Building and Decorating a Porch

A porch is another well known outdoor room to extend your house area. It is a great outdoor place to pause and relax before getting in and stepping off.

The structure is similar to decks, but is having a more finished appearance. The looks is the same as the house and generally becomes part of the entire house building.

Start by planning the size and layout of your porch. Typically, the layout should be based on the structure of your house. The structure can be built either in the front or in the back side of your house. A porch structure has a flooring, posts, railing, roof and ceiling.

The porch flooring is usually built on wooden floor joist on top of support beams over a concrete foundation. The type of flooring depends on you, however, it is better to match it with the materials of your house. You can use wood, composite, and PVC floors. If you want masonry floors, your flooring foundation should be made of concrete slabs. Take note, it is important to make sure that the floor should have a little slope that runs away from the house to easily drain away rain and snowmelt.

Porch posts are intended to support the weight of the roof and ceiling. Since porch don’t have walling, the posts are barely visible. So this becomes an opportunity to make them decorative. You can use turned porch or even create an elegant porch columns. The number of posts depends on the size of your porch area and they should be equally spaced.

Railings play a big part when it comes to the porch decoration so you have to choose the best style and type to make a good looking porch. Railings are made of different materials such as wood, metal, stone, and synthetic. Choose the materials that can be best installed on your type of porch materials. Don’t get too excited with beautiful designs you find on display in stores or you might end disappointed to find out that it doesn’t match with your house design. Remember, a porch becomes part of your house, decorate it to complement with your house’s exteriors.

The materials, finish, and form of the roof and ceiling should match with the house. No matter how unique, if they look different, your design would look off.

Setting up and decorating a porch is the same as other outdoor rooms.

First, you need comfortable seats. A couple of reclining chairs are good for relaxing on a small porch. But if you have a large porch space, it is great to place a set of outdoor furniture. You can put a sofa set, lounge chairs, and a center table for a great conversation.

Second, freshen up with greens. You still can enjoy a little gardening in your porch. Add some potted plants and hang some plants on the sides. Then add some accessories such as carpets or rugs and framed decors.

The last thing needed for a great porch is a heat source so we can enjoy it even during winter and on cold nights. You can build a fireplace for your porch. The fireplace would also be a great focal point for this outdoor room. Another option is a portable patio heater which is easier to use and more practical for a modern home porch.