Why You Want a Garage With a Porch

You might be asking why anyone would want or need a garage with a porch. After all, a garage is usually the space where we keep our cars or store our stuff. Why on earth would we need a porch attached to that space? For the boxes of moth-eaten Hawaiian shirts and dusty Christmas decorations to step outside and clink glasses together in the warm summer air?

At this point you might be thinking a garage with a Porsche would be more worth your time and effort. But after reading this article, you might have a few ideas about why a garage with a porch is a great investment for your home, both in terms of enjoying your own property and the resale value of your home.

First off, a porch makes just about anything look better, whether it’s your house, a garage, or even a shed. A porch transforms your standard single family home into a veritable white-columned Southern mansion.

There are many different ways you could add a porch onto your garage. It could go on the front of the garage as an overhang covering the doors. It could go to the side of the garage, creating a space for entertaining. It could even connect the garage to your home with a stylish patio-walkway if you have a detached garage.

A porch could also serve as a covered carport space for a second vehicle, or even as the primary space for your main vehicle. It gives you the freedom to turn the actual garage space into an entertainment den.

If your garage has some sort of cottage attached to it, either on the ground level, off to the side, or on top of the garage space, a porch can add some value to that small residential space.

A covered porch also presents some structural advantages to the overall well being of your garage. By extending the roof away from the walls, it carries rainwater and runoff far away from the walls, making them less prone to water-related damage.

Since there are so many advantages to having a porch attached to your garage, let’s look at some of the different styles and ways you can actually implement this great idea.

Porch in Front of Your Garage

The porch could be in front of the garage doors, and the porch could be created just by extending the roof, or adding a lip that projects over the concrete of your driveway. The roof could be supported by columns on either side of the cement. If you have a garage with two or more portals, you could also place a column into the concrete, between the doors.

This will give the front of your garage a more celebrated look than the bare-bones minimum of a simple facade punctuated with large doors. Now it'll look more like a barn or stable, providing a classic looking addition to your home. Bonus points if you can hang lanterns above the doors, or on the columns to add to the throwback appearance.

If possible, you could tear up the concrete in front of the garage and replace it with an inlaid material that marks a transition to the garage space, while also providing a pleasing texture for the porch area.

The option of placing the porch in front of the garage is great for anyone with limited space on the side of their garage, especially if the garage is attached to their home.

Porch on Top of Your Garage

Another option is to add a porch above the garage, which is technically a deck or balcony, and not a porch. This option is great if you don’t want to plop a huge slab of concrete into your yard, or if you don’t have the space for a porch anyway. It’s also a great option if there’s something in the neighborhood that is best viewed from a higher vantage point, like a lake, a park or the ocean.

This look gets even better if you have a small cottage on top of the garage, and the deck/balcony/porch becomes an extension of that living space.

The material you use for this outdoor space could actually be similar to what you’d use for a porch. Just because it’s above the garage space doesn’t mean you have to use wood; you could still use tile or brick to create a more “porch-like” look for this space.

Porch in Back of Your Garage

This option makes great sense for anyone who has room to spare in their backyard. Similar to the idea of extending the roof out front, you could extend the roof out back, and probably with a lot more leeway to create a space with the size you like.

Since there most likely isn’t a concrete base out in the back of your garage, you’ll need to pour a foundation and either leave it au-natural or inlay it with some stones, bricks, or tiles. Since you’re building the foundation from scratch, you’ll have a little more leeway to create the look you so desire, and one that matches the appearance of your house.

Once again, this option is especially appealing if you already have a living space attached to your garage, or if you occasionally use the garage space for entertaining. Just imagine French Doors swinging open to a patio lit with tiki-torches and a barbecue smoking away a selection of delicious, mouthwatering burgers.

We could get carried away, but the point is that any party becomes 110% more awesome when guests can transition to an outdoor space, and parties you throw in the man cave should be no different.

Porch to the Side of Your Garage

Lastly, we’ll mention the option of building a patio to the side of your garage. This is a great option for adding an entertainment space, and if you can pour concrete into it that connects to your already extant drive, you can potentially turn this into a covered carport as well.

For garages that are standalone units away from the house, a porch might also be a great idea to unite the house and garage with a covered space. This space is not only great for entertaining but also can provide shelter from the elements as you walk to your vehicle.

Within this category, we should also mention that it’s possible to take a multiple-car garage and turn one of the bays into a porch. You can do this by simply removing the door, putting up an additional wall, and perhaps breaking open the other two (formerly) exterior walls (as much as structural security and building permits will allow).

The great part about this option is that you already have a concrete foundation poured and a roof overhead. Just put up a ceiling, wire a chandelier in, and you’ve got a ready-made porch at your disposal.

No matter what you end up doing, you’ll want to get a qualified contractor on board, especially if you’re going to play around with the structure of the garage. This could include adding a roof, pouring concrete near the foundation, adding a residential unit, or tearing down and putting up new walls.

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