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mfichtl

Help Needed: Front Porch, Exterior and Landscape Design

5 years ago

Help! I have no idea where to start and am completely overwhelmed. Looking to paint the house this summer and have no idea what color(s) to go with. Also, we love the front porch/entry but have no idea how to make it more inviting/cozy. The landscaping had tons of overgrown shrubs, which we removed and now have no idea what to replace them with. We live in southern Kansas so drought tolerant plants that can stand up to mighty wind gusts are key. Would love any thoughts or suggestions! Thanks, in advance!!!


Comments (13)

  • 5 years ago

    I wouldn’t paint the brick. But if your sick of the green you can:
    -Go deeper green.
    -Charcoal.
    -White.
    I would also:
    -if possible add matching bricks to the peak over the garage
    -wrap the porch posts in wood.
    -maybe add matching shutters
    -porch swing/furniture/railing
    -lighting
    -switching up the doors? ( id possibly mimic the arch and do that for front door.
    -crazy idea : maybe push the front door to the middle window instead of tucked in the corner.
    ......

    All the above suggestions would add a lot to your home. But honestly as is now it’s a pretty, welcoming, cozy, cute house! Really doesn’t NEED a lot. If you’re doing changes anyways, I’d consider whatever you can from the suggestions above!!

    mfichtl thanked HU-187528210
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Do NOT paint the brick. You end up having to repaint just as often as if it were wood. Plus, paint seals brick which can cause minute damage over every winter freeze when trapped moisture expands.

    Your brick has orange tones as do most brown colors. As such, green seems the easiest color to work with "brown" bricks, but you can choose a blue as the opposite to orange. You can also choose deeper colors for more contrast and drama. And, a warm brown or a warm gray will also work. Below are combinations I think look good. Some have the garage door painted a white. Others have the garage door painted to match the siding.


    You should visit a local nursery (not a big box store) and talk to people who know your climate and soils. Tell them how much maintenance you are willing to do. Shrubs generally take the least amount of work, but pay attention to how wide and tall each plant will be at maturity. If a shrub will eventually be 5' wide, do not plant it closer than 3' to a wall or walkway. Remember that dwarf only means smaller than the species. Perennials take a little more maintenance in that most need to be divided every 3-5 years. Your plantings will initially have space between them; fill in with annuals for the first couple of years. You will need to water new plants regularly for the first year no matter how drought tolerant they are.

    To make your porch more inviting put a bench or a few chairs with a table or two. Measure the depth of your porch to make sure there is room to walk in front of seating. There is no railing on your porch so you don't want someone to accidentally fall off. Outdoor seating is around 24" deep and you need at least 42" to comfortably walk in front of someone who is already seated, so your porch should be at least 5 1/2' deep.

    mfichtl thanked mindshift
  • 5 years ago

    Possibly Prairie Dropseed

    https://grownative.org/native_plants/prairie-dropseed/

    Along with some Echinacea & Coreopsis or other prairie flowers.

    mfichtl thanked Barbara C zone 5b near KC - Eco Region 47f
  • 5 years ago

    @mindshift thanks for the color advice! we painted our interior wood doors Benjamin Moore’s Galapagos Turquoise - we love Blue and Orange combos... I wish we could use the same color for the exterior, but probably too bold for an entire house. Thanks for the spacing recommendations, too! Lots to consider!!!!

  • 5 years ago

    We are looking at SW Urbane Bronze Paint Color - too dark?

  • 5 years ago

    Wow, Galapagos Turquoise! No one can say you are afraid of color. Urbane Bronze does have an orange tone, though it's less red than the orange of the bricks. Nonetheless, it looks like it would work well. And, while it is not Galapagos Turquoise it provides lots of contrast which can also be bold.

    mfichtl thanked mindshift
  • 5 years ago


    Urbane Bronze Mock Up with adding some wood tones/features... what do you think?

  • 5 years ago

    I love the urban bronze. It should look very nice on your house. I dont much like that wood in the peak of the garage. I would leave that alone. If you feel something needs to be there, it appears high enough for a double window even if it doesnt go to living space. If you want to cozy up the porch, add railings. The house needs it. I doubt it is to code without them, because, thats a pretty big drop to accidently step off of. Your steps, could also use a handrail. Then add some nice comfortable chairs, and maybe a swing, so it all looks inviting. I agree, that a landscaping nursery is the way to go for your landscaping. Even if you do the work yourself, they will come to your house and draw up a plan, and you can do things little by little.

    mfichtl thanked cat_ky
  • 5 years ago

    I agree with cat_ky. Adding carriage house garage doors and faux timber work to the gable won't make your house a Craftsman. A gable window that mirrors the dormers or just a VENT will give the garage front more style that fits the rest of the house.

    mfichtl thanked mindshift
  • 5 years ago


    same color without the added wood features... not sure about above the garage. Like the idea of a gable window, but unsure on how to mirror the features from the dormers in appropriate scale. Thoughts?

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Find a window that is near the size of those in the dormers. It also needs to match the number of panes (6) in the dormer windows. You don't need to mirror the dormers only the windows in them. You need a carpenter to cut a hole in the garage gable for the window, then place framing for the window on the interior of the cutout. The window is put in place, secured and trim to match the rest of the house is cut and fitted to the outside.

    Adding a vent uses the same cut and frame, but doesn't require matching other features unless you have other gable vents that you wish to match. Vents are made in square, rectangular, triangular, round, half round, arched and octagonal shapes. They should have metal screen or hardware cloth on the inside to keep small birds and such from getting into attic space. This can be added if not part of the vent as sold.

    mfichtl thanked mindshift
  • 5 years ago

    I’m in the minority of saying paint the brick. If it were me I’d paint the house white but with a mineral paint made for brick (young house love blog has a great example of this on their former house). love carriage doors for the garage. Would put windows above the garage and remove the wavy shape trim on the porch. I’d do diff lights on either side of the garage. def some nice foundation plants in front of the porch and some containers on the porch. what zone are you? all that aside..congrats on your new home..you must be so excited..it’s really great!! do you have irrigation to get the lovely green lawn?? (Also..fully aware that white paint may be too boring since your heart loves color! I’m a New England/Cape Cod girl so white, navy, black is where my heart is!)

    mfichtl thanked Danimal