The Front Porch of my DIY Dreams

Four years ago, I bought my very first house. And since then I’ve been documenting the journey of turning this little starter house into a home, one project at a time, with all of you right by my side.

This house has seen a lot of milestones. It’s where I left my career to chase my passion for the trades and content creation from my garage. It’s where we got married in the backyard. And it’s where we introduced our rescue pup to our family and made this home his home, too.

I’ve poured so much love into every corner of this space. But even with all of those memories and projects, I’ve always felt like there’s more potential here, something that this home could become.

So, four years later, I am finally in the position to do the work I’ve always dreamed of. For the first time, I can actually afford to take on some of the bigger projects I’ve been saving for and envisioning since day one, which is why this home has been undergoing a massive dormer renovation.

Not only is this project the kind of transformation that opens up a whole new chapter for us and this channel, but it’s also opening up a ton of walls and adding a lot more ground space to cover. We’re going to be busy, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Now that the big contracted work is finally complete, it is time for me to tap in and do what I do best, and add in the finishing touches, starting with the project that I have been thinking about since the day that I got the keys to this house, my new front porch!

Because if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that the front door sets the tone for everything that follows. So, friends, let’s get started.

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Tools + Materials + Decor

Tools

• Table Saw
• Miter Saw
• Nailer
• Caulking Tool
• Drill/Driver Set
• Sander
• Dust Vacuum

Materials

• DAP HD Max Construction Adhesive
• DAP Weldwood Wood Glue
• DAP AMP Waterproof Window Sealant 
• Cedar Boards
• Exterior Wood Stain
• Wet Towels

Decor

• Bench
• Sconce Lights
• Pendant Light
• Runner
• Side Table
• Plant Stand
• Planters
• Smart Lock

The New Dormer + Front Porch

Before we jump into the porch project, I feel like I owe you an explanation, so let’s talk about the dormer. If you’ve been here a while, you know I’ve always focused on budget friendly upgrades with the long term plan of eventually doing something bigger with this house.

I’d be lying if I said we bought this home with and didn’t have a three year plan to renovate and move. The truth is, it wasn’t the house I had always envisioned, I was just grateful to have a place we could afford and call our own.

Cedar Wrapped Columns

I’ll be real with you, it is pretty common for a lot of DIY and home improvement content creators to buy a house, renovate it, sell that house, and then buy another house. And that was really tempting for me throughout this process. 

I really did crunch the numbers, to figure out if it would be cheaper to buy another house or to just put the love and work into this house that I know it deserves? And the short answer was neither option was great. But we’ve honestly grown kind of attached to this house if I’m being quite honest.

And when we bought this house, I really did have a vision for it, but I just could not afford to make that vision come to life. I mean, I’ll be real with you, I couldn’t afford to do it now either, but I break down the process of planning this project and how I was able to finance it and all of those other things for you, you can see all of that in this video.

So, definitely let me know in the comments below if you have questions about planning a big renovation like this. I also made a little ebook that helps plan big projects like this. Definitely check it out if a renovation is on your mind.

But here’s the thing. When I first bought this house, I wished I could afford to add a porch because I knew this house would look amazing with a front porch. But front porches aren’t cheap. And in my particular township, there are lots of laws about who can build a porch, where it can go, how it can be built, how it can be attached to the house, and so on and so forth. There was a lot of red tape that I wasn’t ready to deal with. 

But then a couple months ago, I was like, you know what? I’m finally in a position where I can kind of do what I want with this house. And one of the things I’ve been wanting to do was dormers. So, I sought out an architect to see what that process would look like. And here we are a couple months later with a dormered house and a beautiful front porch.

And you might be asking, well Sam, how come you are working on this porch in the middle of this dormer renovation? And that is because in order to save a ton of money on this project, I choose to do certain aspects myself.

Such as making a statement with these columns by wrapping them with beautiful cedar boards, and adhering them with construction adhesive and nails. For any small gaps, I filled them with some wood glue and a screwdriver and then sanded over it before staining them.

Siding

Are we surprised? Or could we have guessed that your girl chose an all black house? Watching them put up the black siding was a super exciting part of this renovation. 

Ok, about the hiring versus DIY aspect of this project. Like I mentioned earlier, my township required me to hire a contracting company with specific licenses and insurances in order to do the porch because it’s considered structural. 

It’s tied into my existing roof line, and it’s considered adding some extra square footage that encroaches on the front lawn. And since I was already going with an amazing local and family owned contracting company, they did give me a really good deal on the siding, railings, and the decking for the porch as well. 

Front Door

Honestly, I’m so glad I chose to hire them to do it all because they got it done so much faster than I ever could have done it by myself. But it was also way more expensive, so tapping in to do a few projects myself really helped the bottom line of our budget.

I had to give this front door some love because it’s dark brown color was not meshing with the black siding. So removing the hardware and sanding it back to its original color was mandatory.

I’m seriously so grateful they let me DIY little bits and pieces like this. It really is easy to underestimate just how much money you can save by doing parts of a project by yourself.

After sanding the door back and staining it I went over the seams with sealant to make sure the glass was watertight. 

Then I smoothed it out with a wet towel and I was really starting to see the vision come to life. 

Finishing Touches

The porch was fitted with a new mailbox, sconce lights, and a smart lock.

Of course I added a bunch of plants which needed stands to add dimension. 

The bench and runner make this front porch the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Can you even believe this is the same house??

So, you know, I like to keep it real. And while doing my own personal touches like the columns or staining and resealing the door were really easy, one of the things that I actually do regret about this entire porch is not getting enough samples to look at next to the siding.

I actually don’t love the color of the porch, which is really unfortunate because it wasn’t cheap and it’s not easy to fix. But I’m going to live with it for a year and see if it grows on me before I decide to do anything about it. Other than that, the vision for this space is a chef’s kiss, I cannot wait to show you what this house looks like. It does not look like the same house. It looks exactly how I wanted it to look in my brain, and I could not be happier. 

Every step of this renovation journey has brought me to right here where I’m finally able to turn this house into the house I always knew that it could be, and into a house that I know I’m going to love for a long time. I cannot wait to take you along on this journey. This is just the beginning. I’m so excited for this next chapter with all of you by my side. But until then, friends, happy DIYing.

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