Porch Ideas Network | Tips for Porch Lovers | Porch Experts and Resources

Porch Stories: Porches are special places for making memories.  And many of those memories are made on the front porch swing.  Shannon Lee wrote this true account of how she passed through the rituals of childhood with the front porch swing as her anchor and her mom as her sounding board.  We know you will enjoy the special memories that Shannon shares with us here. Thank you for listening! This story first appeared on the Build Direct Blog and we are pleased that Shannon narrated it for us to hear.  If you love porches, you will also love our website.  Please stop by and share your porch stories with us. Listen to all of our porch-centric podcasts.  

In the mobile home / manufactured home world, there are plentiful ways to make wonderful home improvements. Our guest, Tim Peele, President of the Mobile Home Parts Store, explains the most popular ways his customers improve their homes - both exterior and interior. Tim touches upon assorted ways that mobile and RV home owners add curb appeal and improve the original amenities of their homes - How skirting boosts the appeal of your home and helps keep critters out - The beauty of shutters and awnings - Using patio covers and custom roofing options to create a covered porch - Adding temporary or permanent space to your mobile home with a three season porch or sunroom - The #1 bathroom improvement that Tim is seeing his customers want - The #1 kitchen improvement that mobile homeowners would like to have - The difference in sizes for tubs and sinks between conventional homes and mobile homes - The many DIY tips offered on their website from replacing a door to measuring windows to repairing ceiling stains - and so many more For more details and pictures go here. Visit us at the Porch Ideas Network.        

Whether you have a covered open porch or a screened porch, you can easily and affordably turn it into a wonderful three season porch. Caison Craven from DIY Eze Breeze, one of our fine sponsors, shares with us how their screened porch windows can easily turn your screened porch into a three season porch. And not only that, how these windows keep out pollen, dirt, dust, rain and wind so that you can enjoy your porch more months of the year. - These vinyl screened porch windows are more affordable than glass windows which equates to an affordable three season porch. Maybe some of your budget can then be directed to comfortable furniture and rugs! - Windows can open up 75% compared to 50% for casement windows allowing you much more fresh air and wonderful breezes than ordinary windows. - The vinyl windows can be tinted so you can block out the strong rays of the sun and enjoy your porch that much ore. - If wind, dust, pollen or rain keep you from your porch, these windows take care of that problem.  So enjoy your porch even when the weather isn't the best.  Visit our podcast page to listen to dozens of shows for inspiring porch ideas. See pictures of the screened porch windows here.

We welcome Linda Lytle, Executive Director of Visit Madison,Inc. Linda shares why people love Madison so much and gives us a sampling of things to do there such as attending one of their many festivals, hiking at Clifty Falls State Park or watch the boat races at the Madison Regatta during the 4th of July festivities. Or do what we love: stroll the downtown streets and enjoy the amazing architecture, porches and friendly people who live there! Whether you live in Madison Indiana or are one of its 300,000 visitors, you realize it is a friendly community that welcomes visitors and loves its historic downtown area. This is a historic Hoosier community with 19th century buildings and homes where people live and work. The town is noted not only for its historic and scenic beauty but also for its many festivals, hiking and biking trails, arts and music culture and the friendly camaraderie. See more pictures of Madison Indiana.  

Madison, Indiana is one amazing porch town, located on the Ohio River smack dab between Cincinnati Ohio and Louisville Kentucky.  Dave and I interviewed Trevor Crafton, Executive Director of their Chamber of Commerce, to learn the background of this vibrant and welcoming small Midwest town. Madison IN is a very scenic riverfront town located on the Ohio river between Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH. It has been selected as one of the top 15 semifinalist communities in the America's Best Communities competition - the winner to be selected in 2017. The downtown  section is comprised of historic building and houses which have very charming porches and architecture.  Captivating in appearance, the historic colonial and shotgun homes are postcard worthy. The majority of Madison's downtown area has been designated the largest contiguous National Historic Landmark in the United States—133 blocks of the downtown area.  Larger than the historic districts in either Charleston SC or Savannah GA. A cultural arts and music center, its town people embrace festivals, visitors and 21st century technology.  The low cost of living, low unemployment rate, walkways and bike paths and nearby Hanover College are but a few of the reasons people enjoy living in Madison. Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there and we know you will enjoy this podcast we had with lifetime resident and Executive Director of the Chamber, Trevor Crafton. See pictures of Madison Indiana. Enjoy more of our podcasts.        

