Like much of the world, we have been spending a lot of time at home in 2020. It’s taking homebodies to a whole new level. (Pssst: We are so thankful that we’ve been able to stay home and stay healthy. Hope that the same goes for you.)
Our calendars are clear, our fridge is full, and we are even checking some projects off the list – like adding porch skirting to the front of the house.
Guys. I have wanted this project done for YEARS. But for some reason (like so many other projects), it kept getting pushed to the back burner.
Ryan wants to blame the hundreds of OTHER projects I have wanted done for years. Eye roll. That doesn’t seem right.
In the end, Ryan purchased all the lumber and installed it all in one day! On what was likely the hottest day of the year in the full sun. That’s true love right there.
We still need to paint it (more about that below) – but it’s already a huge improvement.
To remind you, it was totally open underneath the front porch to the concrete foundation before – which meant it just looked unfinished. Not to mention, there were always tons of weeds under there that were difficult to get to.
I can’t tell you how many times I bashed my head trying to get under there to pull thistle. It was a problem.
Now … we have a lovely backdrop that seems to make the plants look even better. (We also extended this garden bed out and are working on getting it to fill in with plants. One step at a time.)
It’s really surprising how one simple addition can make such a huge difference – even before it’s completely finished.
There are lots of different ways to skirt the porch – we wanted something simple and chose to run pressure treated decking boards horizontally (the boards are 5/4 x 6 inch decking boards). On the corners and in the center of the front, we ran a vertical 2×8 post that is designed to extend from the posts above.
We also installed screening behind the boards the entire way around the porch. This is to keep critters – especially wasps – out. We have had several wasp nests around the front porch and we didn’t want to have nests under the porch that we couldn’t get to.
The other side of the porch is less visible because of all the plants, but it still looks much more finished.
Let’s just take a slight detour now – because it’s a good time to show off all our flowers. (Check out how they looked when we first planted the perennial beds them four years ago.)
The flowers are showing off this year.
Anyhow, I’ll paint the skirting to blend into the house. But I need to let the wood dry out a bit. But, that’s where all the CHOICES come in …
Option 1 – Light Grey (Behr Pumice), the same color as the porch floor and the lighter grey on the top peak
Option 2 – Dark Grey (Behr Magnet), the same color as the main siding
I think either way, I’ll paint the vertical posts white. I’ve already vetoed all white because I think it will be way too bright with the white railings.
(Related posts: Our full exterior color palette and more info about engineered wood siding.)
What would you choose? Dark grey or light grey?
(Full disclosure – I’ll probably do whatever I want anyhow. 😉 But I have been known to change my mind and I love to hear new ideas.)
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I”m firmly in the dark grey camp and love the idea of the white posts extending all the way down.
What a great idea! We have an area under part of our back deck that is open like this, and I know exactly what you mean about hard to get weeds. I may have to consider something similar for my deck. Thanks for the inspiration! Also, I would go with the light grey because the plants will pop more in front of it. 🙂
Hi 👋 Very fun to see your DIY! I love the wood skirt. I kinda like the idea of light gray in the front and your dark gray on the sides. I was thinking white in the front and dark gray on the sides before you showed your options 😉 But any of those picks are good. I love a gray and white combo!!
What a beautiful look and a great idea! We are not thrilled with the checkered one under our deck, perhaps we will one day use yours as inspiration. I vote dark grey paint 😃
Thank you so much! It’s always nice to have a little upgrade – and I was shocked at how quickly this project went. It’s a good weekend DIY!
What a great idea to back the wood to keep wasps out! What did you do on the ground under there? We ended up having to stake landscape fabric down under ours to keep mud from splattering (ours is an uncovered deck) during heavy rain and keep the stray weed from growing.
Looks great. I would go dark so the rain water oversplash off the garden wouldn’t be as noticeable.
That’s a good point! There will definitely be grime and dirt there.
He left the screen piece longer than the bottom of the skirting and will cover it with mulch to keep it down.
Everything looks really great! I vote light grey if you want contrast, dark grey if you want it blend in with the house.
It’s great to “see” you, Deb. I think you are right – I just need to decide whether I want contrast or blending. 😉