A Coastal Porch Makeover with Composite Decking

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Over the last few months we replaced our front porch and I’m so excited to share it with you! Our previous wood porch had rotting, cracking, and peeling paint, with so much maintenance. I’m thrilled with our decision to replace the wood porch with a long-lasting composite decking from TimberTech. With a warmer season here and most of our time being spent outdoors, we’re loving our new porch for our family.

Design Selections

First, let’s look back where it all started and how we designed the porch. We used Yardzen renderings to help us bring our vision to life. I wanted to create a coastal cottage exterior and basically transform the entire spaceFirst, let’s look back where it all started and how we designed the porch. We used Yardzen renderings to help us bring our vision to life. I wanted to create a coastal cottage exterior and basically transform the entire space.

Southern porch rendering with grey composite decking.

Coastal home with brick and round columns.

Coastal front porch makeover with white washed brick and square columns.

When planning our front porch makeover, I knew that we needed to replace our wood porch with composite materials. Unlike wood, TimberTech doesn’t require annual maintenance like sanding, staining or replacing boards and provides unrivaled resistance to moisture, fading, scratching and staining – all backed by industry- leading warranties, up to 50-year fade & stain warranties. For this project, we removed the decorative round columns and replaced them with square columns. The columns we selected are super low-maintenance PVC column wraps from AZEK Exteriors (the sister company to TimberTech) as well. For the railing, we used the TimberTech composite railing Premier Railing in Matte White.

Porch Installation

Our porch was in rough shape. The boards were rotting and I constantly worried our kids would get splinters when they walked out on the porch. The paint was peeling and several areas were compromised. We hired a professional team to remove our old porch and install our new front porch. They were able to keep the same framework but replaced everything that was exposed to the elements.

Let me tell you, they did such a fantastic job! During the first day on the job, they removed all of the wood boards, railings, and columns. Then they cut the deck boards to size and installed those, along with all of the porch materials like the stair risers and columns. Finally, they installed the porch railing, along with new caps that are so beautiful with our coastal design! One of our favorite features of the deck boards is that the holes from the screws are plugged with the same material. They’re easy to plug in and match the woodgrain of the board, making the screws just disappear!

Porch Reveal

I cannot believe this is the same house! By replacing the front porch, our home looks brand new, and it will continue to look that way for years to come. TimberTech materials are no fuss, meaning we will not have to fuss over them each year like we did with our wood porch. Thanks to high-quality materials, our TimberTech porch will keep looking brand-new for decades to come! Unlike traditional materials, my porch will keep its gorgeous finish despite weathering factors from the elements. I’m so lucky that the products do not fade, stain, splinter or peel, and they require none of the regular upkeep of real wood.

Front porch with grey composite decking.

Isn’t the new color so fantastic? I just love how Coastline pairs with our new exterior paint color and it has just a touch of warmth that complements the overall design. I’ve always dreamed of owning a beach cottage and our new porch has major cottage vibes!

Front porch with grey composite decking and white pillars.

Enjoying Our New Porch

With the excitement of summer, I love that TimberTech stays cooler to the touch – up to 30 degrees cooler than most other composite products – so my family and I can kick off our shoes and enjoy our porch to the fullest. Part of enjoying our porch is knowing that it’s made from recycled materials like plastic bags, milk jugs, recycled wood, and scrap from construction sites. Now we can appreciate this addition to our home knowing that sustainable composite decking from TimberTech is a safer, longer-lasting, more environmentally friendly alternative to non-recycled traditional wood decking.

Little boy eating popsicle on front porch.

Family enjoying front porch thats composite.

I grew up spending the summers at my grandparents house and every afternoon we would sit on the front porch and watch as cars drove by their home. My grandfather would tell me stories of his childhood and wave to neighbors as they passed. Many neighbors stopped to say, “hello” and catch up on the latest news. Having a new front porch for our family to enjoy is bringing back so many memories of my time spent with my grandparents. We now sit on the rockers with the kids in the evening and can enjoy our neighborhood while saying hello to neighbors as they pass by. I also love that the composite materials by TimberTech stay cooler to touch and the kids can run around barefoot without worrying about splinters.

Speaking of running around barefoot, I was worried about the deck being slippery when wet and we’ve been so pleased that it is not slippery. The kids eat popsicles and I rinse the mess right off. It’s such a great family porch that we love and we’re excited to continue to love this porch this summer! Are you loving the transformation as much as we are? We are so grateful to TimberTech for helping us bring our front porch plans to life!