Today on the blog I’m sharing a look at the before and the design plans for our upcoming front porch makeover.
Surprise! Our landscape designer is at it again but this time it’s our front porch that’s getting a makeover.
Earlier this spring/summer we remodeled our backyard, side yard, and added new sod in the front. If you missed this project, you can find the start of the series here:
Our Backyard Remodel | A Look at the Before
I shared earlier this year a list of projects we are hoping to complete in 2025. I added the backyard on as a last minute addition. Putting it out into the universe in hopes we could get to it at the end of the year.
Stars aligned and we were able to line up a landscape designer that had the capacity to complete our project just before the start of summer. Allowing us time to enjoy our new backyard well before it gets cold again.
So, how did our front porch makeover come about?
Our Front Porch Makeover
With the exterior of our home getting a glow up with new windows, gutters, and siding, and the backyard starting to take shape, the front porch and stoop was looking a little neglected.
Since we had the landscapers here, Mike decided to pick Brook’s brain on the front porch too. Mike shared our pain points and thoughts on what we were looking for and asked if this was something they could fit into their schedule as well.
Brook gave us some ideas on the spot and let us know who would create a rough design for us to review.
A Look at the Before
The front Porch
I’ll start by saying there’s nothing really wrong function wise with our front porch. We can enter and exit without too much issue.
The only thing I struggle with, and this is a recent design flaw, is the way our front storm door opens. Partly my fault and partly the fault of the project manager who managed the install of our windows and doors.
When we called our project manager earlier this year, mid project, to see if we could have new storm doors added to our quote, he said no problem and had the guys on site take measurements for him. We told him what we were looking for design wise but never discussed changing the door swings.
Now, our front storm door opens to the right instead of to the left as it previously did. Creating an awkward and tight space with the column on the left side of the porch when entering the house.
What’s really ironic is that we removed a column from our design plans to keep the flow to the entry as open as possible. Now, it’s incredibly awkward when trying to open the door with 2 dogs or anyone standing next to you. Inevitably, the door swings into whoever is standing next to you on the porch and they have to step off in order to then enter the house.
We’re hoping with the new design, we can make this space more functional again.
The Front Patio
We have a small strip of concrete that acts as a patio and runs along the front of our house. I don’t think it was ever meant to be a patio though because when we first moved in, it was blocked by massive shrubs and not accessible at all.
We ripped out the shrubs shortly after moving in to freshen up the facade and that’s when we discovered it was there.
With our first dog Moose, he loved to sit in the front yard and people watch. Instead of sitting on the front porch, I’d add chairs and a small table to the concrete patio. Hoping it would create a relaxing and comfy space to sit with him and read.
It’s not super functional though. The concrete isn’t that wide and it feels a bit tight when sitting up there. Also, it’s hard to access with the front flower bed we added.
We would love to create a larger patio that we can actually access and sit on comfortably and still have space for plants and flowers.
The Walkway
The final element of our front porch makeover we hope to address is the front walkway. Again, function wise it’s perfectly fine. It will mostly be the form or the design we will be updating.
With the hope of extending the front porch and patio, we’ll need to rework the walkway a bit to accommodate these updates.
Also, there’s an awkward space between the current walkway and the front porch that we haven’t had a clue what to do with.
It’s small and not that usable. We’ve tried planting flowers or plants, or even just putting mulch down to keep it simple and clean. It all ends up looking out of place and gets a bit messy and hard to maintain.
Our hope is that with the new design, this awkward space is reimagined or goes away entirely to function better.
The Design Plans
When wrapping up the backyard remodel, Brook stopped by to present us with his design ideas for the front porch. With no major issues to address up here like we did with the backyard, the design is pretty straightforward.
Basically both the porch and the patio will be extended out to give us more room to breathe.
In Brook’s original design, the front porch would basically stay the same but would be refaced with the same pavers we used in the backyard. His plan extended the patio out a couple of feet and would now be accessible via the walkway which would continue around the side of the steps.
After talking it through with him though, Mike had one change he wanted to make. He wanted to extend the porch out a bit further to give us more room when opening the storm door and entering the house.
This adds a bit more to the cost as they will need to add on to the existing porch’s foundation. But, Mike thought it was worth the additional cost to get better flow and function out of the space.
With the front porch bumped out even further, the patio and walkway shifted out more to accommodate the new design.
The new patio will be about 9′ wide and the walkway will dead end right into it. The existing flower bed will also be pushed out in the new design and will be reworked.
A few landscape lights will be also be added to complete the design.
Our Upcoming Front Porch Makeover
As it stands, the guys are supposed to start work sometime during the week of 7/28. As long as the weather holds and no other jobs hold them up.
I’m not sure how long it will take them but we’re hoping maybe a week? You can follow along for updates each day via my Instagram stories at @house_of_lowe_designs and check back here for full progress updates and the final reveal!
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