How Much Does It Cost To Build A Wraparound Porch?
Adding porch space to your house is a great option for homeowners seeking to bring a new recreational aspect to their home life. Porches create increased curb appeal, add financial value to the property, and can make a massive difference in the way you enjoy the calming effect that outdoor living can provide.
A wraparound porch is one of the most ambitious projects you can launch to create this type of outdoor relaxation space. Wraparound additions extend around your home, seamlessly connecting the front and back of the house with a continuous walkway that supports a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. These additions are a favorite of homeowners in rural locations with expansive, scenic terrain, but they are quickly becoming a staple in suburban neighborhoods, beach towns, and beyond.
HomeAdvisor estimates that a wraparound porch will cost between $9,350 and $39,900 in most cases, while Fixr reports an estimate between $20,000 and $60,000. The tally is wholly dependent on how extravagant you decide to make the installation. The materials required for this construction can be substantial. Depending on how broad or intricate your intended design will be, the price can range on the low end of this spectrum or even a higher overall total with luxurious design features.
Factors for cost
As with many other home improvement projects, material and labor costs will likely make up the bulk of your expenses during the build. However, some additional features play a role in the price you can expect to pay. Understanding these factors will help you budget for the porch you want and install the perfect new fixture to support many years of comfort and relaxation.
You'll need to sink a foundation
To begin a building project of this magnitude, the first step in the construction process will always be installing a foundation. Fixr reports that a foundation for your porch will typically range between $1,000 and $3,000.
A pier and beam foundation is common beneath patios, decks, and raised porches. Instead of pouring a concrete slab for the structure to rest on, these foundations use sunk concrete piers dug down to a locally mandated depth. Beams rest on top of these piers and give the porch weight-bearing capacity. Like any part of the home that will see live weight and continuous use, this space will require a foundation to be constructed before starting in on the flooring or any other porch element.
Length, width, and height will direct much of the material costs
Of course, even before the foundation is laid, you'll need to plan out the size and scale of the new addition. The wide range in prospective pricing when it comes to building a new wraparound porch directly results from the variance found in these additions. For a wraparound to take form, it must physically skirt at least one corner of the home, providing an exterior living space that extends outward from two walls. However, some wraparound porches encircle the residences they are added to, providing coverage across the entire length of the four walls of the property.
Homedit reports that wraparound porches typically range between 6 and 8 feet in width to account for furniture placement and free movement across the space. Thus, naturally, the longer your porch, the more expensive this endeavor will become. This results from the added foundation, material costs, and labor elements that will go into the build. Planning the overall footprint of the addition will help you nail down an expected price. However, it's important to remember that the length is only one aspect: The width of the porch and even its height off the ground will contribute to the price and finished product.
Material selection plays a significant role in the price
Concrete is crucial when laying the foundation, though other construction material alternatives are available. Homedit notes that redwood decking is an attractive option for many homes, but you will have a wealth of possibilities for crafting either a hardwood-based porch or one that uses metal, vinyl, or plastic. You may even opt for a fully concrete installation.
Trading Economics notes that lumber prices are returning to pre-shortage norms after two intense price spikes in 2021 and 2022. But hardwoods and specialty materials will always cost at least a slight premium over standard fir or pine varieties that you'll find in the Home Depot lumber aisles, via Hunker. You'll enjoy a more visually appealing finished product for the increased price. However, typical whitewoods sourced from home improvement stores certainly make for excellent building materials in their own right on projects like this.
Additional costs
Adding these valuable features to the porch will bring the whole project together and give you the exact space you envision in your mind.
A building permit is a common first step
Building permits are required for many projects designed to transform your home's layout, landscape, and functionality. Adding features to the property is a great way to introduce new elements of comfort, but they must be built with local building codes in mind to ensure safety, longevity, and sensible visual appeal.
Local authorities create guidelines for how best to install certain features in line with the weather and climate realities of the area and keep up with other local considerations. For instance, homes in northern states often require a greater foundation depth than those in the southern region, where the ground isn't at risk of freezing. Permits are an added step in the process, but they are necessary to ensure that the structure is built correctly for your area and general best practices. Decks report that a porch permit will typically cost between $100 and $500.
Adding a roof is typical for a wraparound porch
Some smaller decks may not use a roof, but it is a common sight for larger outdoor areas. This feature will give you year-round access to the outdoor seating and relaxation area, regardless of the weather beyond your front door.
A roof is partially dependent on the overall square footage of the deck beneath it. HomeAdvisor estimates the cost of a roof over your porch to range between $6,400 and $12,000. Along with the flooring, the roof will make up the second of the costliest elements, via Homedit, yet it is crucial for adding other features to the space. Without coverage, you aren't able to install lighting, fans, or electrical outlets. Electricity makes the porch far more inviting and can be leveraged to add backyard televisions, bar areas, or outdoor kitchen equipment.