Our guest, Lori Sawaya, from The Land of Color, is a color expert and color strategist. She understands both the art and science of color. Lori helps those of us who are color-impaired to understand how to make the most of color in your decorating especially the exterior of your home. She also clears up some misconceptions that most of us have about color - such as the meaning of neutrals and why, for example, the color red doesn't pop as much on brown as it does on white.   She also tells us about a new system that one of the big paint stores is offering in their stores to help consumers make better colors choices the first time. If you are like us, we bring home a color of paint for our walls only to be surprised at that the color has more yellow, green or pink in it that we didn't notice in the paint chip.  Lori talks about how we can alleviate that. But in the end, she says, that the ultimate test will always be to bring home a sample from the store and try it before we do the whole project.   This is educational and helps to clear up some of those mysteries we have about color in our world. And best of all how to apply it to the exterior of our homes and porches.  Yeah!

Our guest Moises Cruz, Principal Engineer for A-1 Engineering, talks to us about foundation performance for buildings, including porches and decks.  He helps to clear up some misconceptions about cracks in your foundation and also talks about the steps you need to take if you want to upgrade your open porch to an enclosed porch or addition to your home. You will learn: - Why homeowners should keep tabs of the condition of their homes and where the cracks are - Why a foundation crack does not necessarily mean something is wrong - The reasons that foundations crack - and it's not the foundation's fault! - When you should call a Structural Engineer to diagnose issues with your foundation - Several of the ways foundations are repaired - One of the best things you can do if you're going to upgrade your porch to an enclosed porch - Why the materials and quality of foundations for a porch are as important as the foundation for your home - How you can read important information about foundations that will make you a wiser homeowner - Why it's absolutely necessary to work closely with your local building department when adding on to your home   Visit us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a complete porch portal: amazing porch pictures, tutorials, DIYs and designs. Thank you!

Our guest, Shawnna Steele, of ReDesign HP, shares insider tips on modifying stock house plans.  If you are planning to build a home from an online house plan, Shawnna shares tips to make the process go easier.  What you will learn: - What is the driving force for many common home modifications? - Two reasons why starting out with a stock plan and then modifying it can be a better for you than working with a local architect - How many houses does a homeowner need to build to get the "perfect" house? Of course, that is subjective! - What should you focus upon when selecting a house plan - and you might be pretty surprised by this. - You should know a common and natural modification request that homeowners ask for - which is actually quite difficult to achieve - How search engines on stockplan websites can help you narrow down the type of houseplan that you want - A few fun yet functional modifications that you might want to consider - even for remodels Visit the Porch Ideas Network to hear all of our podcasts and our complete porch site for a bazillion porch ideas and pictures.

We had the honor of speaking with Guest Jarret Magbee, CEO and President Family Home Plans and Cool House Plans.  Today Jarret spoke with us about buying house plans online. He shared: - What you get when you purchase house building plans online - What modifications you can have made - What are the most popular home plan styles these days - What size homes people are looking for - Why it is good to have a contractor to assist you for meeting local requirements - He compared the price of purchasing a pre-designed house plan plus modification to getting your own designer or architect - Are McMansions still in vogue? - Learn about other fun project plans you can get for garden sheds, porches and trellises   - Get a bazillion porch ideas on our site!

We welcome Kevin Harris of AGS Stainless who talks about the wonderful options you now have with cable or glass railings for your porch or deck. Of course, interior applications are popular, too. Highlights include: - Why stainless steel is superior to aluminum when it comes to porch and deck railings - The various finishes that cable railings come in to match to your home's decor - The pros and cons of glass railings and when they are better suited than cable railings - Railing options to consider when it comes to pets or small children - A story (true one) about how to keep puppies safe from alligators - The ease of installation for the homeowner or the builder - How you can order stainless steel railings and have them shipped the very next day See more details on this podcast on our site. Also visit us for plenty of porch pictures and ideas.  

Jami and Brian Boys did an amazing backyard transformation. We want to share their backyard design ideas with you. Jami and Brian walked us through their backyard landscaping plans as well as their budget and timeframe. Their project spanned about 7 months and they went from an old oversized deck to a yard with distinct living areas and a wonderful herb garden - all tied together with a gravel walkway. From our fun conversation with them, you will learn:   - How to reuse an old deck. - Discover inexpensive materials for constructing your backyard outdoor room - Use wasted space in your new backyard - Learn benefits of using gravel pads and walkways - Learn how they tied everything together in a cohesive setting - Learn how they prioritized the features they wanted Please visit Front Porch Ideas for a bazillion ideas for designing, building and decorating your porch.

