A Different Direction For Our Front Porch Skirting
Well, my plan for yesterday didn’t quite work out. I had planned to hit the ground running on our new bedroom, starting with the installation of the hardwood flooring. I had actually hoped to get quite a bit of the flooring installed yesterday so that I could have it all finished up (the installation, not the sanding and staining) by the end of the week.
Did that happen? Nope. I wasn’t even able to start because Matt had a horrible day yesterday. I mean, just awful. There was about an hour around lunch time that I was sure he was going to end up in the hospital. I had to spend my afternoon checking on him about once every ten minutes, and it’s very hard to work on and concentrate on a project when I have to do that. But by bedtime last night, he had pulled through and was feeling much better. This morning, he’s still not back to (his) 100%, but he’s almost there.
So instead of getting any work done, I spent most of those 10-minute intervals walking around outside, dreaming, planning, admiring what’s been done, and thinking about next steps for getting the outside of our house looking like I envision it in my mind. One of the first things that stands out to me is the skirting around the front porch. The unfinished skirting shows in every picture I take, and it’s just plain ugly.
I just hate how that unfinished project (along with the two shutters that came down during storms) detracts from our new driveway and the entire look of the front of our house.
I started that project six years ago. Yikes! I started it in September 2018. If I remember correctly, I didn’t finish it because bad weather rolled in and stayed for a while. I needed the concrete to dry out before adhering more of the faux stones (I used Airstone from Lowe’s), and while waiting for that to happen, I moved on to other projects and never came back to it. And now, here we are six years later, and it’s still unfinished.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this is a project I can just finish and check off of the list. It looks like it’s going to have to be redone completely because this is the current state of the Airstone.
Do you see all those little hairline cracks? Those cracks are actually affecting the integrity of the stones. I rubbed my foot across one of them to get a leaf off, and the stone crumbled. One thing I didn’t realize with this product is that Airstone, when used outside, has to be sealed with a sealer or paint. Now that I know that I don’t think I’d ever recommend using this product outside.
So now I’m on to Plan B for the porch skirting. And for some reason, I really want the skirting on the front porch to match the skirting that I use on my workshop. I don’t know why those need to match in my mind, but I do like continuity. I don’t like it when lots of different materials are used and nothing seems to be consistent.
So whatever I use as the skirting on the front porch will also cover the open area between the workshop and the ground.
My initial thought was to try to recreate that stone look that I was initially aiming for. I found these stone panels and considered using them.
I liked that they kind of match the real Austin stone style and pattern on our house. And since our Austin stone is painted (it was painted when we bought the house, so I repainted it the current color), I knew I could paint this the same color and it would probably look like the same stone. But this was $84.71 per panel, and I’d need six panels just for the front porch. I didn’t want to spend that much on fake stone panels.
So it was back to the drawing board. After looking at probably 50 other options on Pinterest and Houzz yesterday, I’ve narrowed it down to my two favorites. The first is this clean, solid look…
Photo by Home Restoration Services, Inc. – Search porch pictures
And then the second is this lattice look, but I only like this style of lattice. I’m not sure what it’s called, but I like the horizontal and vertical lattice pieces. I’m not really a fan of the diagonal lattice designs, at least not for my house.
I think the first one probably wins by a slim margin in my mind. The style seems to go better with the interior of my house than the lattice design. Plus, I wouldn’t want open lattice, which means that I’d have to find a way to create that lattice look while actually creating a solid barrier, and that’s just added work.
So as of now, the plan is the use PVC board to create that look on my front porch. I love PVC boards because they seems to last forever. That’s what I made my shutters out of, and those look as good today as they did the day I made them. I want something that’s going to last and not require yearly maintenance, so PVC boards fit that bill.
The funny thing is that today, six years later, this style appeals to me far more than the look of the stone skirting that I chose back then. And I know for a fact that I considered this style six years ago and passed it up and opted for the stone instead. Personal taste and style are always evolving, and that’s not a bad thing! It can be an expensive thing, but it’s not a bad thing. 😀
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
The pvc panels have a richness to them, they will be perfect for your home. I pray Matt is better today and ongoing.
fake stone shouldn’t be so expensive.
I agree! I was shocked that those fake stone panels cost so much. I started figuring how much it would take for the workshop. Yikes! And most of them don’t have corner options available, so I don’t like that, either.
You can’t beat a classic I always say. We filled in out wooden porch last year with concrete, a lot of concrete. Then my contractor stamped the concrete and then applied Evolve stone in a gray and then framed it out in the PVC wood and then applied the lattice. I can send you photos if you would like. It really turned out great and added so much more value to the house. The reason for our doing this was that our carpenter bees here in Tennessee seem to hail from the Jurassic world, they were literally eating us out of house and home…and barns. I love your first choice; it is so classic. I had to do something a little bigger because of how our house sits.
Cheers!
I’d love to see it! You can email me: [email protected]
I would love to see it, too! If you get a photo, can you share?
