Hello, porch friend,

Welcome to April, the month of gentle spring showers and vibrant pastel flowers peeking up from Mother Nature's awakening ground.

April is when our porches garner our attention once again. Time to dust them off, wash them down and give our porches a mini face-lift.

May you enjoy this month's edition of Front Porch Appeal!

April Showers and Easter's Arrival

Do you have plans for your porch this year? Our plans include new rugs, fresh spray paint on our rocking chairs, and new springtime wall art. And, if all goes as we hope, we will also have new porch steps this year, maybe towards the fall. Our current porch steps deserve a comeback.

In Nashville, April is a month of high pollen, so we tread lightly putting our best porch forward until the pollen has settled and passed.

Do you also deal with pollen in the springtime where you live? It's messy till it subsides.

Easter Greetings from the Porch

We've always loved these adorable bunny chair covers. Aren't they so cute? Perfectly wonderful for springtime.

We think they would be fairly easy to make. Start with a pillow case, add some cute trim to the bottom (you could even glue it on), then add a cute hat.

Since the hat would be over-sized, you could fashion one from two place mats or some felt you purchase in the sewing department. Add a cute bunny face with markers, paints or embroidery.

Let your creativity flow and see what you might come up with.

When we got home from church services, we would enjoy snacking on the array of jelly beans, hard-boiled eggs and foil-wrapped chocolates. Mom put a fresh, clean tablecloth on our kitchen table along with cute bunny and egg decorations. We always knew it was a special holiday.

We have more Easter and spring decorating ideas here and here.

We'd Love Hearing from You

If you'd like to share a photo with us, that would also be welcome.

Features of a Well-Built Deck

Decks and porches, with the exception of the roof, are popular DIY projects with homeowners in the spring. So with that thought in mind, we know from experience that it pays off in the long run to use quality materials and hardware. We all want our porches and decks, especially those that are elevated, to stand the test of time and comfort.

Take a look at the chart below for the preliminary features of a well-built deck.

Always Begin with a Square Foundation

The perfect porch or deck begins with a square foundation. It is relatively easy to do if you know how to use Pythagorean theory: a-squared plus b-squared equals c-squared (commonly referred to as the 3-4-5 rule).

If you want to make sure your porch or deck is going to be square to your house, simply measure out 3 feet from the house along the rim board and place a mark. Then measure 4 feet from the same starting point along the ledger board and place a mark.

Using a string or other straight board to measure the distance between the two points. If they measure 5 feet your deck is square to your house at that corner. Repeat the process on the remaining three corners to ensure your deck or porch is square to the house.

The 3-4-5 foot rule works well for smaller size structures but for longer ones, you will need to mark boards further along the spans.To help with those calculations and to see how it is done, download our free Tutorial on Squaring Your Porch Foundation or Deck.

See our How to Build a Deck section for more ideas.

See our How to Build a Deck section for more ideas.

Not Too Early to Think of Porch Landscaping

Whether you are replacing your landscaping or simply want to make a more curb appealing change, you don't have to spend much to create a look you'd enjoy.

Look at the Before and After below that reflects how landscaping can improve the curb appeal of your home.

Before

After

See our Front Yard Landscaping section for more ideas.

Lovelies From the Porch Store

Gorgeous Cathedral Picket Railing from our sponsor, The Porch Store.

We also love their Drummer Boy railing panels

Our fine sponsor, The Porch Store, offers an array of beautiful, creative porch panels, like the panels you see here.

Their panels are cut from sheets of cellular PVC and look like wood, but without the maintenance.

We like that The Porch Store has quite a few designs from which to choose or propose your own ideas. With their state-of-the-art CNC (computer numerical control) equipment, they can do so much.

And this! What a wonderful handcrafted gate from The Porch Store. Such classic elegance.

Please stop by The Porch Store to see their elegant products.

How About a New Aluminum Screen Door?

Now is your chance to really enjoy spring, summer, and fall this year by installing a most durable and quality screen door from our sponsor and friends at PCA Products.

We think you will appreciate the wonderful quality and value you receive from PCA Products.

Vintage Woodworks Time-Honored Products

Please take a look right here.

Thank You for Shopping Our Amazon Store

Here's our Front Porch Ideas Amazon store page.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sights of Springtime for You to Enjoy

Tulips blooming are the hallmark of springtime! Isn't this home and porch so wonderful!

Nothing says springtime more than wildflowers and beautiful vibrant yellow forsythia.

Adorable springtime decorations on the porch bench from Eileen at The Seasonal Home. Enjoy more of her ideas here.

Till Next Time...