9 Small Front Porch Ideas on a Budget
By: Britteny
A thoughtfully designed front porch can not only boost your curb appeal but also add more living space to your home’s footprint. And the best part is you don’t need a big yard or bank account to create the perfect porch area for your home.
Whether you’re thinking of adding a porch to your home or updating your current one, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in this post. Keep reading for some small front porch ideas you can execute on a budget.
From front porches and decks to gates and retaining walls, our expert exterior designers can help you visualize all aspects of your home’s exterior. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.
#1 // A Small Porch That Stands Out
This home’s original front porch was dark and uninviting, so our design team suggested some updates to make it pop. The light paint color on the brick — Sherwin Williams’ Westhighland White — brightens up the façade, while the warm wood columns make the porch a focal point of the exterior. The natural stone around the front door adds texture, and the addition of two chairs and a table create a place to relax. Finally, the new landscaping highlights the front of the home rather than hiding it, for a much more welcoming vibe.
Wondering what’s the difference between a porch, portico, and patio? We explain all these terms and many more in our exterior design dictionary.
#2 // New Railing & Columns
This home’s porch railings and columns felt dated, so we recommended replacing them. The new railings feature a fun X-style design, while the wood columns help create the farmhouse feel the owners desired. A new front door, lantern light, and plenty of planters further elevate this small front porch.
#3 // Spruced Up Front Porch With Greenery
This home’s façade felt flat and underwhelming before, but a few simple-yet-impactful design updates made all the difference. A walkway leading to the front door and landscape along the porch highlight the entrance, and vines growing up the new, thicker columns also create a focal point. A new front door, windows, and light fixtures add more visual interest.
Planters, like the ones seen on the porch above, are another great way to incorporate greenery into your exterior design if vines aren’t your style.
#4 // Add a Porch Swing
When working with a smaller porch, you might not be able to have multiple seating areas with tons of furniture, as you could with a larger porch. But don’t worry — a porch swing like the one above is an excellent seating option for smaller spaces. The hanging loveseat fits perfectly into the compact porch and offers a cozy spot for the homeowners to sit and enjoy the outdoors.
#5 // Use Different Siding
The majority of this home’s exterior is covered with horizontal siding painted with a dark hue. To highlight the front porch, our designers suggested vertical siding rendered in a lighter shade: James Hardie’s Arctic White. The use of different colors and siding orientations help define the porch and create contrast with the rest of the exterior.
#6 // Minor Updates, Major Impact
Sometimes all a home needs is a few tweaks to drastically improve its appearance. In the design above, some small updates — such as replacing the dated awning with a custom copper one, swapping out the white columns for a more modern option, cleaning up the landscaping, sourcing a new front door, and adding new light fixtures — truly transform the front of this home and draw attention to the porch. The existing stone elements also draw the eye to the small front porch.
#7 // Create Visual Interest with Fun Tile
One of our favorite parts of this home design is the patterned ceramic tile on the front porch. It contrasts nicely with the light stucco — painted with Sherwin Williams’ Moderne White — and the stonework. Incorporating some decorative tile into your front porch design is an easy way to make the space stand out.
#8 // Add a Pop of Color
Adding a pop of color to your front porch design is a simple and affordable way to highlight the space. In the design above, we used Benjamin Moore’s Chiswell Blue on the siding, which contrasts nicely with the brick that’s painted with Benjamin Moore’s White Dove. The expanded porch also features wood columns, a new front door, windows, and light fixtures, plus some outdoor furniture.
#9 // Stone Accents Add an Elegant Touch
Using light stone on the siding in the porch area adds a bit of elegance to this home’s exterior and creates a striking contrast with the dark siding. It also provides texture and depth and complements the wood column and small chunk of siding above the porch.
Smart Small Front Porch Ideas on a Budget
We hope this roundup of small front porch ideas you can complete on a budget has offered you plenty of inspiration for your home renovation project.
Need more porch inspiration? Check out these modern front porch designs and these front porch addition ideas.
From front porches and back decks to paint colors and siding materials, we can help you visualize any part of your home’s exterior that you’re unhappy with. Don’t waste any more time living in a home you don’t love. Get started on your exterior design project today.
Subscribe for more content like this!