Victorian front door/porch restoration
westleaf
5 years ago
Hello. I'm looking for advice on restoring the original porch design on our Victorian town house. The previous owners brought the front door forward and so our front door is now flush with the front of the house. I would prefer to re-instate the original design of the arched porch and a recessed front door. Has anyone seen anyone do a similar restoration? Would this be a complete waste of money do you think? I guess it will be expensive as the internal wall was also removed inside the house too so the porch would need proper brick work. Maybe I should just upgrade our front door and the fan glass above it and be satisfied with that. Does anyone have any suggestions? I attach pictures of our front door and then a neighbour's for comparison. Thank you!
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carocat24
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Front porch
Comments (3)How big are the changes you are prepared to make? Having a closed porch is good as it acts as a barrier to the cold entering straight in to the house. However, I like to have the front door under cover, so that while you are looking for your keys and it's raining, you are not getting wet, or your guests are not getting wet while waiting for the door be be opened. So you could replace it with an open porch, e.g. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/530158187359138225/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/448460075367389159/ with sensored outdoor lights. If you are looking for a quick fix, you could paint the frames in the charcoal grey like the door, and put natural blinds in the windows (bamboo/sisal/linen): You could also paint the window heads in a warm tone of grey to tie the charcoal door colour with the brown window frames - something like the Farrow&Ball's Dove Tale or Charlston Gray. I would also suggest painting or replacing the picket fence....See MoreHelp with Victorian door lintel...
Comments (4)I have been there recently and feel your pain! I am restoring a period property on a shoe string and have had to learn how to replicate mouldings all over the place. It takes a lot of patience and a bit of time but you can do it yourself for about £40 plus a few pounds for adhesive if you have the inclination. I would first use an angle grinder to make the damaged surface flat, then carefully remove a couple of the teeth on the other window lintel (bit scary I know) and make a mould by putting them in a flat bottomed dish and pouring two part silicone around it. You can buy this online for about £20. Take the teeth out when it has set and then you can make as may of them as you like. (I watched a few youtube videos first) I use a plaster called Calcite R which you just mix with water and pour into the mould. In a couple of hours you can take them out and when dry, stick them up there with a good quality exterior adhesive. Fill over the joins with flexible exterior filler and paint with a waterproof paint. You can buy a paint on liquid mould too so that you don't have to remove the teeth, but I can't say much about it as I haven't used it. I have only done this for interior mouldings but apparently the plaster I use is suitable for exterior use if painted - there might be a better product out there. It is really easy to do. This is a photo of my ceiling rose which was really badly water damaged. Half of the leaves are original and half of them are new castings that I made in the dish I used to serve the peas in for Sunday lunch. It is a bit time consuming but has saved us a fortune....See MoreFront door restoration
Comments (9)I used to restore stained glass and I worked with a few joiners who would remove the glass, drop it off to me to restore then refit whilst they are doing the door repairs. Others would prefer that I remove the glass myself and temporary glaze - it all depends on the joinery company. You can have the glass pieces repaired insitu, but I only recommend it for 1-2 panes if the rest of the panel is in good order. It's only meant as a temporary measure and weakens the lead. You can request that the lead be darkened after restoration, so it doesn't look so shiny and new if that bothers you. Not sure where you are based exactly but I can recommend a joiners in Shrewsbury who cover various parts of Wales if you're that way.....See MoreHow to make this Victorian house facade beautiful again?
Comments (11)Hi, it looks like the porch roof tiles may have been painted already as the most common colour is Red, and it looks quite new. This is a better colour :- Roof paint Really like the idea of taking out the columns on that wall................much less 'dated' You could even build up the wall if you're going to render. I love the grandeur of the house on the right. Taking the colours in the london brick ( yellow / gray ), I think the slate, green, grey chosen works well with it. I looked to tie in with the one on the right rather than the one on the left. By associating it with the one on the right in colour choice, it makes it look super smart. Here's a before and after that I did on a similar condition property a few years ago. It's the one in the middle. It was a shop at one point, hence the large window at the bottom that didn't tie in with the rest of the house, plus the little wall. Anyway, here's the after pic....See Morewestleaf
5 years agoHelen C
5 years ago
E D
5 years agowestleaf
5 years agoHelen C
5 years agowestleaf
5 years agoHelen C
5 years ago- PRO
User
5 years ago
These are from my mood board when we were about to buy a victorian house last year. Maybe they would give you an idea or two. I agree with everyone else on the tiles, but I think there are many places to find them at. Car boot sales, tips, garden centres, doesn't necessarily have to be tile shops. In regards to the doors, I think you can go for a slightly larger door to minimise the rebuilt of the external wall that has been removed. I think the only obstacles you would run into is the wiring that could be in the space that you want to take outside. Hope this makes sense. Good luck with the reno!
westleaf
5 years agochristinaloch
3 years ago
carocat24