porch building plans advise

5 years ago

hello everyone!

I need help with my porch plans for the next month! we are having our new porch built completely brand new out of cedar wood ( hoping when it fades it will be the gray in colour that the stone has on house.) we are extending it to the black shutter on the left side. I need to know, should the spindles be black or white ( see photos ) we plan to leave porch as is ( plain wood) and may paint the handle white. thank you!! any other opinions or advise is appreciated :)

Featured Answer

H B

5 years ago

I'm far from a pro, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I think the black metal spindles with white horizontal pieces would look nice. By "turned" I mean like you currently have with curvy shapes on the upright (newel posts?). Turned seems to be a style that is not your house. If you were unsure about white vs. wood, maybe it could be installed as wood and then paint later?

That said, as other folks have suggested -- a careful and accurate drawing of what you are considering may be very helpful to visualize the overall look. I don't know how to explain it, but maybe its like adding a scarf to an outfit. If you wear it as a belt, it always looks like you're wearing a scarf, as a belt, which is what folks were trying to say about "don't make it look like a backyard deck, stuck on the front of your house." There's lots of options where it can be a handsome deck/front porch, and enhance the appearance of your house as the main entry to your home (and also provide space for sitting out front). Good luck!

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Comments (21)

Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
a few more photos so you can get an idea of the exterior
PRO
PPF.
5 years ago
I'll encourage you to not build something that looks like a backyard deck, and instead something that looks more like a traditional stoop.

I would extend to just past the mailbox, not to the shutter.
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Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
ppf please explain what you mean by backyard deck
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
I wanted it to be atleast big enough to fit a chair.
PRO
PPF.
5 years ago
Does what you are building look like it's part of the house -- like it could have been built along with the house, or is it an obvious addition?

Does the design and use of materials complement the house?

The covered porch on the before&after posted above looks like it belongs, the deck posted above looks stuck on.

This is not so important on the back, more so on the front.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
what other options would you say go with this house
Sammy
5 years ago
Why don’t you nix the wood decking altogether and build proper steps and a patio?
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
sammy our house is higher up and requires a railing with stairs.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
5 years ago
I agree with PPF - it looks like your house is meant just to have a couple of steps up to the front door, no porch of any kind. Is there a reason you want to be able to sit out front? Do you have a seating/outdoor area in the back?
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
do you think without the railing and spindles it would look better? it has to be taken down and rebuilt. right now it's not a good quality wood and people have to sit out on the steps.
PRO
PPF.
5 years ago
Quick rendering to show an idea. I'd plan for landscaping front and sides.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
ppf thank you for that. looks nice. so the chairs are facing the road side?
PRO
PPF.
5 years ago
Not sure what your entire house looks like, but here is another idea.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
ppf here is the whole house.
Sammy
5 years ago
PPF has some good ideas. Are you going to have a roof over your new front seating area? Here’s something you could easily do:
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
should I do white railings with ether black spindles or white spindles
H B
5 years ago
White spindles unless the black ones are metal (painted black wood would look weird, IMO). I also think the plainer posts (posts, spindles) look better than ones that are turned. Square/caps look snappy; turned does not match your house as well.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
HB it would be the aluminum ones.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
like.this.
Girlmom101
Original Author
5 years ago
HB can you explain what you.mean by turned? I'm just trying to have an idea of what your suggesting. do you think the white will be too much white with the house.