Our special guest and professional artist, Leisa Collins, shares with us the story of how she became an architectural artist. She draws, then paints from photographs to create beautiful and unique custom house portraits for her customers. She has painted 35 different architectural styles for customers in 43 states. An entrepreneur who hails from New Zealand, Leisa has been an artist since a teenager. Why would someone want a portrait of their home? - Perhaps to celebrate and remember the home they grew up in - To serve as a memory of different homes where a family has lived - As a special gift to yourself to celebrate the pride you have in your home - As a gift to your parents to celebrate a special anniversary - As a closing gift from a Realtor to the new homeowners - And she can even create paintings of your home in all four seasons Leisa also paints other places that commemorate special occasions - Like the church where a couple was married - Or the place where they became engaged - Or the college you graduated from or the elementary school you attended - And landscapes, too. Like your favorite beach or mountain scene. Or the street you grew up on. Visit our site to see pictures of Leisa's beautiful artwork. And please visit Front Porch Ideas for zillions of porch ideas and photographs.

Our guest, Glenn Smith of Screen Houses Unlimited, talks you through the various types of screen enclosures you can get for your porch, deck or patio. From a soft top unit that has a vinyl roof and comes down in winter, to a hard top unit that is more of a permanent enclosure or a "walls only" unit if your deck or porch already has a roof. Glenn shares: - Which enclosure options are appropriate for you - The main reasons homeowners want to enclose their porches and decks - The ordering process - The DIY skills you need (you might be surprised) - What to expect when the kit is delivered - What you need to do to prepare your space - Whether you need to do more framing - The sizes available You will enjoy Glenn's easy and humorous style and his customer focus. See all our program notes and pictures here. Come visit Front Porch Ideas for ideas for designing, decorating and building your porch.

Our guest, Jeannie Timmons, realtor with Benchmark Realty, talks with us about the simple DIY strategy for boosting your home's curb appeal. Follow Jeannie's advice to boost your home's appeal and make it more compelling for potential buyers. Highlights of the podcast: - How long it takes for a prospective buyer to form an opinion of the outside of your home - Stories about how two homes were sold with the help of very low-cost but smart updates to the exterior - Jeannie's insider tips on how to refresh your home's curb appeal to make it super appealing to buyers: sweat equity + R, C and D - Why the front porch / stoop is one of the most important areas of the home to prospective buyers - The small things that Jeannie says are important to pay attention to For pictures and more info visit our site please. - Where Jeannie advises to keep colors neutral and where she encourages pops of color - The one kind of flowers that Jeannie encourages us not to have on our porches - The key areas where you should invest money if you plan to sell vs areas where you will get little payback - Jeannie's tips for getting the inside of your home ready and why less is more See all of our program notes and more pictures on our website. Please stop by our site for a bazillion front porch ideas

