Oh happy day! The time has finally come to reveal our recent front porch makeover that we completed as part of the 48-Hour Challenge with Better Homes & Gardens and Home Depot. The task? Turn our snore of a front porch into a bellissimo outdoor space for relaxing with a $500 gift card to Home Depot and our wits. Here’s a reminder of the booooooring blank slate of a before that we were working with:
But lets not dwell on the past. It’s time for the after pictures!
Our big porch makeover project can be broken down into four major categories: painting, building, sewing, and hanging. First we painted the old dark-planked porch with tan and cream stripes for an instant face lift (we really wanted our new “outside room” to feel light and airy to match more of what we have going on inside). We even used an extra bit of cream paint to lighten up our old black square planters (we actually got them at Home Depot right before the challenge and painted them black– d’oh!).
Then we assembled our glider bench and made a totally workable little side table with a large planter and a terra cotta saucer that we sealed, painted and turned into a tabletop. Now there’s a spot for a book, a little drinky-drink, or even a plate full of bbq.
We also purchased a sweet green paisley lounge chair cushion… only to take a scissors to it. Cutting it in half and resewing each piece back up created two all-weather floor pillows. And you know what floor pillows mean to Burger, right?
A perfect place to unwind after a hard day of chasing bugs. Look at the sheer bliss on his little dog face. He LOVES his new puppy lounge and sits staring at the front door in the living room until we let him out to play- er, bask.
You might notice the leash on Burger in the pic (although I don’t know how you could see anything at all beyond his adorable face). Well, we couldn’t very well allow our precious pooch to roam free like we do in the fenced-in backyard, so we devised a way for him to have full range of the porch without being able to take off after a squirrel and dash into the road. For just $2 we snagged a hook and a carabiner which we used to create a little leash-holding-apparatus for added peace of mind. And he doesn’t seem to mind a bit! Safety note: we use an extra long leash so Burger has full range of the porch and can even go down the stairs and into the yard (so he can’t hang off and get strangled). We also never leave him outside unsupervised (we like to have him on his leash even when we’re out there in case he gets spooked and bolts for the street). We do not advise recreating this hook setup if you plan to leave your pet unattended at any time!
Maybe it’s because we also made a small food and water station for him with a piece of wood, some wood glue, and four molding pieces that we reimagined as legs. Painting it green made it fit right in, and Burger loves grabbing a snack or a sip whenever the mood strikes. What more could a dog want?
We also wanted to add more greenery and texture without breaking the bank. Two feathery hanging ferns (for just $9 a pop) created even more of the “outdoor room” effect by serving as abstract dividers so you feel enveloped on the front porch, even though they don’t really obscure any of the view.
We also snagged a tan doormat that works well with the tone on tone stripes that we painted as well as our cheery red door.
The mat and the bench coincidentally had extremely similar coloring, which injects a nice bit of balance and cohesion to the whole space (gotta love happy accidents).
We also seized the opportunity to bring in more green and cream planters to flank the bench and a few plush outdoor pillows for that sit-and-stay-a-while vibe. Oh and see that pillow with the cream and green medallion detail? That baby was just $6 on clearance. Gotta love Home Depot!
For a bit of interest and ambiance (and because we still had a few bucks burning a hole in our pocket) we created hanging candle holders with inexpensive bulb covers from the lighting department and some wire (we were all about trolling every aisle for ideas).
We intentionally picked thick durable ribbed glass so they’ll hold up outside (we’ve already had a few torrential rains and we’re happy to report that they’re doing just fine).
Here they are doing their thing in the dark. Ooooh. Ahhh.
As the sun sets slowly and the stars come out, so ends the big porch project reveal. Of course we’ll be back with step-by-step tutorials for every project (from the pooch food & water station to our striped porch painting process). Stay tuned…
But wait! There’s still the budget to attend to. Here’s an approximated breakdown for ya:
- Glider Bench: $200
- Porch & Floor Paint: $45
- Planter-Turned-Side-Table: $40
- Other Planters & Plants To Flank Bench: $80
- Bench Pillows: two for $25
- Lounge Cushion Converted To Two Floor Pillows: $25
- Dog Feeding Station: $10
- Burger’s Leash Hook: $2
- Hanging Candle Holders: three for $20
- Hanging Ferns: two for $18
- Doormat: $15
- Misc. Supplies (paint brushes, hanging hooks, etc): $18
- Grand Total: $498
Words can’t even express how happy we feel every time we step out the front door (which has been happening quite a lot these days, rain or shine). Thanks so much to Home Depot and BHG for this amazing challenge. Air kisses all around!
Oh and don’t forget to head over to BHG.com to check out our reveal pics and details as well as the fabulous transformations that the other four challengers drummed up!
Amara says
You guys did an AWESOME job. I love it. My patio is really small but I have been thinking about doing that striped floor paint ever since you previewed it. And the ferns really make it look welcoming. You really stretched that $500. Wonderful:)
Liz says
Looks amazing, as always!! The night view and the hanging candle holders are my fave – gorgeous!!
morgan says
I absolutely LOVE the painted floor in the alternating colors. So simple yet it adds such flair and really brightens up the whole area! Great job!
