skip to main content

Design Dilemma Landscape Design

Should we add a portico?

3 years ago

Hello all, we purchased our house about a year ago and have been steadily working to add charm and dimension to what was a very boring colonial. The next step is either new landscaping or adding a portico over the front door. Leaning towards portico as it may change the layout of the walkway and landscaping. Any thoughts on how a portico would look? Should we do a smaller bracket portico or a larger one with full columns to the ground?

Featured Answer

houssaon

3 years ago

Yes to the portico.

A version of a cantilevered portico supported by corbels would look nice and have the least impact on the existing stoop.

Nobska Road · More Info

PORTICO IDEAS · More Info

These designs would also look good.

Shed Roof Portico (Georgia) · More Info

PORTICO IDEAS · More Info

Comments (9)

arcy_gw
3 years ago
Portico, porch (not a deck!!) could look AMAZING. I have been stunned at the improvements these make in curb appeal!!
brouwerck
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks! There is currently a pretty nice walkway and landing there now but understand this may need to all get replaced to do a nice portico and porch.
Related Discussions
Should we add drywall on top of this brick wall or keep the brick wall
Q
Comments (13)
Leave both the cabinets and the brick. Yours looks better than the picture with the white. If you are determined to do something with the brick, then, no solid color paint, use a paint wash, so it still looks like brick, not flat painted brick.
...See More
House addition question: where should we add on?
Q
Comments (12)
Think about these interesting possibilities. How often does your family use the living room? Looks like the front of it might make a good study away from all the hubbub. Then move that wall with the pocket door so as to increase the size of the part of the family room that links to the screened porch. That way you'll have room for a dining section nearer the kitchen. Change the dining room to a master; you'll be glad you did as you get older and the stairs become an issue, or if someone has illness or surgery and needs to be on the ground floor. This also isolates the kids upstairs where you'll be happier as they grow into teens. Turn one of the two larger upstairs bedrooms into a bonus/play/gaming room for them. Flip the laundry around and use that closet and the back hall for a small powder room and a stacking WD close to the new master. See if setback rules allow you to add a closet bump-out in the front where that window is right of the porch.
...See More
Should we add windows?
Q
Comments (8)
Thanks blfenton. This wall faces west but is pretty shaded by trees and a covered front porch. We will be adding 2 south facing windows, one on either side of the range, so that will add some light. If we go for it, the window(s) would be at the counter level. The sink will remain a garden pop out window.
...See More
Should we add a door and if yes, what kind?
Q
Comments (24)
Your idea should work. We had a large 2-story house in the northeast with a 2-story foyer. In the winter we were able to close off two sets of pocket french doors that led into the family room, one from the foyer and the other from the dining room. The other end led to the kitchen and that side could not be closed off, but being able to stop the heat from going into the large foyer and up to the second story, allowed us to keep the family room warmer when we used the wood burning fireplace insert and were hanging out in that space. You might want to see what types of upgrades your builder will allow for your HVAC system, both in design/engineering and products. Unfortunately this is an area that does not get the attention it deserves. Without seeing a floorplan, I couldn't tell you to add a door or not. That should have been designed as part of the initial house design to not make it look like you just squeezed a door into the hallway. We designed 3 pocket doors into our hallways of the house we just built, but they were part of the initial design and placed so that they were intentional "openings" in the hallways, when transitioning from one room to another.
...See More
brouwerck
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you! I’m just having a hard time picturing what if would look like, especially since it would be off centered. It seems like most porticos are centered on the house.
brouwerck
Original Author
3 years ago
Just wanted to check in and see if there are others thoughts? Also is anyone aware of online designers that will mock up a visual of what different types of porticos would look like for a fee?
emmarene9
3 years ago
Brouwerck, this is one person who does it:

https://www.houzz.com/professionals/searchDirectory?query=kevin%20strader
housegal200
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
houssan's "floating" portico is fabulous and you wouldn't have to do another thing. You have a beautiful walkway to your door. Why add something more elaborate that would require so much additional work?
brouwerck
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks! I like the idea of majestic pillars coming down but I see what you are saying. It’s probably not worth the cost and complexity.
PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
My main complaint about the existing setup is that where exactly one goes, and how one enters, is a mystery until one gets quite close to the house. The existing walk looks nice, but the layout so close to the house is a foundation planting killer ... except to flip things around and do foundation planting outside of the walk, and suffer obscuring the entrance(s). To do it that way is not helped by the fact of two doors, and that the main entrance is probably the second door that people would come to. A pergola or portico would help, but it wouldn't cure the aforementioned issues.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES Renovation Detail: The Tapered Craftsman Column

By Rachel Grace

Squared, simple and perfectly proportioned, tapered columns add Craftsman-style beauty to porches, porticoes and interiors

REMODELING GUIDES Not Your Average Ranch

Add sizzle to your ranch house by working with what you've got

ADDITIONS 7 Modern Additions to Older Homes

By Simon Farrell-Green

These contemporary add-ons go their own way as they play off the style of the original

CRAFTSMAN DESIGN Craftsman Front Doors Make an Entrance

By Rachel Grace

For curb appeal, warmth and natural light, consider a classic Craftsman-style door for your home's entryway

ENTRYWAYS Porte Cocheres Steer Driveway Style in the Right Direction

By Rachel Grace

More than a carport, these covered structures attached to a home provide protection beautifully

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: 20 Finds for Staging Your Home

By Vanessa Francis

The Right Accessories Could Be the Difference Between a Sale and a Sad Story

EXTERIORS 7 Exterior Makeovers Show How Details Matter

By Bryan Anthony

These dramatic before-and-after photos could inspire your own exterior update

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE Roots of Style: Dutch Colonial Homes Settle on the Gambrel Roof

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Colonists from the Netherlands brought the gambrel roof and other quaint details. Has your home adapted any of these features?

ENTRYWAYS Put On a Good Face: Design Principles for Home Fronts

By Liz Miller Interiors

Set the right tone from the get-go with an entry that impresses and matches the overall design of your home

EXTERIORS Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider

By Becky Harris

Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you

Sponsored

More Discussions

Permanently Removing Bermuda

7

Need some privacy ideas

13

help identifying soil type

2

we would like to line our long governors driveway with river rock.

9

Need help with Landscape design

5