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Design Dilemma Exterior

how to add a porch

4 years ago

We are planning to give the exterior of our house a makeover... new driveway, landscaping and paint. I really want a porch or awning of some sort to give the house some dimension. Because of the roof line and where the front door is located we are having a hard time figuring out what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

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Comments (3)

Anna (6B/7A in MD)
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I don’t see how you can add a gable or shed roof with the corner of the roof right there. I’m going to make some suggestions that are not porch related but I think will help get some more curb appeal.

You would get a more “clean” look if you painted the storm door the same color as the front door (if you’re keeping it). Paint the downspout the same color as the wall it runs along. A wider walkway (at least 4’ is the general rule), new MCM lights, mailbox, house numbers. If that post is staying then change it to MCM style as well.

What color are you thinking of painting it? I strongly recommend using one of the paint visualizer tools available on Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore’s websites. Then get large poster boards and paint them your top favorite colors, set them up against the wall and look at them for days...

Remove those large shrubs hiding hiding your house. Do you have a landscaping plan on paper or will be getting one by a designer?
njmomma
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Not a Pro.

Maybe something like this would work, but it may need to be free standing because of your roof line.

Some inspiration:

Portland Mid-Century Modern · More Info
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A portico is a better fit on that style of house. You could do a shed-roof porch, but the roof pitches on the house and garage are pretty much identical, and the porch rook would probably have to be different. Might look weird. Yeah, a porch would be weird there.
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hmmm i agree on the idea of using what you have with those diagonal posts. one thing i think we all need to see is how the house would look like without the landscape covering up the front as it is hard to tell when we only have the 1 photo , if you do decide to remove the landscape it would give us all a better picture of how the facade would look and what may compliment it.
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An architect would be a good idea. You may be able to extend the roofline from the upper story toward the front door, acting as a porch roof. Then build a wider porch, perhaps using the bricks you'll remove from the planter. An arborist can help with identifying the trees that would best be removed. Will this be your personal residence or will you be selling when finished with the remodel?
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I don't have enough information to make a sound opinion on this. I say that because to me, a porch's budget can only be determined in respect to its aspect of the compass. My grandmother had a deck that was located on the backside of the house, a great spot because it faced a distant ridge with a nice sweeping valley in between. Being in Maine, there were no houses there and so a gorgeous view. Yet we never used it. It was on the north side of the house and much too cold with its prevailing wind and constant shade. I understand curb appeal, and to get that most times money must be spent, and if that is the case here, I would certainly do that. But I would limit my budget just to get curb appeal (form). But if the porch is to be on the south or west side of the house (at least here in Maine) where the porch might get a lot of use, I might go all out. Form is one thing, function another, but both form and function is expensive. It's certainly alright to spend money on both a great looking, fully functional porch, but I would be sure you will use it often before I set my budget too high. I suspect you have other areas of the home you want to upgrade and don't have an unlimited supply of money?
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decoenthusiaste
4 years ago
Is that a brick planter to the left of the door by the downspout? You could add a pergola that takes you from the front door to a bench around the tree in front.

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