How to Fix Your Porch for Summer

I've always loved porches. Don't ask me why, I just always have. The wife and I sit on the front porch in the evening and watch the world (and neighbors) go by. During my last trip home, we did a little renovating.

Porch Renovations, Step 1

We started with the back porch. Our house is white and so is the porch, so we repainted it white. I have an electric sander, so removing the old paint was pretty simple. It only took half a day! We used a special type of heavy sealing paint for the floor.

Porch Renovations, Step 2

When the paint was dried, we selected a new color scheme (the wife chose red and purple). Our back porch faces east and gets plenty of morning sun, so the plants were chosen for the amount of sunshine they would get. She picked out several different types of flowers, mostly in red and purple.

Porch Renovations, Step 3

At the hardware store, we bought new porch furniture and hanging planters. The furniture is wicker (white) with brightly colored cushions (red and purple, of course!). The hanging planters are wooden with chains to suspend them. She insisted on six new planters, one for each end and four to hang along the outside, facing the yard. Along the edge of the porch, we have a big bed of marigolds, so the back porch is a profusion of color and contrast.

Porch Renovations, Step 4

The front porch also needed painting. We used white and did the same things that we did for the back porch. (Sanding, etc.) And we painted it white as well.

Porch Renovations, Step 5

Because the front porch gets the hotter afternoon sun, the decorating process had to be different. The wife chose green and yellow for the color scheme. (It was green and red last year.)

Porch Renovations, Step 6

We replaced the cushions on our wooden porch swing with new ones (in green and yellow, of course!) and bought new heavy plastic chairs (bright yellow ones) to replace the old red ones. (If you can't find the furniture in the colors you want, it's not hard to paint the outside of them for accented colors.)

Porch Renovations, Step 7

While I was on the road, the wife bought a baby palm tree in a yellow planter, so we set it in the front corner near the stairs. (In a year or two, we'll plant it in the side yard.) She also bought a matching planter for a little cactus garden. We bought ten midsized cacti and planted them in a mixture of potting soil and sand, placing it at the opposite end of the porch. When you buy big planters, make sure they have holes in the bottoms for drainage and a container underneath them to catch the runoff so it doesn't get on your porch!

Porch Renovations, Step 8

Our big American flag is on the front porch, flashing red, white and blue in the breeze. Along the outside length is another bed of marigolds and roses (red and yellow) are planted beside the stairs and on the closed end as well. I mention this because of the colors. If you have growing plants or bushes already in place, use the color scheme on the porches to either match or contrast with the gardens. The yellow roses and marigolds match the green and yellow color scheme while the red roses add a very nice contrast.

Porch Renovations, Step 9

Relax after your efforts and enjoy the new look (and the happy wife!)