We welcome several guests from Behr who helps us wade through the many painting and staining options for your porch or deck floor. An educational discussion for sure! Rick Bautista and Eric Lundquist help us to: Discover the two most important factors you must consider for achieving a beautiful porch floor Discover when to use transparent, semi-transparent, or solid paint products Learn tips for selecting the right color for your porch floor or deck Discover ways that you can restore your older porch or deck floors Discover how to make your paint or stain to last on concrete Learn the differences between dying and staining concrete See pictures and our full program notes here. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Our guests, Leisa Collins and Bruce Goodman, are not only experts in the field of craftsman style homes, but they also love the simple, beautiful and neighborly lifestyle of the Arts and Craft era. In this podcast you will learn: Why the Arts and Craft home design is also a life style - one of simplicity, beauty, honesty, artistry and craftsmanship. Appreciate the importance of porches on Arts and Craft homes. A brief overview of the Arts and Craft Movement Learn specific characteristics of Arts and Craft porches. Hear about a few of the great artisans who played a great role in the Arts and Crafts Movement like William Morris and Gustav Stickley Learn what breakfast nooks have in common with Arts and Craft home designs Discover whole communities of Arts and Craft homes. Learn about Leisa's passion for capturing the beauty and architecture of Craftsman homes in her watercolor paintings. See pictures and our  full program notes here. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Our guest, Zach Watson, of Embers Grill and Fireplace Store, gives tips for putting in a fireplace or outdoor appliances on your porch or deck. He covers such things as: - Learn what's more popular - gas or wood outdoor fireplaces? - Like real estate, it's all about location, location, location. - Learn an interesting consideration for installing a gas outdoor fireplace. - Learn about a neat alternative to the traditional outdoor fireplace. - Discover the relative cost of an outdoor fireplace. - Learn about layout designs for your outdoor kitchen. - Find ideas for outdoor appliances. See beautiful pictures of fireplaces and outdoor kitchens on our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Dave gives some great ideas on how to make your small porch or portico larger.  Even if you cannot extend your porch due to roof issues, Dave gives you alternative ideas such as using a patio near your porch - which can be uncovered,  covered with a pergola or fully covered.  Dave talks about the challenges that prevent people from having a porch in the first place such as their home's archietcture, the placement of their 2nd story windows, their building codes and of course, the cost. We tell you about options you may have - more than you might think and give you some points to consider for these options. Then Dave gives you tips for moving forward with expanding your porch.   There are a number of ways you can have more outdoor space - not only to enjoy but also to add immense curb appeal to your home. A fun discussion! See pictures of patio porches and more show notes. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

Our guest, Marc McAvoy, from Acurio Latticeworks speaks about his family company and how they eventually came to manufacture custom PVC panels for both indoor and outdoor applications. The panels come in various colors but the most popular colors are white and black. The panels also come in a wide variety of custom patterns, but Marc said that many people still prefer traditional patterns like checks and diamonds - primarily geometric. We spoke with Marc about how his panels are used for porch skirting, deck skirting and privacy panels for decks and porches. Also, Marc talked about how his panels are also designed for porch railings, too. He talks about indoor applications, too, such as decorative ceiling panels, privacy for windows, wainscoating and for restaurant decor and on Hollywood sets. We learned about the difference between the Acurio product and the lattice found at the big box stores. See pictues of Acurio's decorative panels on our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Our guest, Steve Pfeffer, of PCA Products in Sevierville, TN, tells about his family company of 25 + years and the aluminum screen doors they manufacture. Steve speaks about their  screen doors being extremely durable and well built and not only that, but no sacrifice in design and appearance. We got to visit their facility where they custom make each door and got to see close-up the nice differences between these doors and the many you can find in big box stores. Their aluminum screen door addresses problems that most homeowners experience: screens coming loose, bugs coming under the door, fading and warping. According to Steve, the engineering behind their doors has overcome these obstacles. We found it especially neat to hear that if you push on the screen of a PCA door, not only does it not get loose, but it gets tighter. PCA's doors come in many styles - from double french doors to the classic country style and many other designs in between. See pictures of PCA's aluminum screened doors on our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.  

