Hope you guys all had an awesome holiday weekend. We had some fun with our family (more on that later in the week) and are still sort of building up the ol’ momentum again (after our big paneling project from last week) – but we did manage to squeeze in a tiny porch upgrade. See, when we were house hunting in the late fall of last year we snapped these two terrible shots of the porch:
Then on moving day we plopped down the wooden bench (from Home Depot a few years back) which used to live on our first house’s front porch… and that was the extent of the update. Blah.
Pretty bleak huh? It’s ok, you can yawn. We’re right there with you.
So we decided after more than a half a year of living here it was high time we brought all of our old planters out of the workshop/basement and actually used them again. Most insane part of the story: there was a hosta that was still alive and growing inside of a sealed tupperware bin in the sunless basement amongst all of our planters (we moved them by stacking them all into a large tupperware bin that we tossed into the basement in December and didn’t even open until last week). Mr. Hosta is pretty darn hardy, eh? Anyway we hosed down the old outdoor pillows and planters to shake off the cobwebs and dirt (btw, all of them are from Home Depot – although I painted those square planters a while back which used to be wood toned).
Since John had the hose out we even filled the bird feeder in the back. While joking that it looked like he was relieving himself. Yes, we’re tweens.
Then we ran over to Home Depot and grabbed a few potted plants/shrubs and plopped them into our already-owned pots that we (finally) set out on the porch. Here’s a coleous that we grabbed for $6. They always remind me of my mom because they’re one of her favorites too. We’re suckers for those high contrast leaves.
On the other side we have our already-owned little miracle (Mr. Hosta) and a feathery little $5 plant with purple flowers (don’t remember the name but it’s a shade-loving annual).
For either side of the door we got some hardy evergreen shrubs (can’t find the tag with the name on them- boo) that should only grow to be around three feet tall and 16″ wide (so we hope they can live in those planters for the long-haul). But if they get too big we’ll just transplant ’em and try something else. Maybe even something seasonal like mums in the fall and brightly flowering annuals for the spring/summer.
It’s definitely not a dramatic overhaul but it’s a sweet little pick-me-up until we can get to the larger porch projects that we’d like to tackle down the road. Like removing the scalloped header above the porch, framing out the columns so they’re chunky and square, transplanting the too-large bushes that crowd the walkway…
… replacing the dinky porch light with an oversized lantern-like guy (and possibly getting another one wired on the other side of the door for symmetry), and of course painting that bland front door of ours – along with updating the hardware and possibly staining the concrete porch floor.
Oh and our old welcome mat from Target (which has to be at least a few years old now) still looks pretty good. Probably because we didn’t use the front door to get into our first house (we went through the sunroom) and we don’t use it at this house either (we go through the side door in the carport).
So although there’s a lot more on the porch agenda, we’re glad that we added a little life in the meantime. The whole planter rinse-down & plant run project took about two hours total. Now we just have to remember to water these guys (which should be 100% free thanks to our trusty rain barrel).
Of course when it comes to long term curb appeal plans, we’d love to be able to actually see the porch from the front of our driveway. Since right now the view is obscured by five million bushes and shrubs (even though I limbed up the ol’ magnolia a while back). Yes, “jungle-esque” is an appropriate adjective for our yard.
And of course we have big plans to turn the carport into an enclosed garage once we can pin down exactly what we want when it comes to doors and windows and all those still-to-be-decided details. Sigh. Someday. Has anyone else out there done any porch sprucing lately? Do you guys all use some other entrance than the front door to get into your house? Any other insane hosta stories of survival?
Psst- Clara painted us a masterpiece and we excitedly added it to our hallway frame wall. More on that over on BabyCenter. So proud of our little Picasso.
