Wondering if adding a front porch to your home is worth the cost and effort? A front porch is a great investment that can enhance the beauty and value of your home, especially when you use high-quality, durable materials that will look beautiful for years to come.
Benefits of Adding a Front Porch
✓ Improve your home’s resale value by adding detailed architectural elements to your home while increasing your outdoor living space. More space and more beauty equal higher resale value.
✓ Ups your home’s curb appeal. Your front door is often considered the focal point of your home. When adding a front porch, you embellish that focal point with an attractive, inviting architectural element.
✓ Gives you another place to showcase your unique style. Make your front porch your own by customizing just about every detail, from the shape of your porch down to the porch boards, décor elements, and so much more.
All this to say: if you do it right, adding a front porch is definitely worth it. So, where to begin? Get guidance on planning your porch build so you can do it like a pro.
NEED THE FULL PICTURE FIRST?
Get a bird’s-eye view of your porch project with our Front Porch Ideas Series. READ THE SERIES
Planning for Your Porch Build
When planning a porch build, you’ll need to think through the size and shape of your porch, its style or aesthetic, as well as what materials you use. You’ll also want to keep your budget and project timeline in mind, as the choices you make around design complexity can affect both.
IMPORTANT
Make sure to check local residential building codes before diving into your porch project to ensure your proposed build is up to code.
Choose the Right Porch Size & Shape
To choose the right size and shape for your porch, it’s important to consider these main factors:
Space Available
Your porch should optimize the space around it. Its sizing and shape will depend on the size of your home’s façade, the size of your yard, and any existing landscaping or natural yard elements (like trees).
Primary Porch Function
How you plan to use your porch will play a role in determining the right layout for it. Would you prefer a more intimate space for greeting visitors or a sprawling area for friends, family, and neighbors to gather in?
Home Architectural Style
Your porch layout should match your home architectural style. Classic shapes like squares or rectangles will suit almost any home, while more unique shapes like octagons or L-shapes best suit certain styles of homes.
Ensure Your Porch Style Complements Your Home
When it comes to the style of your porch, make sure it complements your home exterior style and creates a smooth transition between the interior and exterior. This will ensure your porch appears as a natural addition to your home, instead of looking like an after-thought.
Tips for matching your porch style to your home include:
- Using a common color scheme throughout your porch design and your home. You can choose to match your porch railing color to your home’s trim or even match the boards you’ve chosen for your porch to the wood flooring of your home’s entry way for a cohesive feel.
- Keeping architectural detailing consistent between your home and porch design. For instance, if your home features sleek, modern lines, classical-styled columns with ornate crown moulding will look out of place.
WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL
Whether you need help planning, building, or both, a TimberTech-registered contractor will help ensure your porch project gets done right. FIND A CONTRACTOR
Decide on Your Porch Materials
The porch materials you choose when adding a front porch don’t only affect your design aesthetics — they also affect your porch’s long-term value and how much maintenance you can expect to do.
While traditional wood has historically been the most popular porch building material, that doesn’t mean it’s the best. Traditional wood is highly vulnerable to moisture and the elements and will require rigorous, costly maintenance to keep up its appearance and structural integrity.
For the same real wood looks you love without the same costly maintenance needs as wood, opt for TimberTech® Porch boards.
Why Choose TimberTech Porch
✓ Authentic real wood looks, from premium hardwood to chic painted wood
✓ Tighter installation that resembles interior flooring, thanks to tongue-and-groove boards
✓ High-performance, low-maintenance thanks to innovative capped polymer material composition
✓ Long-lasting, high-value porch protected with industry-leading warranties
But porch boards aren’t the only materials you’ll need to consider. Adding a front porch may also involve a railing as well as architectural elements like trim, moulding, column wraps, and more. Keep in mind as well that you can also use TimberTech decking in your porch design if you prefer.
EXPLORE MORE PORCH MATERIALS
See your options and get inspiration to create your custom porch design. EXPLORE PORCH MATERIALS
Get Inspiration for Your Project
Now that you’ve begun thinking through how to plan for your porch design, you’re ready to dive into inspiring ideas to spark your creativity.
Scandinavian-Inspired Craftsman Porch
No matter what kind of home exterior you have, you can incorporate elements of Scandinavian-inspired design. Scandinavian design champions warm neutrals, natural materials, and functionality — all of which make it incredibly versatile. Pairing Scandinavian elements with a craftsman-style home brings out the beauty of both design styles, as craftsman homes also embrace natural materials and functional minimalism.
Adding Scandinavian Elements to Your Design
To embrace the Scandinavian design, opt for a sleek black, white, and warm neutral color scheme throughout your home exterior and porch design. A mixed-material railing with a black-white-tan color scheme creates an attractive, inviting entryway that ushers guests in.
DESIGN TIP:
Repeating patterns of black and white in your furniture and décor help to create a cohesive flow while also offering guests plenty of comforts.
Traditional-Style Porch
Thinking of adding a front porch to your traditional-style home? Opt for rich brown Mahogany TimberTech Porch boards to go with the dark, warm tones traditional homes are known for. Pair the richly hued porch boards with a crisp white composite railing to match the white PVC trim of your home.
Embracing Beauty in the Details
Why go for ordinary when you can be extraordinary? Instead of traditional milled wood, add elegant detailing with AZEK® PVC trim and moulding, which is designed to look like real wood — while being far more durable and lower maintenance.
DESIGN TIP:
Recessed details in your railing posts and column wraps add a touch of refinement and dimension for a sophisticated entryway.
Simple, Mid-Century Modern Porch
Prefer a more modern, minimalist porch for your mid-century modern home? Mid-century modern homes are known for their clean lines and functional design, so a small, simple platform with a roof extension overhead may be all you need.
Creating Striking Visual Interest
While the architecture of a small, minimalist porch may be simple, you can add visual interest in other ways — such as bold colors and sharp lines.
With AZEK PaintPro® technology you can choose to paint your porch and home with striking colors — without worrying about peeling, cracking, or quick fading that you get with painted wood.
DESIGN TIP:
Create bold lines with paint as well as AZEK cladding, which gives you the look of real wood while avoiding many of the drawbacks of traditional wood (like fading, moisture damage, and strenuous maintenance).
Adding a Front Porch: Choose TimberTech for Your Build
With the basics down for adding a front porch to your home, you’re ready to start turning ideas into action. To begin your porch journey, order samples of TimberTech Porch boards to get a sense of which color works best for your vision. Place the samples outside to see how the colors look in the changing light — and see how they perform in the elements.
See & feel the TimberTech advantage
Our capped PVC and capped composite decking lines combine recycled material with all the beauty of traditional wood.
