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Small Porch Designs

Big visual impact

Do you have a small porch? That's great! Dave and I live in a geographical area that has many condos and apartments so a large porch is not an option for many.

Many homes today are built with small front porches.

Small porch with great appeal

But no matter the size of your porch, it can pack a punch! We have tips here for dressing up your small porch, your front door, railings and lighting.

This beautiful front porch graces the home of Susan, author of the popular blog Between Naps on the Porch. Though this porch is not large, it is abundantly charming and inviting.

Susan shares the story of her front porch remodel with us.

Her front porch was inspired by a couple pictures from Southern Home magazine that she carried around with her for a long time.

What a charming small front porch in Ontario. The wicker chair sure is inviting!

I love the hanging basket against the yellow home - and the old-fashioned screen door.

The planter and potted plant add a lot to this very charming porch.

Yellow porch photo is courtesy of Molajen.

Selling your home?

See how we decorated this small front porch and added lots more curb appeal.

Are you thinking of how to build a porch? In some communities, subdivisions are requiring homeowners to build a porch on their home. Although many are small, you still can enjoy them and add a lot of charm and curb appeal to your home.

Small porch with great landscaping

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Small porch pictures

Click on these pictures to enlarge them.

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Small home and porch plans

Click on these pictures to enlarge them.

Here are some home and porch plans that you can acquire from Family Home Plans to build your home or to use for adding a great porch!

For these and other home and porch plans visit Family Home Plans. They have an amazing library of plans to suit your needs.

Try this with your porch...

Or before you build one. Although this sounds simple, it works...

Go out to the street and take a really good look at your porch and front of your home.
How does it fit with the house?
What color is the door; is it really working with the rest of the house?
What simple improvements can you make without much effort?

Don't give up on your porch just because it's small. Porticos
(small entrance ways to your home) can have big curb appeal!

This small porch would look quite differently if not for the exquisite landscaping that adds lots of curb appeal to this home!

Small porch with great walkway landscaping

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A Small Porch Transformation

See how these homeowners turned an ordinary small porch into a great "curb appeal" porch by adding a new walkway, steps, and great landscaping. They painted the white wicker chairs black and planted Oriental lilies in the back. TRae2 says it was a "labor of love."

Above three photos are courtesy of TRae2

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Add spice to your small porch

We both have some tips. Dave's are more from a design perspective and mine from a decorating perspective. Check out our Porch Decorating section.

Dave's tips

Dress your porch up with pediments, porch columns, and moldings. Attractive pediments such as a sunburst, acorn (the most popular), or ram's head design look handsome above the door.
Replace or add to existing porch columns(column wraps)
Replace the door moldings with decorative moldings

Mary's tips

Dress up your front door with seasonal decorations, such as a wreath or basket with straw flowers
Hang some pots of beautiful ivy, ferns or trailing flowers
Add a simple, small bench. You can put potted plants on it or use it as a place for guests to sit and chat. Also comes in handy as a shelf for packages when you need your hands free to open the door.
Have your children or grandchildren make stepping stones with their hand prints, foot prints and beautiful pebbles and gems.
Hang banners or wall ornaments.
Check our Porch Decorating section. It is truly jam-packed with ideas from many of our site visitors - plus some ideas of ours, too.

Look at your lighting

Update your existing outdoor porch lights or replace them with new updated ones. Dave and I are in awe of the many kinds of porch light fixtures there are on the market today - even outdoor table lamps. So cool. And here is a safety/security tip: Always use light fixtures with dual-bulb capability to ensure you always have light if one bulb burns out!

Consider landscape lighting, too. Check out our page on how to install landscape lighting for step-by-step tips.

Don't forget the railings

Many small (and not so small) porches that are only a few steps off the ground do not have railings. According to most building codes unless the height of your porch exceeds a certain amount you do not need railings.

Two things to consider about railings:

It only takes one step and/or one misstep to fall. So railings are a very good safety feature.
Railings really do add style and curb appeal.

A nice railing along the porch and down the one, two, or three steps makes a "porch". The porch railings also offer places for hanging planters and holiday lighting!!

Need railing ideas? We have lots of pictures and important information about porch railings: styles, materials, a railing calculations guide, and installation tips!

Your front door

A new front door (or even giving your front door a new coat of paint) can really make a big difference. Ever consider painting it another color and adding accent decor to your porch?

Look at the beautiful bold red on the door pictured here. (The door belongs to Susan, author of Between Naps on the Porch.)

Just a few new touches can make a huge difference. A name plate, new street address placard, or strategically placed containers can make your small porch "pop"!

Susan decorated her door with a pretty basket and dried flowers. It is simple yet beautiful.

Notice how it stands out on the beautiful red door.

She shared with us that the paint is Benjamin Moore "Heritage Red".

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