Cheryl M says
LOL John! My husband does the exact same thing with the garden hose! Must be a man thing!…. anyhow… your porch is looking better. It seems to be quite narrow. Are you planning on widing the depth of it?? Originally, when my house was being built the plans called for a narrow porch just like yours but I had them change the depth to about 2 1/2 times wid
er and it is so much nicer. The builder said I was making a mistake but everyone loves it! I think he just didn’t want to have to alter his “generic” plan! Good job on your porch! As for the hosta, I have quite a few of those babies and they are very hardy. I divided mine last year. I had one that I was able to divide into 8 normal sized plants and it is again HUGE and needs to be divided!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds so nice! Maybe way down the line we’d do something like that (it would mean changing the roofline, etc) but for now it still works for sitting and watching the world go by (thank goodness our bench fits with room to spare).
xo,
s
Megan says
Great looking update for already having most of it! I love hostas! We have four or five giant ones that I’m going to attempt to split this fal. Quick question (and maybe you’ve already tackled it) but what was the previous homeowner’s obsession with that short grass about!?!? It’s everywhere! I like it but there’s a lot, especially when paired with overgrown bushes! Good luck!! We have a lot of bushes to tackle too. One bush has a root ball that may be taller than my 2 year old and just as wide. Hubby tried to cut it out and pull it out by wrapping a chain (and by pulling it with a tractor) around part of it. No luck. The thing is a beast. I will win though! Or hubby. The plant has no curb appeal!
YoungHouseLove says
They really loved their monkey grass! It’s a very low maintenance plant that spreads and only has to be mowed once a year so perhaps that was the appeal?
xo,
s
Barb says
I beg to differ…it does have curb appeal.
Megan says
I meant to say MY plant has no curb appeal. I actually like the monkey grass and might end up buying some, along with some tall grasses.
Beth says
We are total back door people! In fact, we lost the only key we had to the front door years ago, so we can only open it from inside. We always know it’s sales people when the front door rings….
I’m refinifhing the door right now, and plan on getting a new door handle. I’m thinking about putting some chairs by our planters there becuase it would be a great place to watch the kiddies biking on the block.
Cynthia says
I love your two-hour projects that make a huge difference! This one has inspired me to make the rest of our tiny front porch as pretty as the little bench my husband made for it recently (see the bench sitting on top of his workbench at http://www.blipfoto.com/view.php?id=1212691&month=6&year=2011). What kind of paint do you use on plastic planters? We have some faded green ones that would look even more drab next to the new bench. I’d like to reuse them, but not as they look now!
YoungHouseLove says
I just used exterior semi-gloss paint. Good luck!
xo,
s
Adam says
So I have never taken notice of that awesome porch light you guys have to the right of your front door. Pretty sweet. Oh yeah, the plants… looking good. But that light fixture is great!
jenn says
We always go through the garage into the house, front door is for visitors and packages! It’s just more convenient.
Rachel Tatem says
Fun! It is simple but so friendly. I have sadly not made it to the outside of my house yet. Excited to get there though
Jennifer says
Are you guys like DIY deejays? By that I mean, you take requests? I need to do the exact same thing — frame out my front porch posts, so could you, um, do that tomorrow and then tell us how you did it? Thankyouverymuch:):):)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it might not be tomorrow but it’s definitely on the list!
xo,
s
Jennie says
looks great. i’m amazed that you two are constantly making upgrades, even if it’s just a little project here and there. i get overwhelmed by everything i want to do sometimes, but it seems like you just keep right on going.
susan says
Small spruce up but big impact. It looks great. susan
tracylee says
The jungle-y plants make a world of difference – Just remember to paint the ceiling blue!
it keeps the bad mojo away
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
Anu says
Hi,
you mentioned that you plan to make the leggy porch columns square & chunky. we have the same situation. are you planning on doing it yourselves ? if yes, could you direct me to a link or some research about how to do that ?
Thanks !
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes- we’re not quite there yet, but our approach would just be to google around for tutorials and check out some books at the hardware store/library if we still need more info. It might be as easy as enclosing the current columns with thin pieces of treated lumber, caulking the grooves, and painting them our with semi-gloss exterior paint. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Michelle says
Our house, purchased in February, only has a front door. :( Well, there is a back door, but it’s terribly inconvenient.
I did a mini-makeover of the porch this weekend too – new chairs and side tables. Got everything on sale! The chairs were Target purchases at $9 each! I got all 4 for the regular price for one.
