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19 Mar 2024

Planning a porch extension

Transform the front of your property and up its curb appeal with a brand new porch extension.

Adam SnookResearcher & writer

First impressions are important, so create a warm welcome for guests by adding a stylish and functional porch to the front of your home.

Whether you're after an extra bit of storage space for shoes, coats or stacks of firewood, a porch can be made completely bespoke to suit your needs.

A porch does more than provide additional space to your home; it can add extra security benefits by being a barrier between your front door and the outside world.

Closed porches can also increase your home’s energy efficiency by preventing the heat escaping and helping you save a little on your energy bills.

Porch designs

There are many different design choices when it come to building a new porch, from windows, front door options, brickwork and different roof styles - including pitched, gable and flat, down to the smaller details such as lighting, door handles and flooring. Every element can be personalised to your taste as well as the rest of the property.

One of the most important aspects of installing a new porch is to integrate it into your existing home so that it doesn’t look out of place, and just stuck on the front of your house.

A good brick match is worth considering as well as a similar roof material to help it look part of the original building.

Will a new porch need planning permission?

The planning rules for porches are applicable to any external door to the dwelling house.

Adding a porch to any external door of your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided:

the ground floor area (measured externally) would not exceed three square metres.
no part would be more than three metres above ground level (height needs to be measured in the same way as for a house extension).
no part of the porch would be within two metres of any boundary of the dwelling house and the highway.

Remember that permitted development allowances apply to houses and not to flats and maisonettes and to always check if your property is listed or in a conservation area.

Head to our pages on extension costs and extension planning for more in-depth advice.