Ornate front porch

[thegreenlight]

My 30s house has a very boring and plain frontage - we have decided to stay and do some work. We are having a bay fitted and I thought a porch would be nice (currently have arched doorway but no porch as it has been filled in to make the hall bigger). I started simple but things have escalated and I have fallen in love with this porch - planning on painting it this colour and having matching taupe/mushroom door and windows too. What do we think? Too much? I thought it had a bit of a 30s vibe maybe?

I love the porch but it has more of a country cottage vibe to me.

What style is your house? Could you post a pic of the facade or a similar facade to see what would match the style?

Thanks for the reply. It’s very plain. I have seen this porch used on a new build though. I’m having a full box bay put in too and new windows and doors to match the colour of the porch.

I did a VERY bad mock up of what it would look like. The windows will match the porch too.

I love it, and I also love an eclectic mix.
In fact, if it was me, I'd probably add shutters, too!

Inside the house there are a ton of period features (very early 30s so quite Victorian with a beautiful fireplace, picture rails and high skirting) my style is quite cottagey too.

It is beautiful, but really not sure it goes with the windows. Are they PVC? Can you paint them

I’m having new flush casement windows in the same colour as the porch (a grey mushroom taupe colour) and a new box bay put in too.

I think all those changes could make it look a bit out of keeping with the rest of the road which tends to look odd. I’d also have my reservations about that mushroom grey working with the colour of the brickwork.

I do think the facade could look cuter but I’d probably just spend money on a bespoke door that fits the shape in the brickwork, put in matching windows (the upstairs one look different style), add some nice window dressings and lovely planting, eg climbers going up the house.

Oh, and a nice tiled path with plants either side would look sweet provided it doesn’t compromise off street parking.

That’s quite nice.

Yes that is very nice - but they have a brick porch. I am paying to have a new door and new windows too. The road is very varied with a lot painted white with anthracite windows and wood cladding. Others are very 70s. A real mix. I would love my house to look like that one but it doesn’t. The arch is too small to do much with either.

Fair enough if it’s a real mix of a road. It’ll look very cute when you’ve done all the work!

We've just come back from Dorset and all the period cottages were done with porches like that. Personally, while it's lovely in 1800s rural cottages, I don't think it goes with a 1930s suburban style semi. We have one ourselves and want to re-do our porch as it's not that nice and has got damp etc so we are looking at a rebuild.

I live not far from the house where John Lennon grew up, which is the picture attached. I think that's more in keeping with the style of house although I wouldn't have a flat roof and I might alter the shape of the glass in the top door panel ever so slightly. Probably not black either but not sure.

I think it doesn’t work op when you look at rhe pic closely. It’s clearly a country cottage porch stuck on a 1930s semi, and it’s not in keeping but it’s your house, and if you like it that’s all that matters. It is a pretty porch though.

It's pretty. But you're basically just buying yourself a very expensive ornament with lots of maintenance requirements in years to come.

I personally don't think it goes at all Im afraid.

It doesn't quite go with the house. You could almost get away with it but not quite. You might need some rambling roses or ivy to bring it together.

It depends whether you're trying to restore it to it's former character or just adding features that you like. I agree it's a shame when people take unusual homes and add a mish mash of styles that take away from the original character, but 1930s semis are ubiquitous, and some more characterful than others, so I think you can have a much freer hand if you're not wedded to being faithful to the original style.

The Victorians whacked ruddy great gothic wings onto Georgian houses etc, but when done at great scale these things seem to be more acceptable.

It's your house, if you like it, why not!

I get what people are saying - that porch on John Lennon’s house is horrific! I don’t see how that is more in keeping. I have seen it used on a new build as I said. This is giving me second thoughts. I just like it so much. If I had my way I would move to a country cottage! DH adores the house and area (which is a very nice area and the house is nice inside too). A lot to think about

Maybe you could reinstate the bay window first and change the other windows and the door as planned. And then see how you feel. It might be that the porch doesn't seem so necessary, or that you feel it's no longer the right style once the other things are done.

The problem is that you like country cottage style and your house is a 1930s box and isn't even vaguely country cottagey. The trick is to research 1930s/40s features and see which of those you like.

It's really difficult. Im about to start our porch. An all american verandah style porch on an early 50s boxy property but I can get away with it since the house is lacking in any period features at all on the front and so lends itself to being transformed into a New England farmhouse style look. Plus its in the woods away from any other properies that might give away its origins.

Take a look at back to front exterior designs. They do very large properties but it might give you some ideas of the direction you could take your house in.

Look at the woking property on the back to front exterior design website. That sort of thing might work, particularly if you're replacing the bay anyway.

Really though, your house was meant to have an insert arched porch and this would look best.

I don’t have an insert arch porch though - I feel there are so few features on the front of the house that it’s barely a 30s house. The white render and anthracite windows just isn’t me (it’s what most of my neighbours have. I know it’s a box. Thanks. I have £10,000 budget to make me love the house from outside. I’m open to ideas. It doesn’t go far .

Well I live in a 1930s semi and we added something similar plus a wooden painted front door and it looks great. We love it! Really improved the front of the house. I think it looks great op. If you love it go for it. And I agree the one on John Lennons house is ugly as sin!