Our Guest, Bill Hippard, of the Metal Roofing Alliance, gives us the scoop on the benefits of having a metal roof. He also helps to dispel some of the myths that many people have about metal roofs. He touches upon: - Basics of Metal Roof Materials (and you might be surprised at the appearance metal roofs can have today) - Installing a metal roof (and whether it is a good DIY project or not) - Is it ok to install a metal roof over shingles? - What kind of noise is there with a metal roof? - Do metal roofs attract lightning? - What is the price for a metal roof - The energy efficiency and longevity of metal roofing - How to reach a metal roofing contractor - Metal roofs and insurance costs, hail and recycling - An app to show metal roofing material styles and colors - See metal roofing pictures on our site - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Today we interview Bart Stuchell who shares with us his innovative product, the Silca System®. This hexagonal underlayment product allows you to turn your traditional wood deck, porch, gazebo, steps or other elevated surfaces into a stunning stone, paver or even granite floor. Opens up to whole new possibilities. For creative deck and porch ideas, this is fun to hear. It's a paradigm shift in the world of decking and porch flooring -  where you can have a higher end, more maintenance free deck or porch with beautiful stone. And Bart explains that this is a great DIY project for homeowners. Bart addresses: - The types of decking materials you can use (would you believe even granite?) - How to build a new structure and/or remodeled structure to accommodate the system - Perfect for elevated decks, porches, docks, gazebos, steps... - Considerations for the ledger board and weight of the deck - Longevity - Relative costs to other kinds of decking - Other uses like porch steps and how to tie into your existing architecture - How to learn more and where to find the Silca System® - See more details and pictures that Bart shared - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Our guest David Goddard explains - the pros and cons of staining your porch - how to choose the concrete stain color for your home - how to care for a stained porch floor or driveway - what concrete stamping involves - why choosing your options carefully is so important - what to expect in terms of costs - other concrete techniques such as glazing and highlighting - answers to practical questions such as winter care, permanency, what to expect - See David's concrete staining pictures and more details on our site. - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Jim Rogers, President of Modern Masters Inc., spoke with us about their product line especially Front Door Paint and the Front Door Paint app that enables you to see to see how your front door would like in any of their 24 colors.   Highlights: - how their specialized front door paint is fade proof and the colors are based upon their emotional color wheel - 24 paint colors formulated especially for the front door with emotional names like happy, energetic, cheerful, spiritual, playful and more - so no more need to rummage through hundreds of paint chips to find your color - what front door paint and automotive paint have in common - how to update the light fixtures on your porch using Modern Masters metal effects paint - how to paint rust onto an item to make it instantly look vintage or aged - recipe cards that give you all the instructions that you need to create special and beautiful effects with their paints - how to keep your shutters from fading - wonderful stores about this business that was started by his father back in the 1960s - See pictures that Modern Masters shared with us on our site - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Becca Dorstek is a self-taught photographer who takes beautiful photos of Christmas lights. She shares what she has learned over the years about the equipment she uses, how she keeps her camera steady, best time of day to capture both ambient light and the beauty of the lights. Becca tells how to find neighborhoods with Christmas lights and the advantages of going out when it's super cold. You will enjoy Becca's down-to-earth tips and can-do attitude!  She emphasizes that anyone can take good pictures with the tools available today - and with practice and experimentation. Listen to the show! Highlights - Becca shares low-light photography tips - Why she says patience and experimentation are key ingredients in getting great shots in low-light pictures - Get beautiful panoramic photos with your cell phone - How to find wonderful neighborhoods that decorate for Christmas - Tips for choosing the right time for taking your evening holiday pictures - The essential things you should carry with you for your photo expedition - How a bean bag, tripod, timer and remote clicker can improve your low-light photography - Why you need a long exposure time for low-light pictures - and how much exposure time Becca has found to work for her - Filters - which one is great for nighttime photography and why you may not even need one - What "exif" settings are and how you can see them to find out what settings photographers are using to get great pictures - Taking photos in a snowstorm of front porches with their lights on is amazing - Get more details and see some of Becca's photos on our site - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Our guest, Mike Gustafson, of Michael Gustafson Photography joined us to share his best tips on evening photography. Taking a picture of a beautifully lit porch at night is challenging if you don't know a few of the basics that are crucial. Michael talked about: - What to take with you - Timing for sunset as well as sunrise - Choosing your composition - Tips for ISO settings - Importance of a tripod and remote clicker - What to focus upon when it is dark - How to double the amount of light in your photograph - How to include other elements such as tree branches to frame your photo - Including an element that is in the foreground - Tips for when it's cold outside - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Highlights of the easy Christmas decorating ideas that our guest Jennifer Davenport shared with us: - Two easy Christmas door decorations - one with mittens and greenery and the other with wooden letters spelling out J-O-Y - How to decorate a Christmas tree with ribbons that makes you look like a designer - Easy and eye-catching porch decoration with an empty pot and shatterproof Christmas ornaments - Two things you need to know about tying a great bow - and they are both easy! - What you need to know about getting ribbon in November (pssst! don't procrastinate) - How to create a super easy snow village using a glass dome, little house and plate - Christmas light ideas for a magical porch with grapevine garland - Purchase grapevine on a roll. Yes, a roll! - Make a sparse Christmas tree look fabulous by adding fresh greenery and grapevine - See more details and pictures of Christmas decor that Jennifer shared with us Jennifer is from Decorating-Ideas-Made-Easy.com and we appreciate her decorating ideas! Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Anita lives in the mountains of North Carolina on her family homestead. She is a lover of all things country and vintage and she shares how she decorates her porches for Christmas. Anita is a big believer that you don't have to spend a lot of money or buy a lot of things to create a wonderful home. She uses natural things like pine boughs and items handed down to her to decorate her porch.  Greenery, red bows, candles and colorful Christmas lights are her signature. You will enjoy our conversation with Anita. Her home has been featured in many magazines and she is not only a blog writer, but also a Worship Leader and singer for her church and homeless veterans. We welcome Anita to our porch. Anita shared pictures of her beautiful country home decorated for Christmas. Come see them on our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