Teresa (Our Corner House) says
Oh, we need a porch. *sigh*
Sandra says
I love coleous plants!!! I have been drolling over them since I saw my grandmother had several on Father’s Day a couple weeks ago. Six bucks?!?!?! I will definitely be making a stop at Home Depot on my way home tonight. Thanks for the tip.
Sara says
I had to google hosta. Nonetheless, go hosta go!!!
Tash says
Much improved porch. I had no idea there was a mini-jungle in front of the house.
My fave part was Clara’s art on Babycenter. It looks awesome in the gallery. I think you have a creative little lady on your hands.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tash! I definitely think she’s an artistic genius, but I guess all moms think that right? Haha.
xo,
s
Nancy says
That poor hosta was thinking “is Spring never going to come?!”
YoungHouseLove says
I know right? He was the little hosta that could.
xo,
s
Supurrkitten says
I love the brink and concrete look you have along with the pave drive. If you stain it go with something not too dark. I think it is a nice upscale feel to have the brick and concrete on the porch. I do also love your carport the way it is. I am sure you have a reason for wanting a whole garage but around here those are very popular and offer additional space to entertain that is covered if you have a large gathering. Some here are covered and enclosed on the other end or have a “shed” built in to the back. It keeps the cool carport look but gives the additional coverage and storeage.
Taryn says
Your updates are always beautiful! I have similar square box planters (I think mine might be a bit taller) that have been sitting empty on my porch since spring…you’ve inspired me to stop procrastinating! Just wondering, do you fill your planter with soil or do you place the plant in a smaller container inside the square planter? I thought I’d use a smaller container in mine so I could swap the plant in the fall and winter, but I’m afraid it will sit to low in the tall square planter. Your planters look great. Please, let me in on your secret!
YoungHouseLove says
This time we actually plated those babies (since they’re big we wanted to give them some room for their rather large root balls) but in the past we’ve totally stuck already-potted things in (so fast and easy). Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/10/by-accident-a-semi-creepy-porch/
xo,
s
Amanda says
Yay for porch makeovers! We’ve been (slowly) updating the hardware and accessories outside…unfortunately, we can’t change colors or anything (darn HOAs). Already changed the door hardware, added a door knocker and changed the front light. Still need to do the door numbers and the kickplate.
We have a storm door, and the trim on it is brass…do you kknow of a good way to paint that? We don’t want to replace the door yet, and everything else is satin nickel. I was thinking I could prime it with metal primer and then just spray paint it, but I’m not totally confident it would work…
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, if it’s just for the short term and you’ll be replacing it down the line it probably can’t hurt to try to use something like Rustoleum’s oil-rubbed bronze spray paint (we like the one with the trigger sprayer the best). Good luck!
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
I love that glide bench. Just a few plants spruced it up nicely. The picture of the “man” was too funny!
Kristen says
It’s so amazing what a few plants can do to spruce up a space! Looks like good progress to me!
Pamela says
My bestie gave me a hosta from her Martha’s Vineyard garden that I couldn’t kill if I tried…and I inadvertently have tried. It is bursting out of a large container and she keeps asking when I’m going to split it up and put them in the ground. Yeah…one of these years…
We have always gone thru the front door of our home until now. The side yard was a mess but we just asphalted our driveway, added a new side paver patio, new fencing and some plants. It looks so much better now that I enjoy going in thru the side door.
Darlene Rugg says
Love the porch update. The shrubs in the planters by the front door resemble sky pencil hollies to me. Not sure though as they look a little wider but could be of that variety.
erin says
We just bought and moved into our first home about 3 months ago and we have done a ton of work already. Most of it is outside landscaping work. The old woman that used to own our home was a great gardener but due to the fact that her health wasn’t so good and she spent the better part of the last year in the hospital, the yard had been neglected. We are constantly getting comments from our neighbors on how thrilled they are that the people who bought the home have taken on the yard and brought it back to the way she used to have it.
We’ve also done other little things, like actually put a screen in the screen door, take the sliding doors off the shower and put in a curved shower rod.