Christine says
I love the idea of using bulb covers as candle holders! I can’t wait for your DIY how-to on those.
By the way, I’m sorry but, Burger is too adorable. It’s like…he knows he’s a famous chihuahua.
Nicole Greene says
Sherry-
LOVE all the plants – what are they please?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nicole,
The purple flowering plant in the striped pot to the right of the bench is called a “Veronica” while the smaller leafy plant on the other side is called a “hosta” and the bigger yellow flowering plant in the green and white pot is a “Sweet Broom.” And of course, we found all of them at Home Depot. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Kristal says
It looks amazing! The striped floor is my favorite part. And I love Burger’s little area and the hanging candle votives. Gorgeous!!
Elizabeth says
Amazing! Congratulations and go pour yourself some iced tea or lemonade… or mix em both and have an Arnold Palmer.
LauraC says
Looks great guys, as always! My favorites are the hanging candles and the plant pots! I bet you are pretty glad to be finished!
Live a Colorful Life says
My favorites are the striped floor, the hanging candle holders and that gorgeous planter–the white one and green one with the yellow plant. Yum. It all looks fabulous. *sigh* I SOOO wish I had a front porch.
ashley morgan says
Love the hanging candles and all the plants. Well done!
Allison says
Nice work Team YHL! I love the stripes and the hanging globes are my favorite touch!
I did a post last night using your red front door as my inspiration. I noticed you have a new door knocker, can I see it up close? I am looking for something modern but not too modern and if I were to guess….I’d like what you have!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Allison,
Here’s a post all about the new door knocker from a while back:
https://www.younghouselove.com/come-and-knock-on-my-door/
It was actually super affordable and really easy to install. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Alex says
WOW! I’ve been enjoying the little morsels of info you guys have been revealing, but the final look is fabulous!Love the pic from the side of the house – you can really appreciate the change with the new colors, greenery and the genius (!) bulb covers turned lighting – can’t wait for that how to ’cause I have a couple of rather large trees in the backyard that would look awesome with those lovelies hanging from them! And I think I can totally handle the planter-turned-side-table project. Kudos!
Kim says
Love all of it, but the candleholders at night have got to be my favorite.
Rebecca says
I can imagine spending hours out there with a glass of lemonade and a great book. Love it!
katie says
wow!!! You two are amazing!!!! I cut out magazine pictures of what I WANT to do….and never seem to get around to doing any of it! love your house!!!!! I grew up in Virginia and actually went to Radford, so it is fun to see that style of house again!
Heather says
Love it, when do you find out who won?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heather,
The winner is decided solely by reader voting, which begins on Friday, May 1st. The cool thing is that people can vote every day if they’d like for the full length of the contest, so hopefully we’ll get some love. Fingers crossed…
Stay tuned for more voting info once it goes live over on BHG.com next Friday!
xoxo,
Sherry
TD says
Perfect porch!! I love all the green, white and black with ur red door. That is where i would go vacationing, if I could!! Ahh, I can dream rt.
Great job guys! I can’t wait for tutorials for that little side table.
Lisa says
The porch looks great! I have to say my favorite shots all include Burger! Gosh darn that is a cute dog!
heather s. says
Looks great! Love the hanging candle holders. What happened to the mobile you were going to make out of twine? I was really interested to see that project.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heather S.
We were waiting for someone to notice that we never did the twine mobiles that we mentioned a while back! We actually failed miserably when we attempted that project (but we took lots of pics to share in a future post) so we came up with the light cover candle holder idea in the final hour instead! We actually LOVE how those turned out so I guess everything happens for a reason… but you won’t believe the fiasco of the twine mobile project. Stay tuned!
xoxo,
Sherry
Robin says
I LOVE it!!! It’s inspiring me to re-do our front porch. Can’t wait for the step by step tutorials!
Brigidanne says
Great transformation. Now your going to have to update your blog title photo.
bungalowbliss says
What a difference! Seriously, this is just beautiful–and for under $500!
Benita says
Awsome! I can’t wait for it to get warmer over her so I can get going on decorating outside too.
elizabeth says
the dog looks so cute! I second the striped floor as my favorite part – I would have never thought of that!
Lori says
I wish I could get my house to look like yours! Did you make the glider or just buy it? By the way my little chihuahua Martini would love that dog area!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lori,
All the projects we took on were super easy weekend ones (like painting the stripes, making the food & water station, converting the lounge cushion to floor pillows for Burger, making the hanging candle holders and creating a side table from a planter). The glider-bench is straight from Home Depot’s outdoor furniture section (although John did have to assemble it with an allen wrench). Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry (& John)
Wendy says
Great stuff! Do you think you guys will ever paint the brick? I loved white brick homes, but I’ve heard it’s a lot of maintenance and some people think it’s a crime to paint brick.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Wendy,
We used to dream about painting the brick white, but we’ve since learned that Richmond is known for its green mold that grows on homes (especially in shaded lots like ours) which would look seriously gross on white painted brick. Thank goodness we didn’t paint the house a few years ago (before we learned this simple fact) or we’d have to scrub the entire thing down with bleach twice a year- and even climb on the roof to get the grime off the chimney. The red brick is a little darker than our taste, but we’re super thankful that it’s zero maintenance since it leaves us more time for other projects around the house!
xoxo,
Sherry
SoBella Creations says
I love the transformation. The painted floor and steps really make the difference. Great job!!
