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Need your suggestion for porch floor and exterior wall improvements

Kaka Manna
8 years ago

Good evening,
I am planning on improving the front of the house, mainly look and feel of the floor, where I will eventually add a porch, as well as the exterior wall) with the hope that I find some use of the space in front of the house. The floor area is outlined in the picture below. One solution is to break the cement and replace with bricks or pavers, but it will cost a fortune. I am wondering if anyone has experience laying bricks or pavers or marble tiles directly on top of the cement floor, which is also sloped which allows the water to drain away from the wall. Since this will raise the floor with respect to the rest of the floor, what would be the best approach to address this issue. Are thin bricks/pavers/marble tiles(1 inch or 1.5 inches) strong enough. and what is the best material to hold these(bricks/pavers/marble) with the cement floor and to each other.

Second opinion I seek is regarding the exterior. How can I add to its look as it is very bland(faux bricks sheets from home depot or something more genuine).

Kindly share the reference (link or the name/color/type of material) to the material for floor and exterior wall.


Many Thanks

Comments (7)

  • Elle
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I would paint the house in a lighter, warmer color, and would do a decorative, stamped concrete treatment on the ground.

  • Anne Eisenberg
    8 years ago
    Also.... Change out the light fixtures to something white or chrome coloured and more contemporary. I like the idea of increase porch space with a few seating areas and some large planters.
  • Anne Eisenberg
    8 years ago
    The fireplace wall is the main focus (at least from the angle of the picture). Embrace it. It's a great place for some huge funky house numbers.
  • Kaka Manna
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Thanks for sharing the picture of the house for reference and your suggestions. These were indeed helpful. I never thought about changing the colour scheme of the exterior, this will indeed make the area around the front of the house more welcoming. Initially, I thought about adding brick veneer (dark in colour) to match the exterior colour.

    Apart from this, I noticed that the paving stone which have in front of garage is leveled with the rest of the floor, however, in my case I wish to lay the paving stone/bricks on top of the concrete floor. I found some 1 to 1.25 inches pavers which can do the job well. But I am not sure at this point, whether I should use the cement/mortar to attach the pavers on top of concrete floor, or just lay directly without any gluing material. I see that some people have used sand as base but I dont understand the purpose of sand over the concrete base. If I use just the polymeric sand over the pavers (and to keep the water seeping between the pavers) and then glue the bordering pavers so that it will keep the pavers in place. Will this work?




  • PRO
    Cambridge Pavingstones with ArmorTec
    8 years ago

    By insisting on Cambridge Pavingstone with Armortec, your walkway and driveway will be the envy of your neighbors. You should think about incorporating hardscaping, pavingstones and wallstones by Cambridge with Armortec to the front of your home to give it a new look with a lot of curb appeal. Adding an entryway that includes a porch would open up the front of your home and add additional space for leisure. Thinking of installing Cambridge pavingstones and wallstones yourself? Check out our Homeowner tab on our website for everything you need to know about installing instructions. Also, by linking to Cambridge’s Designscape Visualizer you can upload your photograph and actually re-design using Cambridge Pavingstones and Wallstones. Visit our website at www.cambridgepavers.com

  • Anne Eisenberg
    8 years ago
    I'd love to see an "after" picture!