Why I Didn’t Remodel Our Front Porch

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The truth is I never even considered remodeling our front porch for the Better Homes & Gardens 48 Hour Challenge but if I had considered it I did have some incentive not to. The two front runners in the challenge (Making it Lovely and This Young House) had some nifty ideas that they used in their porch remodels and some of those elements could easily be adapted to most porches either singly or altogether but I’d rather leave ours as is, at least for now.

Here is why:

It’s where I keep my newly rooted cuttings! I know I could come up with a nicer way to display them than with an old coffee table, old TV stand, and a plastic box. I could have even picked up a little for the photo since I have old milk jugs that I use for watering laying around. In a busy world staging isn’t always possible!  I would like to design a nice shelf system to help blend them in with the front porch. I’ll save that for another day since I’m already way to busy to do everything I need to do!

My front porch is great for the cuttings since the above photographed end gets morning sun and afternoon shade. In the late evening the sun beams down for a little while then fades behind the hillside to relieve our front porch of its heat. I have most of the potted plants resting in larger shallow containers so that I can bottom water. Bottom watering cuttings is extremely effective since it encourages roots to dig down deep to the bottom of the pot. Deeper roots mean a better quality plant since they can more easily get to ground water once planted in the garden. 

Aside from being a great place for cuttings to sit it’s already a pretty nice place for the family to hang out. The country style rocking chairs are an essential if you have a front porch in the south.

So I chose to build an arbor to add charm and character to our front yard as well as frame the side garden. Right now my project is way behind the front runners in the voting but I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. The arbor is something that will change over time as the plants grow and fade while front porches will only evolve as the accessories do. Feel free to check out the Arbor project or any of the other projects at BHG.com.

8 thoughts on “Why I Didn’t Remodel Our Front Porch”

  1. I think the arbor is wonderful and it made perfect sense for a garden project….I suspect that the readership for BHG is primarily women and they would be charmed by thoughts of painting a porch floor. Whether it would be executable or look as good…is another question all together! gail

  2. A front porch is not a porch without a rocking chair! Love that small rocking chair for a small gardener to enjoy as they sit by mommy and daddy and enjoy the views and chit chat…

    Who stages for blog pictures? 🙂

  3. I like your front porch 'au natural' too, Dave! Most people's houses and/or porches are NOT BH&G!! It shows what's really happening–real life–not museum-like silence!!

    Your arbor is well done, and I have voted for it–I hope you get more votes before the contest is all over:-) Maybe some more Blotanical members will see this post and go over there and vote!! Jan

  4. Dave, your front porch is lovely! Even more so with the cuttings. We surely need to get together and do some swaps. I was just looking at all the cuttings and seedlings I have and am stressing as I have NO idea where they'll go.

  5. Your front porch looks very much like the veranda/porch on my former house…right down to the identically made railings. And your arbour is simply beautiful and a grand design…you got my vote! Several times. 🙂

  6. David,

    Gail is so correct–the BHG readership is primarily comprised of women who could more easily accomplish the task of redoing a porch with a can of paint, new porch furniture and a few accessories. Your project with the arbor entailed considerable thought, design and planning, not to mention some extra muscle. You should be very proud of your arbor. It is a beautiful addition to your yard, and as your trees and plants continue to grow and mature, your arbor will look even more outstanding.

    You can count on my vote to the very end!

    Mom

  7. My front porch looks very similar to yours, not near as neat, although filled with plants in waiting just the same….Foo Foo the porch designs, your arbor is the winner in my book!

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