MAKEOVER: Jenny’s Perfect Porch
Every home has a story. And if we had our way, each would end with: “so they built a front porch, and they all lived happily ever after.” Ok maybe that’s just a fantasy. But for one Westport family, it’s a fact.
When Jenny and Luke McGuinness gutted their house, they had a long list of elements they wanted to include in the renovation. At the top of that list was a porch. Like all neurotic home renovators, they stalked other area homes whose porches they admired. From there they cobbled together a porch recipe of their own which involved:
Pillars
A metal roof
Un-fussy decking material
A pair of French doors, large, centered
Floor to ceiling windows
A porch swing
Plenty of comfy places to sit
To start with, they considered the scale of pillars. Jenny admits it got a little “three bears-y” as the couple over-thought whether certain sizes would be too big, too little, or just right for the home. They decided the larger scale would overpower the porch, and felt too grand for their laid back, farmhouse vibe. So they scaled down, kept lines clean, and used Azek for the pillars themselves as well as the moldings at the caps and base of each.
Next was finding the right decking material. The couple had heard rave reviews from friends about Trex, a highly-durable composite man-made material. They loved that it was zero maintenance (especially given the high-sun exposure that side of the home gets), and would stand up to high traffic and abuse from the kids. They found a perfect neutral, Trex in Pebble Grey, with some warmth in it that really complemented the tone of their exterior paint color.
Jenny says they wanted the focal point of the porch to be a pair of large french doors, as an easy invitation to come indoors or outside. These were then anchored by floor to ceiling windows the couple chose to flank the door and match its weightiness. Her mantra for the renovation was “let there be light,” and Anderson Windows somehow took a “very terrible sketch I made on a post-it and made it happen,” says Jenny.
In an earlier time, the home and property was part of a large farm in Old Hill, a historic neighborhood in Westport, CT, that extended from Stony Brook Road all the way to Kings Highway. In keeping with its roots, the couple added various farmhouse details into their renovation. One was with the siding: they selected white cedar shakes for a large portion of the exterior, and then transitioned the material where the house turns 90 degrees. Here they used vertical barn siding and simply white-washed it instead of painting that section. This adds some visual interest to one end of the porch, and increases the warmth of the outdoor space overall with some texture.
When it was time to furnish the finished porch, priority 1 was installing a porch swing. It gets as much use from grown-ups as it does from kids, though some of the grandparents mutter that they can’t get out of it once they’re in it. Adjacent to the swing, a pair of comfy chairs creates an intimate sitting area, and across the way is a large couch for snoozing in the sun. Just below the porch, the couple installed a large granite fire pit surrounded by blue stone. And the family uses it extensively for s’mores consumption.
When the construction dust finally cleared and the project was complete, the family was happy with the outcome. “Our porch really brought the design of the house together, and made it look like it had always been integrated into the architecture,” says Jenny. But something unexpected happened too: they didn’t anticipate how much the porch would become integrated into their daily lives.
According to Jenny, the porch has absolutely become the heart of their home, and is the most-used space after their kitchen. She calls it a “shape-shifter,” because it’s been everything from an outdoor living room and entertaining space, to a home office, a remote learning classroom for her kids during Covid lockdown, and a marriage sanctuary where she and her husband sit and catch up or decompress together after a long day. Because the home abuts a nature preserve and wetlands, the porch is also a front row seat to the comings and goings of hordes (and herds!) of animals. The McGuinness boys affectionately call it a “nature highway.” It is most certainly an outdoor room with a view.
Tips for A Great Porch:
Define: create the space according to how you live. Are you outdoorsy? Then maybe you stow your hiking boots or surfboard right on the porch for easy access. Are you a consummate host? Then maybe you install an outdoor sound system and a drink fridge. Or do you like outdoors, but only from a distance? Then maybe you elect to make your porched a screened-in space.
Decor: find furniture that looks good but is hardy, too! There are so many fabulous styles in durable, man-made materials, and often these can be left out all year, hosed down to spruce them up, and require no other maintenance. This will allow you to enjoy the space in all seasons, even if it’s with a cup of cocoa under a warm wool blanket in January. The McGuinness family loves the clean, modern lines and durability of these polyethylene Adirondack chairs from Room + Board. (Luke’s favorite detail is the bottle opener built into the underside of the arm rest).
Details: soften up the outdoors by bringing in elements to warm up the space, like planters, bushes or — literally — a firepit next to the porch, like the McGuinness family chose to do. Adding in these touches quickly takes a porch from utilitarian to inviting.
