Even if you don't have the room for vast covered entrance or separate porch, even small porch ideas can add value to your home in terms of their practicality and design value.
Whether you want to create a covered area from where you can shelter from the elements before stepping inside, or simply want to elevate your entrance a touch, finding the right porch ideas usually means balancing size, design and cost.
And, if cost is the driving factor behind your decision, the benefit of small porch ideas is they can often be fitted on a DIY basis too. From simple canopies to more elaborate designs, here's 17 small porch ideas to inspire you.
Designing your small porch ideas
Just because small porch ideas are obviously going to be on the more compact side when compared with those that might offer a little more in the way of square footage, they can still have a huge impact on the way you use your home as well as its kerb appeal say the experts.
In order for your porch to be worthwhile you need to think through what you want to use it for – shelter from the elements, outdoor shoe storage and so on – as well as the style of your house and how its design can enhance it.
"The fronts of our houses are our public face, so please make them welcoming to the street," says architect, David Nossiter. "Consider your small porch ideas as a place to rest and somewhere for callers to shelter from the rain when waiting at your front door.
"This space need not be huge and in fact in many cases smaller porches will look far more in proportion than a hulking structure that detracts from the rest of the façade."
David is a chartered RIBA architect, an RIBA Conservation Registrant and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. A Director of David Nossiter Architects with expertise in residential architecture, David received acclaim for the conversion of a dilapidated Listed barn into a contemporary dwelling. He is a member of the London Borough of Merton’s Design Review Panel, a multi disciplinary team of independent professionals who advise on design quality within the built environment. David teaches at the University of Brighton and the RIBA Studio post-graduate architecture Masters Degree programmes.
1. Tie design elements together with paintwork and finishes
If you're weighing up an enclosed vs open porch, for your small ideas, whichever option you end up choosing, making sure your porch and home feel connected are essential when designing the finished look.
In this simple pitched roof small porch idea with open sides, the brickwork and paint colours are all matched to the home, giving a cohesive finish. Opting for a darker paint, also helps the structure to feel more imposing, even though it's not vast in terms of overall size.
2. Pack in plenty of small porch storage
If you're considering a small porch extension in order that you can find a home for the mountains of coats and shoes that seem to invade many homes, getting your storage right is key.
Use clever combination such as shoe storage with a seat and wall hooks with double hooks to ensure you can fit everything in. A simple cupboard can provide extra space for bags and more shoes, as well as a resting place for a small table lamp to illuminate your small porch idea on dark and gloomy days.
These storage solutions will work with small porch ideas
This compact shoe bench is available in two different finishes and provide space for 8 pairs of shoes
Add a triple layer storage solution for inside your small porch with this wall mounted shelf
Keep dirty boots dry and your floors clean with this simple boot rack perfect for placing in your small porck
3. Play with proportions
As with all the external elements that make up the façade of your home, one of the key things to keep in mind is proportion – that is, ensuring that they all work together in such a way that one element doesn't detract or overwhelm the other.
"The porch needs to work in proportion with the house – you don’t want to overwhelm it but you still want it to stand out," agrees experienced homes and interior journalist Rebecca Foster.
This home is great inspiration for anyone after modern extension ideas, made up of a renovated period cottage and a contemporary addition. The two work in perfect harmony, and although the overall end result has created a large home, the small porch canopy sits happily alongside the elegant details elsewhere on the cottage.
Rebecca began her journalism career writing for a luxury property magazine in Bangkok, before re-locating to London and becoming a features editor for a self build magazine. She is an experienced homes and interiors journalist and has written for many homes titles including Homebuilding & Renovating, Ideal Home and Period Living.
She has expertise on a wealth of topics – from oak frame homes to kitchen extensions. She has a passion for Victorian architecture; her dream is to extend an 1800s house.
4. Be bold with your colour choice
Taking inspiration from the porch vs veranda concept, this metal porch with its detailed fretwork is a lesson in how choosing the right colours can bring you joy.
After all, what better way is there to to bring a smile to your face when leaving or entering your home than with a burst of bright, sunshine yellow.
