If you are in need of a front porch makeover—or back porch, screened porch, side porch, any porch—take a look at this sweet front porch for some ideas. Columbus porch builder Archadeck of Columbus has elevated the fine art of porch-sitting for these Clintonville, OH, homeowners.
Originally they had a 4×4′ concrete stoop under a small awning. They did some porch-sitting here because, yes, even a small stoop can accommodate a couple of chairs. But now … Oh, my, this home is smiling!
Before we could tackle the front porch project, we assisted the homeowner with addressing structural issues in the basement. The walls were bowed in and the concrete pad leading to the front door was pulling away from the house. In order to proceed with the new front porch, we needed these structural issues to be resolved. We researched basement companies, and the homeowner hired one of them to make sure the foundation wall was in good shape.
For the floor of the new porch, the clients chose TimberTech Terrain decking in the silver maple color. You probably recognize TimberTech as a composite building product used on decks and chosen especially for its low-maintenance qualities. It works on porches, too! On an open porch like this, the building materials will be exposed to the elements, so the homeowners wanted a porch that would not need sanding, staining and sealing. TimberTech promises that, plus these boards will resist stains, scratches, fading, mold, mildew and moisture damage. It’s an especially durable product because each board in TimberTech’s Terrain product line is capped on all four sides with a protective polymer shell.
We wrapped the porch’s posts and beams with trim by Boral, a synthetic wood-grain wrap that is also more durable than wood. Boral is rated for ground contact so it won’t rot, and it also resists cracking and splitting. What’s more, Boral accepts stain and paint better than some materials.
The cedar tongue-and-groove porch ceiling is beautiful and, if you ever feel like staring straight up, a lot nicer to look at than the underside of a metal awning. We roofed the gabled porch cover to match the home’s roofing shingles. We want the porch to look original to the home, not like an afterthought.
Around the porch we installed cedar railings with black aluminum pickets. These railings define the sides of the porch and then they reach down the steps like open arms to welcome visitors. This cheerful, open porch is like a big smile of delight on the front of this home. The homeowners are in for many luxurious hours of porch-sitting over the years to come.
Whether you need to upgrade your porch or start from scratch with a new open porch or screened porch, contact us today at (740) 879 – 3730 or email us at westcolumbus@archadeck.net.
Columbus Decks, Porches and Patios by Archadeck of Columbus 