Nicole says
I LOVE the new front porch!! It almost makes me wish I had a front porch so I could make it look like this. Almost. ;)
Awesome job, as usual!
Candace says
Great job! The candle holders are amazing!
Holly says
This looks great! I’m in love with the light-fixture-turned-candle-holder idea, that’s so cool! And the house looks AWESOME at night! My front porch has a white beaded board ceiling and I’m thinking of painting it pale blue… I’ve seen homes in Charleston SC like this and think it looks so cool!
Sara says
Looks great! Can’t wait to hear all the details…
K.J. says
Love it! Your porch feels relaxing. I love the glider and the side table planter.
Katie says
So is it weird to think of me living on your front porch…because I totally think I might be ready for a move. Either that or I want to die and come back as Burger. Love the whole look and the faux lanterns are the cutest thing!
Rachel says
Oh my gosh! I looks soooooo great! Painting the floor really brightens up the entire front of your house. It really looks like y’all now have spotlights directed on the front porch. Fantastic job!
Anna See says
What a wonderful job you did! I love the porch’s painted floor, and all of that spring-y green looks wonderful. I NEVER would have thought of the hanging candleholders. Superb!
Shelly says
Great reveal and good job! It looks fresh and comfortable! I was shocked at the coincidence! I JUST opened the cabinet an hour ago before reading your post to grab an old light globe (exactly like yours) to string wire and make a hanging lantern. Whoa! haha
It looks great you guys!
Amy says
Wow! what an amazing transformation!
What are you going to do with the plants in the winter? I would love to put some potted plants on my screened-in porch, but dont know what to do with them when it starts getting cold outside.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
The plants that we selected for our planters are actually perennials for our zone, so they’re fine to be left outside year round (at least on paper anyway, we’ll see what happens this winter). Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
luuvely says
i really love the striped porch floor…really looks classic!
sugarlens says
Your new porch is gorgeous and your pooch is so lucky!
erin says
Looks awesome! I LOVE the votive holder lights. Some of those may show up in my backyard…
grace says
LOVE IT!!!!! I am so inspired by the painted stripes. That will totally be a project of mine in the future. I hope ya’ll win!!! Sending San Diego love to Richmond xoxoox Grace
Nancy E. Johnson says
Love it! The selection of colors is just great. It makes me wish I had wood to paint of my front porch.
How do you get Mr. Burger to rest so adorable-like on those pillows?! Our boys cannot sit still.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nancy,
Burger is the laziest dog ever! Not only did we not have to “teach” him that the pillows were for him to lounge on (he assumed!), we didn’t even have to ply him into that position with a treat- he just stopped, dropped, and snoozed!
xoxo,
Sherry
Beth says
It looks great Sherry! Amazing transformation!
Doesn’t a little porch paint go SUCH a long way? I just painted our 30 yr old front porch and I couldn’t believe
what an easy update it was!
http://beth-diymyway.blogspot.com/2009/03/front-porch-makeover.html
GREAT JOB!
-Beth
Making it Lovely says
I’ve been looking forward to seeing all of the finished projects, but especially yours… it looks great (as I knew it would)! It’s really something special at night too.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Nicole! We’re LOVING your porch makeover right back! Isn’t it funny that we feared they’d be too similar since we both love green and had the same area to work with? We should have known! We were lying in bed last night talking about how we couldn’t wait for your big reveal and of course it left us breathless (as did the fact that you did it all with a bean about to burst forth from your belly!). In short: you’re the bomb.
xoxo,
Sherry (& John)
Jenny R says
WOW! The porch looks amazing! I love the hanging candle bulbs! So creative!!
S says
Did you guys know you received a shout out on AT? And they snatched some of your pics! :)
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/inspiration/playroom-transformed-into-family-room-082665
YoungHouseLove says
Hey S,
Thanks for the tip (and the link)! We’ll head over there to check things out. Fun!
xoxo,
Sherry
Meredith says
Great porch transformation! What a great opportunity for you guys from BHG and Home Depot! I’m especially loving the purple flower that I believe you said was a Veronica–it’s botanical, but without being too flowery!
You’ll have to keep it coming with pictures from the many BBQ’s that I’m sure you’ll have this summer!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks guys! We’re so so so excited to hear that you’re loving our latest big makeover project. We certainly spent our fair share of time trolling the aisles of Home Depot (the checkout people now know us by name!), brainstorming our master plan, and putting everything together. But the most fun part of the entire project is getting to share our after pictures with you guys! Thanks so much for taking the time to drop us a line. We’re over the moon that you’re digging our “new” front porch.
xoxo,
Sherry (& John)
Erin K. says
Your neighbors are probably so jealous… :)
harp says
it looks incredible! those striped floors are my favorite part. however with the new color scheme im not sure I like the red door as much…all in all though wonderful job!
Alicia says
Looks fantastic! I love the special Burger touches!