Porches

How to Replace a Porch Column Base

This Old House General contractor Tom Silva shows a homeowner how to remove and repair the rot eating away at his porch’s support post.

7 Fun (and Easy) Fall Porch Decor Ideas

Welcome fall and your guests with these seasonal decorating ideas that make a colorful impression.

Screened-In Porch Ideas

Extend your outdoor living space in your own unique style with these DIY construction tips and décor suggestions.

How to Decorate a Sunroom

See these decorative sunroom ideas to maximize your light-filled oasis.

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How to Build a Low-Maintenance Home

While there’s no such thing as a maintenance-free house, it is important to invest in the right materials that will go the distance for you and your home. Read our guide to the best materials to make your home a low maintenance one.

Celebrate the Fourth of July: How to Hang the American Flag

Ask This Old House carpenter and U.S. Navy veteran Nathan Gilbert explains the proper way to hang and display a U.S. flag.

How to Build and Hang a Custom Screen Door

Ask This Old House general contractor helps a homeowner build a custom screen door to fit her unique front entryway.

Get a Safer, Stronger Material for Your Porch

Even the best-treated wood can cup, buckle, and warp. If you’re in the market for porch products, here’s what you should know about an alternative to wood that’s guaranteed to stand the test of time, at a price that’s competitive with pine and fir.

All About Porches

Let’s talk about all the details that can make a perfect porch.

Build Removable Wood-Framed Screens

Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor illustrate how to make removable screens for a screened porch

Modern Porch Materials With Period-Perfect Appeal

Finally, a porch flooring, ceiling, and shutter product that combines the period-authentic charm of wood with the durability of synthetics—in a structurally superior, paintable, historically accurate product that’s guaranteed not to warp, rot, or buckle. Read on to see how this uniquely formulated alternative can add sustainable style to your home.

Reader Project | How to Build a Porch Pirate-Proof Bench

A reader shares his ingenious solution for safeguarding delivered packages

How to Hang a Porch Swing through Vinyl

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva adds structure to a porch in order to safely hang a swing

Behind the Scenes: Jamestown Porch

The Net Zero house gets a handsome place to sit a spell

How to Build a Simple Porch Swing

This streamlined outdoor seat is budget-friendly and simple to build using basic cuts and common stock

Photoshop Redo: Reinventing a Style Misfit

A 1970s split-level gets a curb-appeal boost from an inviting entry porch, new siding, and updated windows and trimwork

Turn a Porch Into an Outdoor Room with Shutters

Install shutters outdoors to create this character-filled look

Welcoming Front Porch for $286

A little paint and some seating transform a neglected entry area into a charming outdoor room

How to Replace a Broken Front Porch Board

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva fixes a front porch by replacing a deck board

How to Patch a Porch Floor

An easy upgrade for safer stepping

How to Build Porch Stairs

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva builds a safe and solid set of porch stairs.

How to Install a Porch Column

Tom Silva shows the proper way to install a structural and decorative column on a front porch. He also demonstrates several ways to install weatherproof flashing