At first glance, it may not always look as though a lot can be done with a wooden porch in the UK. However, you may be pleased to discover that there are actually many styles, design options, and plans for usage that you can take advantage of when you install your own oak or timber-framed porch over any door to your property. As experts in the manufacture of stunning product kits, we can even lend a helping hand with our own wooden porch ideas.
Read on if you would like to learn more about what you can do with wooden back or front porches once theyâre installed on your property, or contact us if youâd like to speak to a member of our team about placing an order.
How Our Porches Inspire Ideas
Whenever youâre looking to add a porch to your property, even before you think about how it will be used, youâll first need to decide on a design that youâd like to install and that you know will suit all your immediate needs and specifications best. Porch designs in the UK are normally geared towards practical uses, such as protection against the weather or extra security, so finding out what you need most will help you to decide on the design thatâs right for you. Once you know this, youâll be able to work out how else you can use or decorate your porch to suit your tastes.
By browsing through and looking at the designs for timber and oak framed porches we have here on our website, you will find the inspiration you need to turn any porch for your property into the practical, aesthetically pleasing feature you have been imagining. Depending on the size of your chosen design, you may even be able to utilise it as an outdoor relaxation space, or room for storage.
Here, we have listed the most common kit types that weâll craft for you, so that you can apply your wooden porch ideas to each and decide on the best overall design for your property:
- Wall Mounted Porch
- Wall & Floor Mounted Porch
- Low Brick Plinth Porch
- High Brick Plinth Porch
- Full Height Porch
If you have an idea for a porch that isnât listed here, please donât hesitate to get in touch with us. Weâre fully prepared to make bespoke designs a reality, whenever customers come to us with plans in mind for their own project.
Wooden Porch Ideas to Transform a Space
Once youâve built and installed your porch over your front or back door, youâll be able to use it and decorate it as you need. There are a variety of ways you can do this, whether youâre looking to impress guests with a stunning front entrance that offers extra space for storage, or want to create a sheltered outdoor area for relaxation in your back garden that blends in seamlessly with the rest of your property.
Here, weâve discussed just a few of the ideas you can use to transform your porch and its potential uses for your property:
Painting and Decorating Ideas
The first decorating idea that may come to mind for a wooden porch is to paint it. Youâll have the option to choose any colour you like for your own design, but we would highly recommend bright white if you own a red brick property, as it offers a clean, modern finish that is bound to match the rest of your propertyâs features.
If youâd like to turn a back porch into an outdoor area for your kids to play in the summer months, you might even consider letting them join in on the decoration. Letting them help by painting flowers, animals, or even their names and handprints on the wood could be the perfect way to transform the area into a colourful, relaxed family space.
If you own an older home, or a property with exterior colours such as brown, tan, off-white or grey, you may also consider simply varnishing your porch. The wood of a Douglas-fir timber or oak porch should darken naturally over time when left, but varnishing it will help to enhance the grain and give it a richer colour. This helps to create a timeless look for any style of property, while protecting the wood for a long time to come.
Plants and Statues
Small front porches in particular donât offer a lot of options for painting (especially if you only have the porch roof of a canopy), but there are still ways you can consider adding in a touch of colour or an interesting focal point.
Adding potted plants around your porch, either on the ground or in hanging baskets, is ideal for brightening up a space of any size. Even setting out fake plants is a fantastic decorative option, as this keeps the porch looking colourful all year round, and requires little to no upkeep or maintenance. If you have a larger porch with floor-based mounts, you may even consider cultivating vines and other hanging plants to grow around the timber frames. Doing this will even lend some classic, countrified charm to your property.
You might also think of adding in statues around your porch, or other decorations that suit your tastes. These can even change to suit the time of year, or to reflect holidays and other special occasions that may be coming. Itâs an easy, affordable way to add curb appeal to your home, all while setting out and decorating your new space exactly as you want it.
Installing Different Lighting Types
Lighting can be both a practical addition and a decorative addition for any porch youâve installed on your property, and itâs something you may consider doing if you are a trained electrician or have a lot of experience with wiring. Youâll be doing your property a service by including this extra security feature (brightly lit spaces deter intruders), and ensuring that you and your loved ones can quickly find the house key whenever you need to get inside at night.
If you would like to add some lighting to a back porch thatâs large enough for outdoor seating and dining, you may also wish to exercise creativity with the lighting types you choose. Hanging up fairy lights or using garden lanterns, for example, will provide a soft, warm light that doesnât clash with your created aesthetic, while still illuminating the space enough to offer more security.
Utilising a Porch Space
If you are planning on installing a larger or fully enclosed wooden or brick porch on your property, you may intend to use it as an extension of your home. The most common way to do this is to use the newly built space as a coat room and place for storing shoes or parcels that you have taken in for your neighbours, so installing coat hooks, racks, or low shelving units may be your first thought for the space once the porch is installed. You can also choose to work on the interior design as you see fit by laying down carpets or rugs and putting up wallpaper before you fill out the rest of the room.
By choosing to install a larger, more open porch for your property, you may also be providing yourself with an extra outside space for entertaining your friends and family, or for carrying out hobbies and for storing things that your children would normally use outside. If the space is large enough, you may consider adding in a table and some seating, either so that you can sit and chat with guests while admiring your garden, or so you can make the most of warmer weather when it arrives by sitting outside with a book or a craft project.
A larger back porch in particular may also be the perfect place to store childrenâs toys, such as bikes and scooters, when theyâre not in use.
Find Your Ideal Porch Space Here
No matter what you need for your home, from an aesthetically pleasing feature that adds charm and value to your property, to a new, practical space that can be utilised in a number of ways, The Porch Specialist can get it ready for you.
Weâre fully prepared to craft the kit you need to build your ideal porch, and weâll be happy to deliver it anywhere in the UK as soon as the work has been signed off (within 6 to 8 weeks of completion). Youâll be in complete control of your building schedule as soon as it arrives at your door.
Contact us on the phone or send us an email today and one of our friendly team members will be waiting to discuss everything you need to build the porch you want to see. Theyâll even be able to help you place your order, before our master carpenters set to work on putting together your own high-quality kit.