Looking for a Porch Design for Ranch Style Home

by Ray

QUESTION: We are often asked what's the best porch design for a 1950's ranch style home.

Here is what one person wrote:

"Currently we have no porch. We are in the process of deciding what style porch to do - a concrete patio with overhang from roof and decorative posts - no railing or an all wood porch. We live in Chicago so we get a lot of crazy weather where concrete might be better; however, I like the look of the wood with a railing. Also, we only have one step up to our house. Would that look strange for a front porch?"

ANSWER: You might consider combining the two, concrete with wood or vinyl columns and railings. Concrete can be stained or stamped to look like a wide variety of other materials: stone, slate, granite, etc. It's amazing what can be done with concrete flooring today.

Then you could support your roof with wood (or vinyl columns) Vinyl would hold up to the Chicago weather and today's products look really great. In essence, you could have a really neat porch that is almost maintenance free and would look fantastic on your style home.

Or as another option, use composite flooring or interlocking deck tiles. These won't decay and can withstand severe weather conditions. Plus, it looks just like wood!

The step can also be concrete and stained or stamped to look like your porch floor. That little bit of height will allow you to showcase a potted plant or two or if you have space, allow you to nicely landscape the front edge of your new porch!

Our before and after pictures, courtesy of Home Rebuilders, depict how a home can be transformed with the right front porch design!

Be sure to see a myriad of other fantastic front porch ideas for decorating, designing, and landscaping your front porch and yard.