House Mission: Front Porch

Our new project this summer is to update the facade of the house in the next year.  The main part of the house was built in the 1870′s, but it really doesn’t look like it.  I like the white siding and large front window, but the porch just looks so plain.

So we have made it our new mission to give the porch a little facelift.  I have a list of DIY’s and budget-friendly projects to conquer this summer and long-term dreams.

Here is what the front looked like when we purchased the house in February of 2011 (above).

Previously Completed:

• New mailbox.  Last summer the mailbox that was installed (if you could call it that) before we moved in was actually blown over.  It was just a rusty pole in the ground and a flimsy plastic mailbox with stickers on the side.  That was the last straw.  We purchased a new wood post and a classic black metal mailbox.  Mailbox ($19) + post ($25) + address numbers (approx. $4 each) = approx. $52
• Flower beds.  Last summer we got some plants on super sale at the end of the season.  In order to get them in the ground we whipped up some quick beds around the new mailbox.  There is a lot of room for improvement though.
• New doormat.  I managed to snag the Come in/Go Away Ambigram Doormat at a mega discount on Fab.

Short Term (this summer):

• Take down the railing.  Eventually the whole porch needs to be replaced, but for now I’m considering taking that old wobbly railing completely off.  It doesn’t add anything to the look of the porch and it’s so unstable, it doesn’t offer much in the way of safety.  I’m thinking maybe some large planters on the corner instead.
• New storm door.  Our storm door is ugly.  And it’s a mess.  A more modern, all glass storm door would make a huge difference.  I would love to go sans-storm door, but our front door is older and I would prefer to keep it protected for now.
• Paint the front door.  I love a colored front door.  With an all glass storm door I could really make an impact with a fresh coat of paint on our pretty old front door.  I keep bouncing around between classic red, trendy orange, hunter green, cheery yellow, spring chartreuse, etc.  I can’t make up my mind.
• New light fixtures.  Those dated old fixtures do nothing for the house.  Plus they are a little crooked.  I’m on the hunt for an affordable alternative.
• Patch the cement steps.  We have some critter friends who have made a nice little home in a hole under one of the steps.  While I would love to keep them around, it’s not healthy for the home.  We will have to evict them (as humanely as I can).
• Planters for the porch.  If we take down the railing we would have room for a pair of pretty planters for annuals on the corners.  I saw some really nice cement ones at Lowes this weekend that might be perfect.

Mid (this year):

• LOTS of new bulbs and perennials.  I have a growing stack of bulb catalogs on my desk.  This fall I plan to put in a whole bunch of new bulbs.  We are enjoying the handful of tulips and grape hyacinth I put in last fall and I’m hooked.
• Clean up the hedges in the front.  You can’t see them in these pictures, but there is a tall line of hedges on the front of our property.  They are kind of wild right now and could use some tidying.
• Line the flower beds with collected rocks.  I would love to start collecting nice sized rocks to line the beds.  I’m too lazy to re-edge the beds every year, but I don’t like the look of more store bought edging.

Long Term (Someday):

• A covered wood porch across the whole front.  That would be the dream right?  It would add so much architectural impact to the little house.  And I would love to have a place to sit and read a book in the summer.
• Door trim.  I would love to add some decorative trim to the door to make it look a little more like the historic it is.  There is a plastic cosmetic frame around the door at the moment.   A decorative wood frame would really make the front more inviting.
• Think about the shutters.  I would like to do SOMETHING with them.  I have no clue what I would do though.
• Replace the front door (?).  I love our old front door.  But it may eventually need to be replaced.  I don’t love the cottage-style heart door knocker and handle, but if we take them off and replace other hardware the door will likely need to be replaced.

I would love any thoughts or suggestions.  What do you think would make the biggest impact to the facade?  What would you prioritize?