Our next project is changing the hardware on the front door. The previous owner had lost the front door key so we’ve had to go in through the back since we moved in. I bought new hardware when we first moved in, only to find that the door needs to be drilled more to make room for the new hardware. We are a little freaked out about doing it wrong and ruining the door, so we just haven’t really moved on to doing it. I plan on doing it this week though!
I can’t wait to see how you do the columns in the front of your house, because our columns look exactly like yours and we want to frame them out too, but have no idea where to start! Also, thanks to you I now know what type of primer to use in my living room which has the same type of panneling.
I love your blog and am so happy that I can get ideas and follow someone who is doing a lot of the same things we are!
GoHausGo says
It does make a big difference! Porches are so hard to focus on for me – out of sight, out of mind! Also, glad to see Hosta lovers unite in the comments lol. They are good little plants!
melissa says
It really is amazing how much of a difference some minor changes can make. Also, hostas are ridiculously hard to kill. Unfortunately, our homes previous owner thought that they were the bomb, so we have them everywhere. We dug up a ton and gave them away, and we still had some left we wanted to get rid of, so we threw them in a cart for 2 weeks and left them in our shed, then tossed what we thought were dead hostas under the pine trees that line the back of our property. I think that every one of them survived.
heather says
This is so cute! I love those shrubs next to the doors. They would be easy to trim down and keep at a certain height/width as well.
As far as porch projects – we have two of them. One Red Green style upta camp (if you don’t know who Red Green is, YouTube him). Then, we scored some free pressure treated lumber from a family friend to rebuild our deck at home which is slowly falling in. It’s the main entrance to our house so it desperately needs to be done. Down the road we’ll be screening it in for a three season porch, which is absolutely necessary with black flies like we get.
Megan Brewer says
Very pretty! It’s coming along. Can’t wait to see you spent your 4th of July-
Happy decorating & living,
Megan
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/07/small-town-kind-of-4th-of-july.html
Emily Dickson says
Hey I was on People.com today and I went to the Pet section and a picture from your site was up! Maybe you knew that already, but if not, go look! http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/gallery/0,,20491019,00.html
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that so much fun? We’re beaming that our “kids” ended up there!
xo,
s
Robin @ our semi organic life says
Oh I think it looks great! Once you get the whole thing redone you’ll have to force people to come in through the front door!
Crystal says
I had the same door mat from Target last summer. Unfortunately it didn’t hold up well and started to come apart after a few months. Hopefully you have better luck than me.
Bryn says
nice! we’re planning a big outdoor overhaul this year: painting the house, new doors, etc…just haven’t gotten up the gumption to start!
As for hostas, I really believe you cannot kill them. My friend dug up about 30 of them in her yard, and threw them, naked roots, upside down and all, into the compost heap…where they all began to grow! That was last year, now she has a mound of hostas in her backyard…I think you just have to burn them up to get rid of them! Nice work on your porch!
Erika D. says
hi there!!!! cute planters!! one silly question: Do you take them out of the little plastic pot that the plants come in and then replant into the bigger, decorative one? Or do you just stick the potted plant into the bigger decorative one? DOes that make sense????
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We repotted them in the larger planters so their roots had some room to spread out. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
kelsey says
who needs curb appeal the block!? i mean seriously. it is amazing how much a little bit of effort makes.
Ali says
See, I love the idea of the plants, except that I have a tendency to kill plants. They just need to speak up once in awhile and I wouldn’t forget about them. Sigh.
But I love the mini-makeover! BTW, how much does it cost to get a light wired up on the outside like what you were saying? Ballpark?
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe around 100 bucks? Depends how easy the attic access is (ranchers are simpler than some houses). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Abigayle says
the little additions always make a big difference! my fiance and i added hanging plants, two cracker barrel rockers we got for christmas from my ‘rents, and a little table between them, and it instantly made our porch feel homier. Also, we don’t use our front door a whole lot either; we mainly go in and out through our sunroom in the back of the house too.
