Power Tools Rater: Real Life Rooms: Colonial Porch Curb Appeal

Hey there Remodelaholic readers! Dawn here, from AD Aesthetic, and I’m back this month with another reader question mockup to hopefully inspire some creative ideas for your space. If you’ve missed any of my previous reader question mockups, you can always see all my posts here.

If you follow Remodelaholic on Facebook, you’ve probably seen several of the reader questions that are submitted every month. Well each month here on Remodelaholic, I choose one reader submitted photo to offer my two cents on, and I create a Photoshop mock up of what I would do if I were in your shoes! (Pssssst— you can submit your reader questions by messaging Remodelaholic on Facebook!)

Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

First though, my standard disclaimer: While I can recommend ideas that I think look nice, I have never seen this house in real life and don’t have accurate measurements. I am also not an architect or landscaper and do not know the planting recommendations for your area- I just like to make things look nice. I can’t guarantee that any of the items I put in my ‘virtual’ design will actually work in real life (or that they’ll fit your design style for that matter), and this is not intended to be a professional design consultation. So think of this as a just-for-fun rendering that hopefully gets your wheels turning and provides some inspiration!

On to the fun!

READER QUESTION from Lacie — We just got married and I moved into his home. We have exceeded budget inside but want to start on Phase II (front yard curb appeal) this spring. The front faces southeast and the yard is very sandy so not a lot of grass and no sprinkler system. This is a double lot on the corner so financially we will continue to do in stages. What would make this drab look fab? We plan to stay here @ 4 years until the kids graduate. Phase III backyard is an awesome pool and cabana with two outdoor dogs. Thoughts…New door color, Santa may bring a new glass storm door, might paint the shutters black. Suggestions…?

Before | Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

This home has so much potential! It has a colonial feel to it with those symmetrical windows that could really be played up. At the moment, it looks a little boxy, and the porch is definitely not as exciting as it could be, but with a few updates, I think the house could really shine. Before I started on ideas though, I searched around for a bit of inspiration in the form of similar homes that are doing things right. Here’s what I found:

Ideas for Colonial Porch Curb Appeal

Dutch Colonial Inn | Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

Image Source: Trip Advisor

Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

Image Source: Portside Real Estate Group

Image Source: Archadeck Outdoor Living

Image Source: AJC.com

Image Source: This Old House | Photo Credit: Scott W.

Image Source: Getty Images | Photo Credit: Raven Mathis

With that pretty porch inspiration in mind, here’s what I came up with for Lacie (with the before photo again so you don’t have to scroll to compare):

Before & After | Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

Sources:

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House numbers | Porch chairs | Window boxes

Hanging planters | Porch light

Adding Colonial Porch Curb Appeal

Unify colors

One of the things that I think was dating the look of this house was the high contrast between the brick on the lower level and the siding color on the upper level. I know not everyone is on board with painting brick, and I don’t always advocate for it myself, but in this case, I think unifying the colors of the two levels really makes the whole home look larger and more cohesive.

Contrast is key

With the base color of the house a nice neutral blank slate, I added contrast with a deep warm brown color for the shutters and trim. Think of it as eyeliner for the house. It sets everything off and looks so rich and pretty.

Let the porch shine

One of the main downfalls of the ‘before’ look is that the huge porch, which should be a major feature, kind of just fades into the house. To help it stand out, I beefed up the columns, added a dark railing to match the dark trim on the rest of the house, and also added a decorative peak above the front door. The peak serves the added functions of breaking up the boxiness of the double layers and bringing the eye up, while further emphasizing the symmetry of the house.

Accessorize

Finally, I added in a ton of personality with just a few accessories. A warm and bright front door is super inviting, and taming the shrubs around that beautiful mature tree with a contained planting wall really makes everything look more tailored and crisp. The new peak on the porch is also the perfect place for some prominent house numbers, and a couple of porch chairs and hanging plants make everything look complete.

So what do you think? What would you do if this were your home?

Colonial Porch Curb Appeal Ideas and Inspiration (with columns and railing)

As always, thank you to Cassity and the Remodelaholic team for having me back each month. If you like this post, and have a design dilemma you’d like me to mock up some ideas for, you can ask your questions by sending Remodelaholic a message over on Facebook, or checkout my mockup design services over on my site adaesthetic.com. And be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram and say hello! Have a great day, friends!

-Dawn