Front Porch: If You Build It, They Will Come

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Why do we say if you build it they will come? Not a baseball field but a front porch.  My parents live on an island…remote by most people’s standards.  They take a boat to go almost everywhere and they have been retired as long as I can remember.  When they committed to island life full time, many were skeptical on their ability to be so isolated.  Hmmmm…. over 25 years later, nothing could be further from the truth.  And the porch was the solve for that. 

The simple front porch with a comfy swing and just enough light.  Not the sprawling back porch with seating for 20 and a gorgeous view of the intra coastal waterway.  But the front porch…albeit, ocean front and palm tree layered lawn…the front porch ended the isolation.

A golf cart doesn’t pass go without collecting a cold beer on my parent’s front porch.  It’s the place people slow down to see who’s sitting out front so they can pop over for a laugh and a drink.  It’s become this thing!  My sister and I joke when we visit them…their friends come in waves throughout the week, sometimes by bike, sometimes on foot in wet bathing suits and sometimes roaring in laughing on a golf cart blowing their horns for effect.

You hear Jimmy Buffett through the open windows and no one needs an appointment.  It’s this open invitation…come as you are.  The mounted bottle opener bolted to the wall is a sure sign that we are on Island Time.  This porch is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…all my parents have to do is walk outside and they have community.  A front porch can change your life…it can create friendships and deepen bonds.  It can solve problems…two heads are better than one.  And it can relax your spirit. It can change the trajectory of your life.  Period.

So today we have our own front porches where we are making memories.  Telling stories.  Meeting neighbors. Though we don’t have the beautiful blue water and golf cart, we have community and our front porches are the root of that.  If you build it, they will come!

See some brick&batten front porch projects:

porch addition
porch addition

Author

Cassie co-founded brick&batten in 2017 with her sister, Alli, but her love of home design was born years earlier. Cassie’s passion for design can be traced back to her childhood, when she’d accompany her parents on road trips through small towns in search of inspiration for properties they would buy, fix up, and sell. Prior to launching brick&batten, Cassie worked as a fourth grade teacher, but her love of design, architecture, home renovation, and open houses inspired her to pursue a new career. When writing for brick&batten, Cassie aims to empower homeowners to make the best informed decisions for their property. She knows from experience how challenging home renovation can be, and when she writes, she puts herself in the shoes of every homeowner with similar frustrations. Cassie currently lives in Florida with her four children, an old dog, and her loving husband. When she’s not working, Cassie is most likely checking out a nearby open house or traveling to learn about the latest house trends.