Cecelia Mullins
Porch ideas come in all shapes and sizes, but what they have in common is helping to frame the entrance to your home, creating a sense of depth to a flat-faced house, as well as providing some protection from the elements. VISIT THE HOMEBUILDING & RENOVATING SHOW (Image credit: Future) Need more advice or inspiration for your project? While a simple open porch might help you stay dry while trying to open your front door, and enclosed porch extension can provide an 'airlock' to help prevent mud and dirt from being tracked into your home.
Where hallway space is limited, an enclosed porch like this acts almost like a small extension, where muddy boots and wet outerwear can be shed and stored.
Including plenty of glazing in the design ensures the spaces beyond are not dark and gloomy. While an open, roofed porch may be able to protect your front door from the rain, wind is a different story.
Kits are prefabricated off site, ready to be assembled by your builder or even on a DIY basis. This design, seen with a striking textured bronze pivot door from Urban Front (opens in new tab), has been planted on top with a green roof — a brilliant porch idea to steal.
Consider incorporating porch lighting ideas within your canopy (integrated spotlights work well) and security cameras. The structural glass porch has been added to a heritage barn conversion, proving that traditional buildings can really benefit from a striking contemporary addition such as this.
A full-width porch, or veranda, is a staple design feature of many New England-style houses, but is also a practical and beautiful addition to any country home. The veranda is definitely one porch idea worth considering, providing protection from the elements along with a practical space in which to store logs and house Wellies and boot racks.
A veranda can also provide the perfect spot to sit and watch the sun set (or rise), so include some kind of seating too. Proving that owners of listed buildings need not give up on porch ideas that might be less than traditional in their appearance, this glazed porch from IQ Glass (opens in new tab) has been added to a Grade II listed building as part of its renovation.
The design has not only extended the internal space, but the glazing also ticks all the boxes from a conservation point of view, in that it allows the original brick exterior to show through and clearly delineates the old from the new. This imposing porch feels completely in proportion with the grand scale of this home, renovated by XUL Architecture (opens in new tab).
This design, made from cast stone, by Haddonstone (opens in new tab), frames the grand entrance to this historic renovation project perfectly. Ensure the style of the columns and portico match the era of the house you working on.
An front door that is built into the overall form of a house helps to create a seamless, unfussy design. Adding even a simple canopy-style porch can really elevate the exterior, injecting character and individuality.
This small oak-framed canopy, from Border Oak (opens in new tab), features characterful clay roof tiles to tie in with the main house — its dainty proportions ensure no light is blocked from the internal entrance beyond. The porch is supplied in kit form, and it is estimated that it should take a competent DIYer around a day and a half to install, with a little assistance in areas. This small porch extension created by Brosh Architects (opens in new tab) creates a boot room for storage of shoes and coats, while retaining access to the garden with a front and rear door.
