A Curb Appeal Boost

Front porch renovation by Renaissance Contracting LLC, (919) 606-0385, 
www.renaissancecontractingnc.com

BEFORE

When the owners of this cozy, fenced-in home in North Raleigh approached Renaissance Contracting, they knew the front of their house hadn’t hit its full charm potential. The brick stoop had rusted wrought-iron railings, a green canvas awning, one brass light and a screen door surrounded by vertical groove siding. It looked dated and uninviting—not the Southern hospitality aesthetic the owners were striving for. “It needed some curb appeal,” says Brandon Freeman, owner of Renaissance Contracting. “They still wanted a covered patio, but they wanted to spruce it up and make it look better.”

Freeman presented the homeowners with several 3-D renderings of designs before deciding on a final style. The first thing that needed to go, everyone agreed, was the awning. Renaissance removed the green canvas and built a flat porch roof supported by four columns, each featuring simple decorative detail near the top. The contractors also covered the stoop’s bricks with slate tiling, and painted the remaining brick to match the house; the new stones, plus a new layer of off-white shake siding make for a cleaner, more contemporary aesthetic. In addition, the owners wanted a more inviting door that would let more light into the foyer, so when the vertical siding was taken off the house, Renaissance wired a second light to the other side of the door. The old storm door was removed and replaced with a fir door that features treated-glass panes, providing both privacy and a warm, antique aesthetic.