If you are lucky enough to have a big front porch, you should try to spruce it up before the weather starts to get cold. It’s the perfect time of year to spend your weekend afternoons lounging on a wicker chair while flipping through the pages of a book, sipping on a cup of coffee and greeting your neighbours as they go about their days. You can easily transform your front porch into a welcoming space with a few key improvements.
This area of the house carries a lot of symbolic meaning for homeowners because it reminds them of a time when people spoke to their neighbours. Traditional front porches bring nostalgia for those who long for that sense of community and openness — it’s easier to walk up to someone sitting on the platform and say hello, then to go up to a closed door and hope that you get an answer. It is also an excellent spot where you can show off your taste and style, giving the neighbourhood just a glimpse of your personality.
The first way that you can make your front porch a welcoming space is to fix up your entrance door. It is the centerpiece to the entire space, so you want it to make a good impression on anyone who walks by. If you happen to have one that is old, worn down or broken, you can get a new front door in a rich colour with shining new hardware to be a better representation of your home. You can get high-quality fiberglass entry doors with deep embosses of shadow lines and textured finishes to look like real wood doors — wood is often seen as a warm and welcoming material, but it has many practical faults. The fiberglass door will be durable, energy-efficient and resistant to wood problems like warping and buckling. If you are a little adventurous with design, have your entry doors stand-out with a bright and cheery colour.
If you have any windows that are visible on the front porch, this would be an excellent opportunity to revamp them. Brand-new replacement windows or doors will always make a nicer impression than ones that look old and worn-out, especially if you keep them clean of dust and grime. Options like casement, awning, simulated single-hung, horizontal slider, bay, bow and specialty windows could all be good choices depending on your personal style. Browse through the variety of magnificent styles available and give us a call for a consultation to help you create the outcome that you really want.
You can bring some extra charm to these high-quality replacements with a bit of natural décor. For the door, you can craft a summer wreath out of simple items like colourful ribbons, paper pinwheels, felt cut-outs or fake flowers. You can also make several DIY window boxes to place under your new upgrades and then fill them with seasonal flowers, draping green plants or fragrant herbs — if you aren’t confident in your handy skills, you can always buy one from a gardening store instead. These minor additions to the porch will make the front of the house look bright, refreshing and homey.
The last way that you can make your porch feel more welcoming to neighbours walking by is to spend your time on it. Put some cushions on your lounge furniture, pull up a seat and relax in the sunshine — people will be wishing you a good morning and stopping by for a chat in no time.