Installing railings, screens, and other features
Tying the whole project together with the addition of railings, walls, screens, and other decorative elements is a must. At a minimum, a typical wraparound porch includes bars that frame the space's visual aesthetic and introduces a safety measure that will protect children and adults from accidental falls from the elevated area.
In a location that sees a flurry of insect activity during the spring and summer months, the addition of a screened enclosure may be the best approach, per Decks. Screening on your porch gives you unique sectioning off from the surrounding environment — particularly from the pests out in the nighttime — without making the space feel closed off or simply an extension of your interior spaces. Screens provide the best of both worlds, you can enjoy a sheltered, external living space with ease, and often the cost to add screening is quite affordable, considering that these additions won't require significant structural support beyond the aluminum framing that will hold the screens in place, according to Fixr.
Why you need a wraparound porch
Wraparound porches provide a unique and versatile quality to a residence. Inspired by southern-style living, this porch enclosure variety now offers a one-of-a-kind framing device to complement any home, according to the American Family Homes. Adding this feature to your property can immediately change how you think about family time, hosting friends, outdoor relaxation, and much more.
Curb appeal is vital for your mental state and resale value
The aesthetic appeal that a porch provides to your home is invaluable. A wraparound porch creates an iconic look that amplifies the curb appeal of your property in a meaningful way. Emerald Home Improvements notes that porches recreate the entry space of your home and can be tailored to match any style of construction used to build your house initially.
Wraparound porches are immensely popular and create a versatile outdoor living space that makes homeowners excited to spend time with friends and family. Curb appeal is often cited as a means of promoting financial value and resale interest in a property, but it's also an essential element that helps homeowners feel great about their living space. A dwelling that offers up an ugly or rundown façade presents the worst qualities of itself each time you, as the owner, arrive back home, via Rawson Homes. This space sets the mental tone for the remainder of your day and can be a powerful feature for good or bad.
A porch makes outdoor living a standard inclusion in your home life
The outdoor lifestyle is one of leisure and relaxation. Spending time out in nature is great for your mental and physical wellbeing, and it provides a sense of the good life right at home. NanaWall reports that outdoor areas improve the quality of your living space by incorporating a larger functional area. With the addition of screens or railings and a roof, the outdoor area becomes a framed segment of typically utilized space within the overall property.
This is great for homeowners who want to enjoy the slower pace of outdoor life, and a wraparound porch can make for a uniquely valuable entertainment venue for hosting guests and parties. Outdoor living is a staple element in many people's lives for a reason.
Porches can be used to increase natural light throughout the house
Natural light is a crucial element in many homes. Abundant natural light can reduce electricity bills by mitigating the need for electric lighting during the day, but it's also a potent source of positive energy, according to Healthline.
Emerald Home Improvement notes that a porch space can be used to support excellent natural light flow. By reimagining your home's exterior space, you also gain a buffer between the yard and indoor areas, making for an opportunity to install new windows that will capture even greater volumes of natural light throughout the day. The addition of new window areas can create a far brighter interior living space that will totally transform the way you think about your home.
Benefits of a wraparound porch
The benefits of installing this porch enclosure feature are immense. Homeowners who add a wraparound porch to their property can create a commanding sense of relaxation that takes over the home. The atmosphere you spend time in plays a significant role in how you feel and engage with people and other elements. A wraparound porch invites lengthier stays in the natural environment beyond the interior of your home. It can even serve as a means to open up the house to invite the afternoon breeze into the property.
Relaxation is a critical component of a wraparound porch
A porch of any type is a modern favorite among homeowners. The addition of porch space allows for an enhanced lifestyle that makes outdoor living and relaxation an integral part of the daily or weekly experience. Wolf Home Products notes that homeowners who enjoy the addition of porch space can conduct some of their daily tasks outdoors, taking in the natural ambiance and beauty of the surrounding environment.
Starting your morning or winding down the day while sitting outside is a great way to introduce an intense relaxation factor into your daily schedule, which likely allows room for personal care. Studies have consistently shown that time spent outdoors is excellent for your mood, blood pressure, and stress levels, according to TIME. So adding this feature to your home can help bring the wellness benefits of fresh air and nature directly to your doorstep rather than making this time a chore to work around other necessities.
Installing a wraparound porch adds to the property value
Porches add incredible financial value to a home. Not only will this new feature benefit your lifestyle by creating a new and improved outdoor routine, but porches can also yield a significant return on investment. A screened-in porch, for instance, yields as much as an 84% return on investment with a typical figure of about 75%, per Design Builders Inc.
This financial addition makes the installation of any porch variety a must-have for homeowners seeking crossover investments in their property that serve both the immediate comfort needs and long-term financial planning of the family.