Dave and I share some ideas for decorating your porch for Christmas. - Liven a faux wreath with fresh greenery - Add a festive doormat - Find inexpensive or "free" greenery - Hang ornaments from your porch ceiling for a truly festive porch - Add colorful presents to your porch with this clever item - Re-purpose your pillows for the season with holiday pillow toppers - Make a rustic holiday sign to stand in the corner of your porch - Use paint buckets for holiday display - Create a holiday mantel on your front porch.....and more. - See more details and pictures on our site Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.  

Our guest, Troy Marden, host of Nashville Public Television popular show, Volunteer Gardener, discusses: - The most important and number one thing you need to do for success with your landscape plants. - Learn about a twist from traditional landscape design that includes edible plants. - Learn how to use edible flowers safely. - How much sun do you really need? - Find reasons why blueberry plants are ideal for your landscape. - Learn about how you can attend Troy's garden tours. - Discover the edible landscape book for getting tons of ideas - Enjoy beautiful gardening photographs that Troy shared with us on our site. - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

If you enjoy holiday lights on your home and porch, you will enjoy this discussion we had with Bob Lyons, a partner at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Nashville, TN. Bob gives insider tips:  - best ways to hang light - how to keep your lights from getting tangled when you store them - how to space your lights properly - how to put lights up on a tree without using a ladder - safety always first - See some of Bob's beautiful Christmas lighting pictures on our site Bob and his staff create some beautiful lighting displays for homes and commercial buildings. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

External house trim can add appeal to almost any front porch and home. You will enjoy our interview with Gregory Tatsch of Vintage Woodworks. He is not only a porch expert but also a porch lover. He shares his tips on using brackets, running trim and many other decorative porch parts. And depending on how much decoration you use and how you use it, you can enjoy a vintage porch or simply embellish your more contemporary porch. Gregory explains the different porch decorations and shares how to prolong your porch's life. For more details and pictures from Vintage Wooodworks, please stop by our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.    

Our guest, Sean Laker, of the Rekal Company shares about a screened porch window system product that readily turns an open or screened porch into a three season porch. His innovative vinyl window solution can make your porch more usesable year round by blocking wind, dirt, UV rays and other weather.   If you've wanted to enclose your porch, you will enjoy hearing about this solution for a wonderful screen room. The Rekal Company is a family owned and operated business and has extensive experience in remodeling.   Highlights   - Mounting these windows from either the outside or inside (no ladders necessary)   - Options for screening or privacy - No more storing windows like we used to do   - Enjoy your porch more seasons of the year - Opens to 75% - more than a standard window   - Save on installation by doing it yourself (DIY)   - Get more details and pictures on our site   - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.    

Bradley Johons built his business based on building high quality porches and decks for the average working person. His expertise in building porches, decks, and other stand-alone structures makes him a sought after source for understanding what is involved, and what is special, about building structures for manufactured homes. He talks about some porch ideas for mobile homes. Bradley addresses these topics... - Can you attach your new porch to a manufactured home / mobile home? - Do you need footings and piers? - Step location is critical to the functionality of a porch. - Incorporating ramps in the overall porch design - Screen porch options for mobile homes- what you need to know. - Explore your deck  flooring options. - See mobile home porch pictures that Bradley shared with us - Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

Our guest, Jennifer Davenport, author of the website HipHipHalloween.com shares some of her best Halloween decorating ideas with us She loves all-things-Halloween and gives us some clever ideas for Halloween porch decorating, turning an old dollhouse into a haunted house and how to make memories with your family on this fun holiday. Jennifer loves to host Halloween parties and decorate every room of the house for Halloween.  Her entertaining discussion is sure to give you some outdoor Halloween decoration ideas to try this year. Jennifer shares: - Why Halloween is such a joyous holiday for her and her family   - A special tradition that Jennifer's family observes on Halloween night that would make for super fun memories for kids   - Halloween decoration ideas if you prefer the less-scary side of Halloween   - Hw to make a super quick wreath for Halloween even if you are not crafty   - How to make a super cute ghost for your front porch or yard using a tomato cage, some tulle, a styrofoam ball and black ribbon   -How Jennifer turned an old plastic doll house into an amazing haunted house with black spray paint and an assortment of creative and spooky ideas   - What to do with black cheese cloth and orange lights - Ideas for a Halloween tablescape that you can even do on your porch or outdoors - See Halloween pictures that Jennifer shared with us on our site Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

