Front Porch Makeover
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When I picked this house out last summer while Josh was in Afghanistan it was tough. I LOVED the floor plan, and the yard, and the neighborhood…and that was it. It is tough to find a house in Swansboro, for a reasonable price (not a gigillion dollars)- much less one that is in a waterfront neighborhood with a tiny little view of the water. BUT, the house had been vacant for 2 years and the little old lady that owned it really wanted to sell-so I got the deal of a lifetime.
So…I hated the exterior. I am still dealing with hateful feelings toward the exterior.
But I did a quick front porch makeover that let my brain relax for a few minutes – because ya’ll know I just can’t stop thinking about things when they are not PERFECT. This is the front porch before:
This is after my little makeover:
Before:
After (landscaping this fall):
Before:
The steps have to be reworked. They need to be widened and risers added. We talk about this on a daily basis. We hate them.
I primed the front porch with special primer from Sherwin Williams. It only took 1 coat of primer (awesome), and prevents wood juice…the technical term…from seeping through. Because of the awesome primer it also only took one coat of paint! I beefed up the skinny posts with $15.00 brackets from Lowes. I would still like to trim out the posts to make them bigger and more like columns. Something like this:
I stained the decking with Cabot Jarrah Brown from Lowes. The rocking chairs are also from Lowes. I had the pillows laying around and I wasn’t using them. I now understand the need for outdoor fabric…outdoors. I am working on a plan for next spring that involves outdoor fabric pillows. I am also going to paint the front door another color. I haven’t figured that out yet. I am thinking maybe a soft butter. I would swap out new pillows in coordinating fabric and spray paint (my fav) the planters on either side of the door maybe bronze or brown . And yes…I know the pencil holly is dead. I needed more sun. Poor pencil holly.
I am also thinking that I need to work on some little tables because there is nowhere to put drinks…and THAT is a problem…this is the south and we need sweet tea on the front porch. I would love to find some little thrift store tables that I can paint in a coordinating color.
Another before shot:
I swear Copper has to be in EVERY picture.
We need a new porch light too. This one is just not cutting it.
The back porch is next….is it also U-G-L-Y.
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My name is Amy and I am a wannabe Martha Stewart farmer. I love keepin' it real here on my little bloggity blog. I am a DIY maniac, mom of one beautiful little girl, one crazy spaniel, and one handicapped pig.
I am a photographer (for real), a housewife, a farmer, a chef, cleaning lady, financial advisor, interior designer, dog groomer, day laborer, and much more. I do it ALL. I blog about it.
Absolutely gorgeous transformation! Great job!
Your porch turned out great
I’m so jealous of your covered front porch! It’s just lovely. Those rocking chairs scream southern relaxing time with an iced tea on hand!
WOW!!! Fabulous Transformation!!
It is amazing what some white paint can do…
Thanks for sharing… I am about to do some “white porch painting” myself…
(maybe you can find an ugly brass chandelier while thrifting…spray it white & hang on the porch.. : )
Thanks everyone for the nice comments! I am trying to figure out how to host a linky party :-/. Any ideas? Oh and Kathy- that is GREAT idea!
This is beautiful! Mind if I drop in????
I will have to check out your other blog posts.
Wish I had a front porch to make over! Yours looks great! Stopping by from Under the Table and Dreaming.
Jen
Scissors & Spatulas
You have gorgeous plants! And I love the rockers!
Last week, I found little scissor type tables (to match our white rocking chairs) at Home Depot for $12.00 a piece. These were unfinished and we painted them white. I was amazed at the price.
ooooohhhh! That sounds great!
Your porch is wonderful. Love all the greenery, and the rockers just say “sit here and enjoy some tea”
That is AMAZING!!! It would be really cute to paint your steps to match your front door!!!
That is AMAZING!!! Now you should paint the steps…red to match the front door would be soooooo cute!!!
Hi Kim…thanks for the nice comments. That is a really great idea. We have been planning to redo the steps, they look terrible. At the very least they need risers.
My goodness that is an awesome transformation! Great job…I just love porches, they are so charming!
Thanks Latoya! We get a lot of use out of it when the weather is nice.
The power of paint! Very well done. Your porch is beautiful and I love sweet potato vine and still have some living despite freezing temps. Olive
Thanks! I can’t wait until Spring so I can plant some more and get things going on the porch again!
Your porch is beautiful! What a transformation! I’d love it if you’d come link up to my Home and Family Friday linky party.
Becca
becca-homeiswheremystorybegins.blogspot.com
I am glad that I navigated to your page. I’ll be now subscribing to your feed so that I can get the latest updates.
Thank you very much for these great informations. I will subscribe to your feed