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tamara_jett

Front porch suggestions

Tamara J.
9 years ago
Our original front porch was enclosed last year to extend our indoor living space. We would like to add a new front porch but we are having a hard time deciding what makes sense. We would like to have a roof over said porch. I am attaching pictures of the front of our home(excuse the messy bush and weeds, they will be gone soon). We don't know if we should extend the porch over the old concrete walk way(approx. 10 feet from the house) or only 6'10" to the inside of the concrete and tear it up later. Another idea was to only build past the concrete where the stairs will go but was told that would look awful. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks so much!

Comments (16)

  • PRO
    PPF.
    9 years ago
    I'd be more concerned with the roof. What's the purpose of the porch -- a place to sit, something to keep the weather off the door?
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    A place to sit. I know we won't have a problem getting the roof to the edge of the concrete but I don't know about past it.
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    It is going to be the entire 18' long between the two corners on the front.
  • Brandi Nash Hicks
    9 years ago
    Go larger over the walkway so you have plenty of room for chairs and tables
  • Brandi Nash Hicks
    9 years ago
    Even if you go larger with the deck you can keep the walkway by putting the new steps in front of them with the deck going past it
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    Brandi, do you think that would look ok? My only concern would be that would look like a back deck and not a front porch. We are comfortable with a couple rocking chairs and a side table for sitting purposes.
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    Yes, I wanted to originally go past the walkway and build the stairs going up straight from the walkway where I am standing taking the picture. I don't know that we can get a roof over that far though. Would a landing at the top of the stairs look ok if it was uncovered and only have the rest of the deck come to the inside of the walkway?
  • freetess
    9 years ago
    Looks like you couldn't extend the roof due to the slope of it. We have the same problem with extending our roof over a new porch. Of course, we could spend a lot of money and do major roof work. We decided to just build a pergola over the porch.
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    We have had two contractors tell us we could use 16' footers and tie them into the current roof. I think that was only to come out 6'10" right before crossing over the walkway.
  • freetess
    9 years ago
    Tamara - tying in to roof is a good idea - wasn't sure of your budget. It's nice to have a porch. I am sure that Houzzers will help you with ideas for adding special touches to the porch once it is completed. Good luck.
  • Terri
    9 years ago
    I'm glad you're covering the porch; however, I'm concerned that, once you extend the existing roofline to cover the porch, the ceiling height on your porch will be very low. It really is your only option, however, and something you definitely should do--just be careful not to extend it too far because of the pitch reducing your porch ceiling height. I'd recommend you place your steps just in front of the entry door, so you have a direct path up the steps and into the house. This will leave your seating area traffic free. As it is, I'm sure you get doused with water any time you go through the entry door during a heavy rain!
  • motupeg
    9 years ago
    As in ppf's idea the whole indented area looks prime for a nice porch entryway. Have you talked to the contractor who did your remodel? They may have a couple of different ideas.
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    We actually never use the front door. Our parking is on the side and we have an entry through the laundry room over there. We would have to have around 10 steps if going straight to the entry way. Unfortunately our home is at the top of a steep hill. You can probably tell from where I am standing in the picture of the front of the house. I am standing with my arms extended as high as they will go to snap the picture. Lol we just want it to look right. We will be selling the home in 2-3 years and want to make it look appealing to buyers. The landscaping is next!
  • Tamara J.
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    My husband is who did the remodel and he is wishing we never did it because of this factor. I am trying to help him out. The inside looks great though!
  • PRO
    PPF.
    9 years ago
    @wylierider -- That center section is a complete new roof plane. That is the problem here. Lots of work and it will always look added on.