You may have already realized this about us – at the Woodward house, we don’t always go with the grain.
We buy the worst houses on the block, we slave away at rental properties, we live in a barn, and we even built our own house.
And now, we decided against the “typical” porch railings on the front porch in favor of horizontal railings. (Perhaps this isn’t quite as “off the beaten path” as living in 320-square-feet. But you catch what I’m throwing down.)
By the time we moved into the house, the money pot was dried up. I still need to put together another post on the house building budget, but suffice to say that we were a little over budget and couldn’t spend more money right away without dipping into our savings, which wasn’t a viable option.
But, I wasn’t thrilled about this. The front of the house looked totally unfinished and under construction and it was driving me insane.
But, that’s the way it works when you build a house yourself with your own money. There isn’t a big slush fund or bank. The bank is the bank of Kim and Ryan.
So, after some painful waiting, we saved up the money for the porch to finish it. And then by the time we were ready to work on the front porch, I was waffling – big time.
I didn’t feel like “normal” railings were a good fit. (This is what we did in our last house – and they were lovely. But not right for this house.) I didn’t want to go with the same hog panel railings like we did on the back porch – just a little too rustic.
I turned to Pinterest, my old friend. I like to type in random search terms and scroll mindlessly for hours.
If you ever feel stuck on a home project, Pinterest can be a great way to narrow down ideas.
It can also be a way to waste ungodly amounts of time, but we’ll focus on the good here. I had seen plenty of horizontal railings, but none had struck my fancy. Until I found this one from JBMArchitect.
“Ding, ding, ding,” I said.
This was pretty much the only version I found that I loved. The key elements:
- Three rails of varying sizes
- No top board
- Plenty of space between the boards.
Luckily for me and my Pinterest inspiration – Ryan also loved this look and said it would be relatively easy to replicate. (Also, this is way quicker and cheaper than other ideas I found.)
He got to work – wrapping the existing posts and installing the barn wood ceiling. (I’ll share more details when the painting is finally finished.) I’m still needing to finish painting everything, but it’s looking incredible already. It is wonderful to see the front of the house looking more and more “finished.” I can hardly wait to decorate this porch for fall and the holidays.
The railing really feels reminiscent of old farm fences – but with a modern twist. I think it’s a great finishing touch for the front.
Now, we just need tons of dirt, some landscaping, stairs and decor.
Step by step.
what size boards did you use to do this?
Such a different idea, I love it!
Another great choice for your beautiful home 🐞
Oh, those look great! We’re hoping to do a new deck this winter, and I’m struggling with trying to find out how to make it a little different while still fitting in with the house.
love the horizontal rails. I always think that people end up sitting on the steps and so I’d need space for people to lounge and let people still walk by. Did you ever consider not doing the railing between the front door and the first post and doing steps in two directions, one set in front of door and one towards the garage direction? https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251920172884803030/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/246220304607655654/
We actually did talk about this, but ended up deciding against it for no really huge reason. I do really love the look, though!
I absolutely love this idea! The horizontal railings look so good. Unique but yet they look like they were meant for your home. Kudos!
Perfect!
Are you leaving them wood or painting them. They look great! I too lose time on Pinterest. 😂 I always wonder what I did before I could search for ideas on Pinterest!
Painting. When it stops raining for more than 5 minutes.
The rails look beautiful! I have something similar and I want to carry it down to the bottom of the deck to replace the lattice.
We have been in a conversation about what to do below. So many options!
that is what we have on our house! we didn’t put them there but we like them!
I didn’t know that! I feel like I have seen so many photos of your house but I don’t think I remember seeing a photo of the porch railings. Off to check it out …
I don’t comment enough, but it’s been such a joy watching your home come together and seeing how you selected all the little details. I’m in love! Bravo, Kim. You must be so proud.
xo Michael
Thank you so much, Michael! That means so much coming from you, my ‘old’ blogging friend. Come visit – cocktails on the porch!