The front entryway of your home is one of the most important pieces of real estate on your property. The area around your front door gets a lot of attention. It is a huge part of what creates a visitor’s first impression of your home. As Scudo Property Management explains, this area also offers one of the best opportunities for increasing the rental property value and the square footage of your house along with enhancing the home’s overall functionality.
Adding a front porch is one of the most rewarding improvements you can make to your home. A front porch gives your home character, makes it more enjoyable, and adds to its curb appeal. Together with boosting your property’s value, the front porch provides a sheltered space to relax with friends and family without worrying about the heat.
A front porch that is built right from the outset will keep adding value to the home for years to come. If you are a homeowner looking for a simple home improvement that will provide tangible benefits, you should consider building a front porch.
Here are the reasons why this is such a great project.
The benefits of adding a front porch to your home
Extra living space
A front porch will automatically expand the square footage of your home and there is almost no limit to what you can do with this space. Depending on the scope of your project, you can use the front porch as a small sitting area for one or two people or a place for hosting large gatherings.
The front porch can serve as an ante-room where your family and visitors deposit their coats, muddy boots, and other items before entering the house. It can serve as a playground for your kids and pets.
Increased curb appeal
A beautiful front porch will instantly improve the appearance of your home. Adding a front porch can transform a plain doorway into an impressive and inviting front entrance.
If the front porch is well-lit, it makes a world of difference to what your home looks like at night. The front porch also expands the options available to you when looking for ways to style the area around your front entryway.
Increase market value
Potential buyers will be willing to pay more for your home if it has a lovely front porch with detailed architecture. This is because, in addition to the extended functionality and improved aesthetics offered by the front porch, buyers instinctively view the home as more valuable. As a result, buyers consistently offer more for homes with front porches than they do for homes without them.
Protection for the entryway
The front porch protects the front door, door hardware, exterior lighting fixtures, and the entire foyer. With a covered front porch, rain, and direct sunlight are less likely to damage the items around the entryway. You will also have a sheltered area where you can stand when unlocking the door in the rain and for visitors to wait in for you to answer the doorbell.
Improved energy efficiency
An unlikely benefit of adding a front porch is the effect this home improvement project has on your energy bill. By providing a shaded area around the entryway, the porch limits energy loss through the front door. This effect is even more prominent if the front porch is enclosed. An enclosed front porch will shield the entryway from drafts as well as protect it from the heat of the sun.
Before you build your front porch
Although you can add a front porch to almost any home, this project is not as straightforward as it might appear. There are several dimensions to building a front porch. To maximize the benefits of adding a front porch to your home, think of the following before trying to make the addition.
1. Porch size
The space outside your front door determines the potential size of your porch. The size of your front porch influences the cost and duration of the project. It will also determine if you need a building permit for the project or not.
2. Building permit
Small porches are usually considered permitted development and do not need a permit. But if the planned porch has a floor area exceeding 3 sq.m., is higher than 3 meters, or is 2 meters close to a property line or road, you may need a permit. You will also need permits if it is a listed building or you live in a designated area. Permits are also required if you plan to move the front door.
3. Materials and design
The materials you use for your front porch play a major role in the durability and longevity of the porch. The design of the porch is a huge factor in how much value the project adds to your property. There are myriad of materials, styles, and colors for front porches and all of them will impact the eventual ROI on this project. This is why you need an experienced contractor at your side when choosing what kind of front porch you want to build.