Carrying the colour scheme through to the front door also helps to make this small porch idea feel even more expansive than it is. For a similar shade, try this Vintro Sunflower Chalk Paint from Amazon, it's suitable for use indoors and outdoors.
5. Don't assume an oak frame porch needs to be big
If it's oak frame porches that tickle your fancy, remember that is quite possible to have one without going supersize.
There are many different styles of oak frame porch, from enclosed designs that act as a kind of front extension, to those that are open on two sides. When it comes to smaller porches, consider a simple oak frame canopy that extends just slightly out from the house.
This example shows how even a tiny timber frame canopy can add a new dimension to a house at the same time as providing a useful shelter.
6. Choose a modern glass canopy
Although porch canopies are often covered, they might not work on a modern home, or one that's already struggling with natural light. So, rather than opting for a traditional oak or metal canopy, instead choose something more contemporary, such as this glass door canopy from Amazon.
Still providing some shelter from the rain when entering and exiting your home, it's also the perfect match to the crisp grey and white exterior and doesn't prevent light from entering the glass side panel, helping to improve your hallway lighting too.
7. Match the porch roof to the main roof
While porches that are designed to sit in complete contrast to the rest of the house can, in certain circumstances, work brilliantly, in most cases, a design that reflects the shapes, size or materials of the main house will work best.
This neat open porch is the perfect pairing for the house it sits against. It has a matching pitched slate roof, and the timber structure is reflected both elsewhere on the exterior design as well as from within, thanks to the design of the staircase idea that is clearly visible through the full-height architectural glazing.
8. Consider a small enclosed porch
In some cases, a porch can actually help create more space within your home. If you are after some hallway ideas that can help expand the footprint of your home, then do consider how an enclosed porch could actually transform the way in which you can use your home.
Here, a dainty porch creates an airlock between inside and out and features plenty of glazing to in order to pull lots of natural light into the spaces beyond. If however you need the space for storage, a version with less glazing may be more practical instead.
9. Use metal framework for a small rear porch idea
Although small porch ideas are often considered in conjunction with the front of your home, there's no reason why the concept can't be extended to the rear of your property too.
Here, a simple metal arbour is attached to the rear entrance of a stone clad property, defining the entrance and adding a striking design feature to an otherwise simple and traditional door design.
10. Paint your porch ceiling for a fresh New England feel
The New England style of architecture is extremely popular here in the UK, with homeowners drawn by its fresh, unfussy appeal.
American-style homes tend to have some defining features, such as painted timber cladding, verandas, a one-and-a-half storey design with dormer windows and, of course, a porch. While this porch is sometimes replaced by a veranda or formed from an overhanging section of roof, this does not have to be the case.
In the design of this house, a simple flat-roofed canopy projects out over the front door. Painting the underside in a crisp white lends the whole façade a fresh, breezy coastal feel.
11. Build a dainty porch to allow the house to shine
If you are keen to provide a shelter over or around your front door, but are worried that it might detract from the details and materials used in the overall design of your home, keep things lightweight and delicate. Less is more is often a far better solution than trying to opt for grandeur.
This beautiful stone-built period property features a simple slimline timber porch made up of just two posts supporting a small pitched roof finished with slate, meaning the colours and textures of the stone and elegant sash windows are still allowed to shine.
12. Showcase your front door with an arched entrance
Older terraced properties often have tall, narrow arched porches in front of traditional front doors with transom windows. And while there's little you can do to the actual porch design itself, you can instead use it as an opportunity to add some wow factor to your front door ideas.
In this small porch idea, a bright and colourful stained glass effect window film has been used to great effect. As well as providing privacy from passers by on the street, it's a more cost effective way of referencing the historic nature of the home.
Try these window films with small porch ideas
Try this delicate frosted window film if you're looking for a simple design that adds privacy
Try this DIY stained glass effect film that adds character but still lets light flood in
Add a striking colourful light effect with this diamond patterned window film that will also provide privacy
13. Pair a flat-roofed porch with a pitched roof
The type of roof that you finish off your porch with can really have a huge impact on the final appearance of your home so do give thought to this element in order to do your home justice, no matter what size porch you are considering.
