Before & After Exteriors and Home Additions: Porches

The before photo of this 1910 farmhouse shows a dark, enclosed and uninviting porch. A makeover added Victorian style and more space for outdoor living and entertaining. The peaked roof entryway and gazebo with turret roof both feature hanging baskets overflowing with shade-loving flowers.

The original wraparound porch was removed from this 1893 Victorian, robbing the home of character. The new wraparound addition softens the home's entryway and creates inviting outdoor living and entertaining space.

Even the smallest homes benefit from a new front porch. A simple entryway facade was recast as a snug porch with a welcoming portico. By expanding the porch into the yard, this home has increased in size and style.

A two-story addition to a Dutch Colonial house includes a new porch that looks like it was part of the original home. White beaded board ceiling makes the space feel bright, while a lattice cutout provides privacy from the neighbors.

The charms of this petite bungalow are hidden in the before photo. But the after photo reveals what an enclosed porch can add to a home's exterior beauty and use. The original roofline was untouched, but a porch addition with broad pyramidal columns add vintage-looking support for the ceiling.

A 1940s bungalow updated in the 1970s needed another facelift. The open porch delivered, with a low-to-ground, casual feel. Dressed up with simple furnishings and a few unfussy containers, the porch fits right in with the home's new modern combination of fiber-cement and board-and-batten siding.

An urban townhouse sheds its 19th-century roots. New clean lines and modern metal accents update the look, using bundled-steel columns and wavy metalwork that's sleek and modern. The see-through metal porch railings also allow a clearer view from inside the house.

The before photo shows a classic vaulted portico with no outdoor living space. But an addition of an open porch is the perfect point of entry for ushering guests in with style. The classic columns and porch railings are painted the same white as the house trim.

This house, a classic 1940s Cape Cod, got an Arts and Crafts facelift and the addition of a 32-foot-long front porch. White pillars and railings add instant character, and the stone veneer-clad foundation makes the addition look as if it has been there for years.

An unwelcoming enclosed portico of an 1890's era Victorian farmhouse is enhanced with a 400-square foot porch addition that opens things up. The railing features intricate balusters that resemble original Victorian millwork, made of high-density urethane that won't need repainting.

A stately home seems closed up and out of touch with the beautiful tree-lined lot. But the after-photo reveals the antidote: an elegant front porch addition that connects the home to the land. Oversize French doors provide entry. Tall columns set on a bluestone floor complete the picture of elegance.

Reviving an old porch can also revive the home. The before photo shows a down-on-its-luck porch on a 125-year old Italianate home. The after photo shows a restored beauty, complete with new paint that enhances the decorative features of this grand home's facade.

The new entrance on this 1896 home features wide steps with a gentle curve to the roof above the pillars. The porch is simply furnished, with just a few chairs and a porch swing.

A Cape Cod gets a big upgrade with the addition of a wrap-around front porch. By extending the roofline along the front and side of the house, the porch addition adds both square feet and additional use to the front of their home, not to mention street-side charm.

A ho-hum Colonial was devoid of architectural detail. A porch addition fixed that. Lush landscaping and a flagstone walkway invite passersby to admire the home's shady porch.