Our guest, Jennifer Davenport of Decorating Ideas Made Easy, shares her best tips for autumn porch decorating. From knowing what kind of knot to tie for your bows on your wreaths to how to make a faux pumpkin look real. She gives a secret to bringing pine cones into your house and gives her opinion on whether to use wired burlap ribbon (or not) in your wreaths.  If you want a beautiful wreath for your fall decorating, she has an easy formula!  Jennifer shares ideas on how to use lanterns seasonally and twinkly lights on your porch year round. She is a fun and entertaining lady who relates stories of how much she and her family enjoy Halloween. We had a blast talking with Jennifer about fall decorating and appreciate her savvy and creative side! She is also going to be doing a show with us on Halloween decorating - she's an expert. See autumn decorating pictures and more show notes on our site. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

We welcome our guest, Gregory Tatsch, to our show for the second time. Gregory is the founder of Vintage Woodworks. Gregory had a wonderful discussion with us about planning your porch on purpose - meaning that you need to think through your porch's design before you build it. If you plan ahead by thinking through how you wuill use your porch, the results can be so much better!  Gregory talks about planning your porch size, where to place your porch posts, considerations for your porch roof, ideas for placement of your porch steps and more.  See more detailed show notes of our discussion with Gregory here. Gregory has been in the porch business since 1978 when he and his wife, Holly, started their business from their kitchen table. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.   

We are thrilled to have Suzanne Taylor of Taylor Made Contracting on our porch today. Suzanne discusses how to make your porch wheelchair accessible using Universal Design. She compares the pros and cons of porch wheelchair lifts versus wheelchair ramps. She also discusses how wheelchair ramps can be attractive and complement your home. Suzanne and her husband made their home accessible at an early age. No need to wait until you need accommodations. Suzanne talks about practical things like how deep to make your porch, where to place the outlets and light switches,  what flooring options are best for wheelchairs and how to simply make your porch convenient and enjoyable for everyone! See the full transcript of Suzanne's discussion about accessibility here. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.       

Gregory Tatsch, founder of Vintage Woodworks, shares with our listeners how to think through your porch design. How will you use your porch? For curb appeal mostly? Or as an outdoor room? He speaks about making your porch affordable, inner play between post height, roof pitch and the depth of the porch. He also speaks about challenges with porch roofs and how to eventually get the porch of your dreams even if your budget does not allow for that immediately. And, of course, he speaks a bit about decorating your porch with decorative brackets, at the top of posts and balustrades. Gregory will talk to us much more indepth about porch decorations in a future program. You can find the complete show notes for our discussion with Gregory Tatsch here. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

Nancy Moore is the founder of The Porch Company in Nashville TN. She builds custom porches of any type. She shares many insider tips on how to plan for your porch before it is built and she places a great deal of importance on your porch's function. Understand how you will use your porch or screened porch. Nancy is an energetic lady who is passionate about the porch industry. You won't want to miss the tips she gives about making the most of your screened porch design. Our favorite porch idea tip? It's about the location of your porch. See the pictures and full transcript of our screened porch discussion with Nancy here. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio. 

We welcome J. Paul Moore,  a seasoned landscape photographer and nature lover.  His infectious enthusiasm for plants and photography combined make this conversation memorable. Paul shares tips for creating pleasing landscape around your porch. He talks about how landscaping around your porch is so important for curb appeal in the front of your home. But for a back porch, the landscaping serves as another purpose: to bring beauty to your back porch retreat. Paul shares fun stories about his photography assignments at client's homes and also tells about his journey from being the owner of a plant nursery to becoming a published nature photographer today.  He is a man who loves his work and it shows.  See the pictures and the full transcript of our discussion with Paul Moore. Join us at Front Porch Ideas and More for a bazillion porch ideas. If you like this audio program, we welcome you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.   

Are you a porch lover? Welcome to the Porch Ideas Network weekly podcast. In this introductory podcast we give you a quick overview about the content we will be bringing you weekly for making the most of your porch and yard.