Mason’s Tips for Creating an Inviting Front Porch in Jamestown, RI

Your front porch is the part of your home that says the first “Welcome!” to your guests. Just like a special front door can really up the curb appeal of a home, an inviting front porch for your Jamestown, RI, home should be a spot that wows those who visit. Read on for a mason’s tips for creating an inviting front porch.

Focus on Style

The style of your front porch should reflect the overall architecture of a home. If your home already has quite a bit of rock work on display, it can be beautiful to continue that same type of rock onto a front porch. But sometimes, it is unexpected to do a contrasting, but complementary, stone on the front steps and porch floor. Likewise, if your home has an urban vibe, a white modular stone or a dark rectangular stone can set off the entryway from the rest of the front.

Related: 4 Ideas for Utilizing Natural Stone in your Newport, RI, Landscape Design

Go Over the Design Possibilities

While most front porches are pretty straightforward, changing up the entry can completely change the appearance of a home. Consider stone steps that offer access from both sides of the sidewalk, a dual entry stairway to a landing of sleek flagstone. Or maybe you choose a river stone porch topped with flat, rectangular paving stones accented by wide and deep steps. This can allow multiple people to walk side by side as they approach the entry, encouraging them to take some time to chat as they make their way to your front door.Curving steps and a wide landing make an elegant impact to your home’s façade. If your landscape has different elevations, then you might love the idea of wide stone steps with landings along the way so that your guests can stop to enjoy the plants and trees in their glory.Railings can have a substantial impact on the look of a stone front porch. Wood railings tend to be warm and inviting, and they can be thick and sturdy, or unique and decorative. Wrought iron railings offer a classic look and work with most any home’s architecture. A more contemporary home might look perfect with steel cable as part of the railing. Finally, think about adding a cover to your front porch if it does not have one.Related: How Masonry Contractors Can Spice Up Your Backyard Patio in Bristol, RI

Consider Pillars and Lights

With stone pillars and new lighting, your friends and neighbors will think you have the prettiest house on the block! All some porches need to look fresh, and an updated appearance could come in the form of replacing existing columns or pillars with stone bases. Even homes lose their style sometimes as the look changes, and updating a few strategic parts can bring it into the current design times. That is true for columns and pillars—covering these elements with pretty stone topped with painted wood can really make the front porch look new again.Lights are a fairly simple way perk up the curb appeal of your front porch. Choosing a larger fixture or a different shape can bring more light and brightness to the porch at nighttime. Low level lighting gives an ambient glow that just makes the whole landscape seem more inviting.