Changing the style of roofline used elsewhere on the house for your porch is an idea that can work really well to draw attention to an interesting roof shape.
Here, the sloping roof extends slightly over the front wall of the house, while the porch roof is a simple flat structure supported by two chunky oak posts.
14. Don't forget your lighting in small porch ideas
Regardless of size of your porch, it's still essential to get your porch lighting ideas right.
"Homeowners want ample lighting for their porches to illuminate their entryway, regardless of size," says David Gray, co-founder and product director at Corston Architectural Detail. "It makes it easier to find keys, remove muddy shoes, or welcoming guests to stay.
"A well-lit entrance also enhances safety and convenience," he adds, but that doesn't mean you need to opt for glaring bright lights.
"We would advise having warm white lighting in the porch," says David. "You want to create a welcoming ambience and keep the lighting soft. The porch is the first glimpse you or a guest have of your home, so first impressions count."
David is the co-founder and product direct at Corston Architectural Detail, a company offering a wide selection of hardware, sockets, switches and lighting to suit a variety of homes.
15. Use an oak frame porch to inject character
Oak frame porches both big and small are the perfect way to give any property a character boost, lending a solid, classy feel.
If you decide that you would like a small oak frame porch, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. They might well require foundations, although this doesn't usually present too much of an issue.
"The depth of the footings are typically much less than would be required for a house built on normal ground conditions," reassures Rebecca Foster.
They also tend to cost a little more than some other styles of porch.
"While porches are much smaller in scale than primary oak frames or oak frame extensions, the carpentry/jointing involved is no less,” says Fergus Stuart, design and project consultant at Carpenter Oak.
This beautiful oak porch might not be huge but it certainly packs a style punch and finishes the house off perfectly.
16. Fit a DIY canopy over the door for an easy solution
If you are after an easy small porch idea that won't cost a fortune, then do take the time to consider some front door canopy ideas that you can fit on a DIY basis.
While canopies don't necessarily offer the same kind of space or shelter as a porch, they are still a useful way to protect both you and your front door from the full force of the elements.
This pretty design is the Canopia Iris Door canopy from B&Q – it is made from rust-proof aluminium and galvanised steel and costs £550.
17. Add stylish outdoor storage to your small porch
If your small porch ideas have to be limited to canopy ideas that sit above the front door, but you still need somewhere safe to store deliveries, think about adding some external storage that also adds character.
This stylish wooden parcel box with integrated planter from Amazon is a great example of purposeful design. A large lidded storage section to the rear provides ample space for parcels, while the front planter allows you to brighten your entrance and can easily be integrated into your front garden ideas.
FAQs
Does a small porch require planning permission?
Porch planning permission is far less likely to be needed for a smaller structure than it would be for a larger, more substantial one.
"Depending on the details of your home and the exact area you are in, you might be able to build a small porch without the need to go through a full planning permission application," says professional planning consultant Simon Rix. "If any part of your porch will be higher than 3 meters from ground level, then a planning application will be required. In terms of horizontal size, you will need to submit a planning application if you want to build a porch larger than 3 square meters."
Simon Rix is a professional planning consultant, who began his career working in local government in the 1990s. He was a council officer and later an elected councillor, so he knows how the planning system works from both sides. He went on to set up Planix.UK Planning Consultants Ltd; a consultancy company that advises self builders, home extenders and those taking on small to medium-sized building projects on planning permission.
Do porches require building regulations approval?
The good news for anyone considering a small porch is that it will probably not require porch building regulations approval. For it to be exempt your porch must be:
- Less than 30m2
- Separate from the habitable parts of the dwelling by external quality windows/doors.
- Any heating/cooling systems should have independent controls/thermostat.
Looking for more small porch ideas? Looking at the roof is a great way of adding an additional design feature. If you hadn't before considered finishing off your porch with a green roof then maybe now is the time to start. Green roofs come with many benefits. For one, they up the sustainability of your home but they are also capable of absorbing the heat from the sun and CO2. They can also absorb up to 70% of the water that falls on them.