I’m with you in the skirting…the first picture.
I like your choice but don’t forget about venting the underside, especially your workshop. The moisture from the ground needs to vent to outside.
Good reminder. I probably would have forgotten that. Thank you!
That was my first thought, too. The “solid” look is very pretty, but it would probably be a good idea to have at least a little spacing between the boards to allow ventilation. You may even want to consider a small fan or two for under the crawl space. These were recommended to me when an addition diminished the size of our vents (you can put them on timers and/or remotes, so the hum won’t bother you during quiet times.
The new direction is lovely. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thank you for sharing this Carol! I’ll be researching this as a possible option for our home.
I absolutely love that first option. It is so classy and as timeless as home design can get. And yes, totally sets the same tone as your indoor trimwork! Can’t wait to see how it comes out.
Love the first option! No holes for critters to get in.
With the stone panels being so expensive, I’m sure there’s some kind of DIY molding and casting method similar to your cardboard and concrete fake rocks you were thinking about… or even just sculpting the whole thing without worrying about molds. Tons more work though haha
About a year ago, I watched a guy on YouTube carve an entire exterior wall to look like rock. It was a pretty tall retaining wall that lined a driveway, I think. He did a fantastic job, but I can’t remember what products he used. I tried to find it but couldn’t. I thought maybe I could do something like that. I really think I’ll like the white better, though.
Oh, I *love* the look of the first one! Clean, simple, yet distinctive. (I’m just not a lattice person). I hope Matt feels better today.
The clean look fits the bill! I prefer it over the “lattice” because I’ve seen so many poorly done DIY lattice covers that break & never get repaired, so the whole look they were trying to achieve is ruined. I’m not speaking of all lattice, as I lived in Louisiana & have seen it beautifully done on restored plantation homes, but the clean look suits your house best, imo.
Hope Matt is feeling 100% soon!
I am so sorry to hear about Matt’s (and your) bad day, but am relieved that he is on the mend. I am sure you are mentally and emotionally exhausted. My husband is bedridden and has Stage 5 Parkinson’s Disease. Today is a good day, but often there is a really bad day like yesterday when he was agitated and aggressive. He climbed out of the bed. It took 6 hours to get him back in and be willing to stay there.
I love to read about your projects. I am sure you get immense satisfaction from them. Your creativity makes me smile. You brighten my day. I can’t wait for each finished project while at the same time, enjoying the process.
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s Parkinson’s. I know those challenging days take everything out of you. I’m glad he’s having a better day today.
Wanted to leave a gentle reminder to you to first finish the open siding gap where your single studio door is, on the side of the house. When you were showing us your beautiful new driveway, you mentioned that this repair needed to be done ASAP, due to the onset of winter.
Good call on this, Christine!
It was the porch project that brought me to your blog! I noticed the shutters and unfinished skirting when you showed the beautiful driveway, but I didn’t want to rain on your parade at having the driveway done. 🙂
I absolutely love the first option! Traditional, classic and clean looking. I think it would compliment your house. I’m envisioning leaves and things getting stuck in the lattice and even if you put a board behind it there would be lots of corners to collect dirt and debris. I’m glad you and Matt are doing better today.
Not a fan of lattice. It always seems to look dirty after being up for a year or two. Especially the wood. And it doesn’t last long since it’s not treated. I have seen cedar and cypress that were more naturally resistant but had the price tag to go with it. Maybe the plastic (PVC?) lattice with screening stapled behind it to keep out critters and provide circulation of air. It wouldn’t be too hard to power wash the PVC.
I’m sorry to hear anout the bad day Matt had!
The first look, of course, it’s you. Maybe making two of the panels out of the square lattice for ventilation, simmetrically on each side of the stairs.
I was so busy admiring the driveway, I did not even see the skirting!
Kristi,
I love the skirting in the first photo of your two picks of skirting you choose. It will dress up any type of structure it is put on. I also think it’s a good idea to use the same skirting on both the front of your house as well as your workshop building. I think the lattice is pretty, but I feel it will create a country cottage look…which is a beautiful look, but I think your home deserves the more dressy look.
I also love the new ideas you have picked for your new bedroom.
In terms of the first one vs the lattice, is there any negative issue created with the potential lack of air flow movement under the house if its closed up like that?
I love that first style, it seems very classic, and will hopefully keep critters from nesting underneath! I do like the lattice also, but you would need to back it with something like plywood, and cover the plywood with tar paper to make it look “open.” Sounds like more work to me! I hope Matt is feeling better today. I have also had a setback in the physical area, on top of recovering from a broken shoulder, so I understand those days that throw a wrench into plans! Sounds like it pointed you in to thinking about a plan for the porch, so it might have helped!
Very sorry to hear that Matt had a difficult day. Praying for you both Kristi 🙏🏻
I like your #1 choice, not the lattice. It looks more complete and looks like animals could not get under the house or the workshop.
Glad to see you working on this.
Hope Matt is much better.