Budget Front Porch Makeover

This Budget Front Porch Makeover has been such a huge project for me and I’m so excited to show you the end result!

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For the month of September, I’ve been working my tail off to transform the front of my home from a boring and embarrassing weed pit to a beautiful entrance that I’m totally proud of. And I’ve been doing it while trying to spend the least amount of money possible.

But, before I show you the pretty stuff, check out these before pictures. My front porch was a bland, neglected space with no personality. And that mud pit! It was seriously so embarrassing.

But, with lots of DIY-ing the transformation is pretty incredible!

I worked hard to create the most impact for the least amount of money by using items I already had on hand for many of my projects. I broke down how much money I spent on my Budget Front Porch Makeover at the bottom of this post.

Budget Front Porch Makeover Projects

DIY Raised Flower Bed

The biggest impact is the raised flower bed. This project was so big and intimidating to me, but it was so worth it! I can’t wait to start in on some fall planting in a few weeks, and then go all out once spring hits. 

The most important thing when building this raised bed was to fix the terrible drainage issues that caused the previous flower bed to flood every time it rained. By mixing compost and other organic matter into the existing clay soil and then adding some new soil on top I’m hoping this issue is solved. Once the heavy winter rains roll around I’ll really know if my drainage problems have been resolved.

The flower bed was the most expensive project that I did in my Budget Front Porch Makeover. This is a project that I’ve been avoiding for years and I knew that I would have to drop some money to really do it right. The materials for building the flower bed cost me about $70 and I spent about $60 on soil and compost.

I still have the cost of additional soil, mulch and plants for the flower bed. These are things that I purchase slowly over the next six months or so. I will probably end up spending around $225-$250 total for this project by the time I finish planting in the spring. Pretty amazing for a landscaping project that has such a huge impact on my curb appeal!

DIY Furniture and Wall Decor

I also built new matching furniture for this once empty wall leading up to the front door. These builds were pretty simple and you can grab the bundle of woodworking plans in my woodworking plan shop.

When creating the woodworking plans for the furniture items, I first browsed my scrap wood pile to see what I had on hand. Then, I created plans based on what I had available to me. This prevented me from having to take extra trips to Lowe’s and saved me quite a bit of money.

Modern 2×4 Bench

I tackled the Modern 2×4 Bench first and I LOVE how it turned out. This simple bench set the style for the rest of the items I created. It’s a basic bench with a unique twist on the shape of the legs.

My toddler “helped” me with this build and still talks about it several weeks later. He’s a proud little guy and loves sitting on it for a morning snack after we water the flowers. Seeing my family actually use furniture that I’ve built is the best reward!

DIY Geometric Wall Art

Next came the DIY Geometric Wall Art – can you believe this beauty is made from scrap fence pickets?? It adds some much needed vertical interest to this big wall. The white definitely stands out and I love seeing it from all the way down the road when I’m driving home.

I have received lots of compliments from neighbors on this piece and it was seriously so easy. And cheap! The design is made from fence pickets ripped to 1” width and then cut at a 45 degree angle to create the design. I have full woodworking plans with a printable piecing pattern available for download in my woodworking plan shop.

DIY Outdoor Plant Shelf

The last piece of new furniture I built is my DIY Outdoor Plant Shelf. I am a plant lover through and through and needed some more space to display my potted plants. This shelf does the trick.

My favorite feature is the hook at the top for displaying hanging plants. Right now I have some scrappy looking purslane hanging there that I rescued from the clearance rack. It’s slowly filling out, but I’m imagining a lush fern hanging in this spot next spring or some colorful flowers. 

This was another pretty simple build, using only basic lumber and basic tools. I’ve already filled it up, so some new plant shelving may have to be added to the front porch in the future. For now, I’m so happy with this tall beauty!

The matching furniture, decor and plants seriously transformed this wall from empty and boring to an amazing statement piece. All with simple woodworking projects and sticking to a pretty strict budget.

Finishing Touches

Once these big projects were complete, my front porch still didn’t quite feel done yet. So I started in on a few extra projects that would add some more color. I was going for colorful fall decor and I’m so glad that didn’t just stick to the traditional black and orange. This colorful vibe is so much more my aesthetic and should transition into other seasons.

I made a new rag wreath for the front door using scrap fabric from my never-ending fabric stash. Rag wreaths are so easy to make – I was able to make this one start to finish while watching a few episodes of Friends. I followed the same process that I do when making a Burlap Rag Wreath.

Then, I made new covers for a few pillows using quilting cotton that I purchased nearly 2 years ago for a quilt that I just never made. I LOVE these fabrics for fall! 

Since the fabric isn’t intended for outdoors, I sprayed the pillow covers with Scotchguard to protect them a bit from the weather. I’m not too worried about them getting dirty/damaged though. I made the pillow covers removable so I can just take them off and wash them whenever I need to. 

I also refinished the big bench I built a few years ago to match the style of my new furniture. The bench was built from these plans created by Ana White. I’m not totally loving the two-toned look on this big bench, but it’s growing on me. I may make some more changes to it in the future, but for now I’m just adding a bunch of pillows. Problem solved, right?

There are few other DIY projects you might spot in the pictures. Like the yellow stacked hexagon wood flower pot I made earlier this summer. There’s also the leaf banner on the big bench that I sewed together a few years ago. And, the colorful scrap fabric garland that I finished up last week.

Budget Front Porch Makeover

I could not be more happy with my new front porch! So much work went into this area and the transformation is pretty remarkable. It’s now a place that I love to enjoy with my family and I know that we will use for years to come. Plus, I’m sure my HOA and neighbors are much happier with me now.

Budget Front Porch Makeover Money Breakdown

Raised Flower Bed: $70
Soil/Compost: $60
Modern 2×4 Bench: $0* ($15 if purchasing lumber)
DIY Outdoor Plant Shelf: $0* ($30 if purchasing lumber)
DIY Geometric Wall Art: $0* ($15 if purchasing lumber)
Paint: $8
Stain: $0* 
Rag Wreath: $0*
New Pillow Covers: $0*
New Plants: $12

*Made from supplies I already had on hand.
Total out of pocket cost: $150

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