New House Journal: Timber Frame Front Porch

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We worked most of the weekend painting the laundry/bath and Hearth Room/Kitchen. One project we took on called for some study and investigation. Today,  I'm sharing a little Pinterest inspiration that I gathered, to help me find a solution for a front porch "mini makeover" on our new house. To say I was not a fan of the front porch is an understatement. The house is a long drawn out 60's brick "ranch" that has a lovely setting, but just left me lacking that home-y English Cottage feel that I love.

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We've really enjoyed being in our current home but we need more living space on the main level. I'm giving up my newer "cottage" to have a larger main level. We will have a basement, but with a smaller living space with storage.

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So, back to the front porch...

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When I first posted about our plans on the move I said that "the 60's had called and wanted their front porch back". I lived through the 60's the first time and I wasn't interested in returning to a housing trend that is still evident in our small city. It didn't feel to me that it fit the overall look of the house.

Listing Photo

The lacy scroll-y iron work is pretty, just not on this house. I think a lot of homeowners would like to think of an update for their older homes, but don't know what or how to accomplish it. What we did wasn't very expensive and required our guys only a day's work to cut out the iron column and railings and replace it with the cedar beams and brackets.

Listing Photo

I think I've watched every rerun of "Fixer Upper" at least twice, and one of their "fixes" for a front porch makeover is this Timber Frame look. Also called a European Timber Frame, this works for many of the "Fixer Upper" type homes that are long "ranches".

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This is so pretty, but alas, it is not our house.
 Don't you love that arched gothic front door?

You can see that all these pics have rough cut vertical posts and curved bracket supports. Many have the European Truss look, but our front porch already had a roof in place. It just needed something more up-to-date for support columns and the curved braces.

You can see by the tools and soda cups

 that our work guys had just backed out of the photo shot.

So, this is what we came up with. We plan on painting the posts and brackets white in the Spring when we can rely on some warmer weather. In the meantime I'm loving the change, and the cedar works as a facelift for the porch. The Bittersweet Orange door? ...still not sure and will probably wait until we get the white paint on this Spring before I can decide. This may not seem much of a makeover since it's still in progress, but for us changing out the dated ironwork is a major improvement.

The hardwood floors are in (beautiful) and some of the carpet. One bedroom was cut short, so hopefully it will be finished in a week or two. We're coming along, but sometimes it seems like our list gets longer as we go.

I'm really missing decorating for Christmas, but I'm trying to stay focused on the remodel. I'm hoping there can be a little Christmas sprinkled over there before too long. I had some furniture delivered last Friday, so I'll share that soon. The Hearth Room will definitely be "cozy"!

joining in here:

Sunday at Home at Little Farmstead

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Dishing It and Digging It at DIY180

The Scoop at Cedarhill Farmhouse

Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle

Tips and Tutorials at Home Stories A to Z

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Keep in Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Share Your Style at 21 Rosemary Lane

Style Showcase at Shabby Fufu

Wonderful Wednesday at LeCultivateur

Thursday Favorite Things at Follow the Yellow Brick Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage