are all painted in the same trim color. 20
Note how much just a little paint can change the appearance of your columns and porch. Also note the painted top and bottom rails in the photo at left. 21
These complementary colored porch columns match the front door and bring a charming appeal to this front porch. 22
This sawn baluster is painted the same color as the home. Although it would look great painted white, this color gives the entire porch a more cohesive look. 23
Experiment with paint to get the right look. These porch columns with a hint of red on the corner as well as the top and bottom rails of the baluster combine to create additional curb appeal. See our entire porch column and porch railing designs sections. 24
Porch Landscaping Ideas Use colorful plants to catch the eye as you see around this lovely porch Keep things neat and clean and don t overwhelm the space. Don t landscape beyond your capability to properly maintain it. Withering plants, beds in need of mulch, or shrubs needing to be trimmed all detract from your overall curb appeal. 25
We often get used to things and end up with a beautiful front porch hidden by very tall shrubs. As endearing as these shrubs may be to the homeowner, removing them would reveal a most amazing curb appealing front door and porch. 26
Hanging baskets, properly attended, can work well on any size porch and are another easy way to add color and interest. For maximum results, make sure the colors either complement or contrast your color scheme. Otherwise, they will clash and detract from the overall appeal. 27
When feasible, extend your landscaping onto your porch. Often times, landscaping depends on the style of your home and the lifestyle and expectations of the community in which you reside. 28
Landscaping can add a burst of color and complement your home and porch. Selecting plants with coordinating colors is an attractive way to enhance the look of your home. Adding a colorful pillow or cushion to the porch swing would lend extra appeal. 29
Simple, neat, and colorful. You don t need extensive landscaping to make your front porch appealing from the street. See our entire porch landscaping section and walkway section for a myriad of ideas for your front porch and yard. 30
Clean and Make Repairs to Your Front Porch It should go without saying that your front porch should be clean, neat, and in excellent repair. Too often, our entire focus is on the interior and we forget our front porch is actually the first room of our home. 31
Curb appeal is all about aesthetics and charm. A thorough cleaning and repairing of any problems is a must. A well maintained front porch immediately conveys that you have a well maintained home too. 32
Give your porch floor a new coat of paint if it shows signs of wear and tear. There are some great products you can use to revitalize porch flooring whether it is wood or concrete. Front-Porch-Ideas-And-More.com Make sure porch wood flooring is in good repair with no loose or cracked boards. 33
Ensure wrought iron railings are free from rust and are solidly attached to your porch. We recommend giving wrought iron railings a coat of rust-proof paint if they appear aged or worn. 34
Check your porch steps for any loose stone, brick, concrete, or wood. Replace any broken bricks and tuck-point to repair mortar joints as necessary. Fill cracks in concrete flooring as needed and replace any caulking that has deteriorated. Pressure wash as needed. Many home inspectors take note of concrete steps that have sunken and/or detached from the porch making the first step too high for code requirements. Make repairs as necessary; you may want to consider concrete leveling (or mud jacking) if simple repairs fail to resolve the issue. 35
Check your porch columns to ensure they have not rotted where they contact your porch floor or pedestals, or if wrought iron, rusted. Make appropriate repairs. 36
Make sure all of your porch balusters (pickets) are in good repair. Replace any broken balusters and tighten any that are loose. Make sure they are clean and paint as necessary. 37
Make sure the hardware on your entry way looks clean and polished. If it is tarnished, replace with new hardware. Little details count! Does your doorbell work and is it in good repair? If not, replace it with a new one. Clean your outdoor lights. Get rid of bugs, cobwebs and birds nests. 38
Selling Your Home? Selling your home can sometimes seem overwhelming. You want to maximize the profit to not only recoup your costs over the years but also to capture the appreciation of your home s value. Many decisions have to be made. One of them is how to present your home to increase its selling potential. Staging your home is an important selling technique and creating a great first impression is essential to any sale. Although you shouldn t judge a book by its cover almost everyone judges a home by what they see before they pass through the front door. So, we believe staging your porch or entranceway is also extremely important for two reasons. 39
92% of prospective buyers use the internet to search for their next home. 1 No No No No Ooh, that s nice Click! 1 OhioRealtors.org 40
The first picture they see is usually of the exterior. First impressions count! Architecture aside, which of these homes do you think would make a better impression online? 41
Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul, says, Buyers decide in the first eight seconds of seeing a home if they're interested in buying it. 2 In those first few seconds, what does a person see? The exterior of your home and front porch! 2 Today.com 5 Smart Ways to Sell Your Home 42
Now you have two major reasons to leverage your front porch or entranceway: Make it stand out online to get the CLICK and Make that 8-second first impression count! Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com 43
With a little effort, you too, can create a most charming and curb appealing front porch that will showcase your home. 44
Quick And Easy Front Porch Staging Projects Need to add a little curb appeal to your porch? Check out these easy porch decorating ideas you can do we show you how! 45
We Invite You to Explore the Wonderful World of Porches at FrontPorchIdeas.com 46
Life is short; enjoy your porch! Best wishes, Mary and Dave We look forward to bringing you the latest ideas for your porch and yard. We d love hearing from you; let us know if we can help in any way. For more ideas for designing, building, furnishing, decorating, and landscaping your porch, be sure to visit us at FrontPorchIdeas.com 47