Front Porch Makeover on a Budget

***Update - After the winter and some time inspecting this project, we have found that there were some issues with the application and it did not weather well. We have decided to remove the product and come up with a new solution. We think we may have done it much too late in the season and it did not have enough time to cure in warmer weather. We loved the way the product looked and if we had a rougher surface, it would have been perfect to cover damaged wood. Hopefully this update helps you decide what is the best solution for you. If you decide to use the product, please read all instructions carefully. ***

(For information on all our exterior colors, please click HERE)

We have had a lot of home improvement projects going on at once. The office and craft room are done, and now – the front porch makeover on a budget is done too!

This one, like my work desk – was all hubby.

I should let you know up front – this is not a “tutorial” – this whole project was done with trial and error and figuring it out along the way.

And we are so happy with the results.

I would love to show you a recent before picture with the railings still on, but the truth is, one day, Hubby got a bug in his bonnet and knocked off the railings before I could take a picture.

This picture was taken a few years ago. The railings had deteriorated quite a bit, but the biggest issue was that the porch was just so small. With the chairs, we couldn’t even get by.

Because we have the rock wall and raised bed, there really was no need for them – so off they came and the makeover began!

We also removed that overgrown lilac on the left that never bloomed and was higher than the roof. We will be reworking the plants and beds in the spring. The rock wall has settled over the past 13 years as well – hubby built when we first moved in – but that is on the agenda to be reworked as well.

Here are the floors of the porch before. I didn’t like the color we put on there several years ago – and I liked it even less with it faded.

Thanks to ReStore from Rust-Oleum (purchased at The Home Depot) in Taupe, these are our floors now.

I. Am. Giddy.

The process was fairly simple and we are very happy with the results.

These were the posts before.

This was a symptom of a bigger problem – the porch had settled significantly and was no longer level. As a result, several of the posts were no longer even taking the weight of the roof.

Bad news.

Hubby jacked up the deck in two places and stabilized it old school – with stones. We have no shortage of stones in these parts.

Once he got everything level it became clear that the porch stairs were never built correctly and should have been three steps instead of two.

This is the new beautiful layered molding at the base of the same posts, re-stained with opaque stain – and actually taking the weight of the roof.

That is a good thing.

When building new stairs, we decided to build new railings in a simpler style.

This a picture of our before post and railing.

These are our new posts and railings. So pretty!

When we got to the back, it was a big drop, so we left the railing. One day, while walking around from the back, we both realized how great and logical it would be if there were stairs here too.

At first, we scrapped it for the spring just to get done with the project.

But, while I was away at The Chapel Market, hubby was busy and I came home to this.

It makes such a difference in the usability of the porch. And while standing there, I realized one of my dreams could come true.

A porch swing will be in my future.

I want to thank hubby for all the staining, building and good old fashioned elbow grease he put into this project.

It is now such an inviting place and we how have an entry where we can proudly invite guests into our homes.

Last year, we had priced out having someone come and put in all new posts and flooring. That would have been great, and easy. But this approach allowed us to do this project for the costs of lumber, paint and sweat equity. We were provided the ReStore product, but even if we hadn't, it is a small investment compared to replacing the flooring - especially with no maintenance products we had been looking at.

For this stage of our lives, it felt really good to do this ourselves.

Ok, I did nothing but offer opinions, but you get the idea.