Stefanie says
Really looking forward to that porch column update – we’re in need of doing the same to our ranch, and I would loooove to see how y’all tackle it!
Jennifer BD says
I am so happy you are posting about your porch progress. My husband and I own a 1920’s bungalow and are always looking for ideas on sprucing up our huge front porch.. So far all we’ve done is hang fuchsia baskets, because we have too busy with other projects on our old and much loved house. I noticed that you have the same light as we do, but ours is on our back porch.! Thanks for the daily inspiration!
Marianne says
Very cute! The shrubs beside your door look like boxwood.
Heidi S says
Love the porch update! Can’t wait to see what you do with the columns. I also second using a blue ceiling paint.
I have been trying to get our porch finished for months. I have the advantage of having a Victorian with a wrap around porch (although the maintenance is a major struggle). I did finally pick fabric for pillows for the swing. I just can’t seem to get myself out there to paint our porch swing. Maybe I need to spend less time on Pinterest.
http://www.statelykitsch.com/category/our-house/porch/
http://pinterest.com/statelykitsch/the-front-porch/
Joyce says
love the porch now, its looking great!
Emily B says
Looks great guys!
I’m pretty sure your evergreens are Japanese Holly, AKA Sky Pencil.
Alyson says
Ok, ok. I admit it. You inspired me! Took a little trip to Lowes after work tonight and got some coleous (actually I got a few but honestly not sure how to pluralize that…I’m in advertising but I’m no coypwriter) and some hostas. Now my front AND back porch are all pretty!! Thanks for the motivation/inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that makes me happy. So glad. Happy watering!
xo,
s
Carrie says
I love porch makeovers. I’m sprucing up my front entryway as well. I finally figured out the doormat thing… make it interchangable! Here’s the tutorial I did for The CSI Project today, I bet you guys would come up with some great ideas for the middle part:
http://thecsiproject.com/2011/07/05/interchangeable-chevron-doormatmaking-lemonade/
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE IT SO MUCH! Genius.
xo,
s
Susan H. says
The porch et. al. look great. It’s the difference between a house and a home…or between house love and home love?
We recently got moving on a patio project. I’ll never say we’ve ‘finished’ a project, but after moving in 2 years ago, we finally worked up the courage to cut down four trees that made our patio a shady jungle. Note: two days later a tornado came through and tore up the Village. Then they decided to have everyone drag any and all limbs to the curb, no questions asked. We had a cosmic ‘high-five’ since something worked out in our favor and because we were in way over our heads. My advice is that even DIY-er’s need to hire pro’s sometime. Now, our patio is like a different place, complete with three uncovered garden beds that we didn’t even know about which now hold the hydrangeas I’ve always wanted. woot.
Also, I was totally inspired by your knotty pine painting. I have a beautiful sun room with lots of not so beautiful knotty pine that I’ve been reluctant to paint because of the very issues you two had! Any tips on getting of to a better start if you had it to do all over again?
YoungHouseLove says
We’d just use two (three if there was bleed) coats of Kilz no-VOC primer followed by two thin and even coats of latex paint! Skip all the other primers for a hopefully easy process! Well, easier. Haha.
xo,
s
Bethany says
Great update! I believe the plants flanking your front door are boxwood shrubs. They are one of my favorite ever greens. Boxwood clippings make beautiful centerpiece/wreath/garland additions around the holidays :)
Bernadette says
PNW girl in love with some hostas. Didn’t know how much I loved them until I saw how much they LOVED our shady, gravelly “bad side” of the house. The more I see open, no railing porches like the one ya’ll have (that’s the TX coming out), the more I want to take a saw to our railing. That might be grounds for divorce though…
Bernadette
Kitty says
Plants really do dress up a porch, don’t they? I like what you did with the shrubs on either side of the door.
My new house has almost zero landscaping and I am finding it way more difficult to decide what to do with the outdoor space with such a blank slate than with an established landscape. At our old house, we actually ringed the house and garage with hosta. It grew so thick and fast I’d call and beg friends every fall to come take it away. Now I wish I’d taken some with me when I left. *sigh* Glad your hosta made it!