Porch ideas to increase your kerb appeal

The word porch originates from the French word porche, meaning vestibule, derived from the Latin phrase Porticus, meaning a covered walkway or colonnade (often this was related to religious buildings). Defined as an “exterior structure forming a covered approach to the entrance of a building,” the concept of a porch has varied over the centuries. Still, its fundamental purpose has remained the same, and many porch ideas can add value to your home. After all, first impressions count, and more than anything, a porch should offer a welcome to a home.

Over the centuries, porch-like structures have been varyingly elaborate, from stuccoed columns in ancient Greek and Roman architecture to the decorative porches of Victorian Britain. Whether you live in a period property and want to restore an existing porch or are going for a modern form, these porch ideas will add curb appeal to your home.

Stay in keeping with the period

The entrance to a Victorian home was considered necessary, with great attention paid to hallways so guests would feel instantly welcome and it stands to reason that the porch was a crucial part of getting this right. If you live in a period property, restoring the porch or adding one can maintain the charm and character of your house and add value.

Oakmasters who create bespoke porches explain that “Victorian and Queen Anne-style townhouses preferred more ornamental porches with graceful curves and architectural embellishments – but these tended to be made of brick or stone work rather than oak.”

They add that “timber porches came back into their own in the Edwardian period. During this time, the Arts and Crafts movement focussed on homes with timber framing, hanging tiles, and white-painted timber porches, verandas, or balconies finished in decorative tiles.”

Consider your materials

Urban Front suggests getting creative when planning your porch. They said, “It’s a chance to make a design statement to wow and welcome visitors. A well-designed porch adds kerb appeal, especially if your home is contemporary or has a boxy shape.”

“Zinc, steel, glass, Corten (weathered steel), and stone are just some of the materials used to make them. It’s definitely worth designing a canopy as a functional piece and a beautiful addition to your front elevation.” Urban Front (pictured) has used Corten Steel as a decorative porch, which has been picked up in the window frames.

Add a green roof

From improving air quality surrounding your house, helping regulate the heat, and providing biodiversity for insects and plant life, adding a green roof to your home can have a myriad of benefits. However, if it’s not possible to add a complete green roof, why not bring in a green roof on your porch – everywhere you add green space will go towards helping the environment – especially in an urban environment.

The brilliant John Little from The Grass Roof Company has a step-by-step guide to designing and building small green roofs. With videos and visual guides, updates on the latest innovations in green roofs, detailed sketches and drawings for construction, and detailed plant lists, the guide will have everything you need to build your green roof.

Add statement hardware

If you’re looking for porch ideas with serious curb appeal, adding showstopper hardware to your front door should do the trick. Luxury hardware brand PullCast (it’s not to see why they bill themselves as “jewellery hardware”) has some stand-out statement pieces like the oversized polished brass Flow door pull pictured. Inspired by nature, PullCast’s tactile pieces replicate everything from the uneven texture of the bark pine tree in the Earth collection to the whelk-shaped brass hardware in the Ocean collection.

Proper hardware is a simple detail to set the tone for your porch entrance. Hardware, for example, a coffee cup, is something you interact with daily, so make it feel as enjoyable as possible. If you want to stay in keeping with a period property, then brass beehive door knobs were popular in the Victorian era; try the Suffolk Latch Company for a range of finishes. Make sure to pay attention to the hinges and letterbox, too; they’re both places you can bring in a decorative flourish.

Use tiles to bring in texture

Adding value and aesthetic appeal to a home often comes down to having design and decor that evokes the senses; the more subtle, the better. Consider the feel of your porch and bring in texture. Bert & May’s straight-edged square terracotta tiles (the shade pictured in naranja) are handmade by artisans in a workshop in Spain and will give a vibe of rustic charm to your porch and entrance. Once laid, they must be sealed to weather the elements outside.

Use glass to flood in light

Whatever type of property you live in, incorporating as much natural light as possible will always be beneficial, making the space feel bright and airy. Urban Front’s wide, modern porch (pictured) is left open to add wide expanses of glass on either side of the front door. Their advice regarding porches is to “always go bigger than you think you need (if you can) – there should be enough space for someone to stand comfortably in front of your door.”

Other options for using your front door and porch area to add light to your home are roof lights or sidelights on the structure. Using glass as a porch idea will help create a seamless connection between the inside and the outside world. For a more decorative idea using glass, you could opt for stained glass panels, which will create beautiful patterns in your hallway when sunlight streams through them.

Make it functional

The concept of a porch across much of America is one of socialising. They have been around for a while and reached the peak of their popularity around the late 19th century. Many of them were wrap-around designs that curved around the house and had space for people to sit out. They offer shade and shelter from the sun and rain and a space to sit out and unwind at the end of a working day. They were also prioritised for their connection to the community and neighbours.

If you don’t want a full living space, a porch idea is to add a functional bench to sit on to take your shoes off and on. If space allows, use the porch area as a storage space for outdoor wear or even a log store for the winter.

Use it for safe storage

Given how reliant most of us are on online shopping, prospective buyers might be looking for accessible, safe storage in your home. Smart Parcel Box (pictured) has come up with a neat solution to the problem, with an extra large storage box made from galvanised steel and finished in a rust-resistant black powder coating with a slanted roof so rain will quickly run off. The parcels can be easily delivered by lifting the lid and dropping them in, they’ll then slide it into a secure lower holding compartment. To get proof of delivery, the box has a barcode that can be scanned.

Image credit: Smart Parcel Box

Try a door canopy

If you don’t have the space for a full porch, an alternative porch idea is to use a door canopy (also known as a porch canopy). These canopies offer the benefits of a porch, like shielding your entrance from the elements and protecting your door and hardware from the elements.

A porch canopy is the perfect way to bring lighting to your entrance. Urban Front explains how a door canopy can make a pivot or flush door set a reality. “Doors with a pivot opening or doors that are flush (where the door sits flat in-line with the frame) would always require a canopy to protect them as they cannot be fully weather-sealed in the same way as hinged doors.”

“Pivot and flush door sets ideally need overhangs that cover the entire door as this will help prevent water ingression.”