How Big Should a Front Porch Be?

The right front porch size depends mainly on its depth. A porch that is meant for sitting should be at least 6 feet (about 1.8 m) deep, and 8 feet (about 2.4 m) is the depth most designers recommend for a comfortable porch with chairs and a walkway. Typical front porches are 6 to 10 feet (about 1.8 to 3 m) deep and anywhere from 8 feet (about 2.4 m) wide for a simple covered entry to the full width of the house.

A front porch has two jobs: it protects the entrance from rain and sun, and it gives you a place to sit outside facing the street. A small entry porch only has to do the first job, while a seating porch has to do both. In my experience, the most common regret is a porch that looks generous from the street but is too shallow to actually use.

Typical Front Porch Sizes

A seating porch of 8 x 12 ft has 96 square feet (about 8.9 square meters), and a full-width porch of 8 x 40 ft (about 2.4 x 12.2 m) has 320 square feet (about 29.7 square meters). Width is easy to add, but depth is what decides whether the porch is usable.

Front Porch Depth: Why It Matters Most

The depth of a porch has to accommodate furniture and still leave a free path from the steps to the front door.

• 4 to 5 ft (about 1.2 to 1.5 m): enough to stand under cover, but chairs will block the way.
• 6 ft (about 1.8 m): the practical minimum for a chair or bench along the wall with people walking past.
• 8 ft (about 2.4 m): comfortable for chairs, a side table and a walkway of about 3 ft (about 91 cm).
• 10 ft (about 3 m) and more: room for a small dining table, a porch swing or two rows of seating.

How Much Space Porch Furniture Needs

A porch swing is the furniture piece that most often does not fit. Because it moves, it needs a porch depth of roughly 8 to 10 ft (about 2.4 to 3 m) and a strong ceiling structure to hang from.

Front Porch Width and Proportions

The width of a porch is mostly a question of proportion and budget. A few guidelines help it look right on the facade:

• An entry porch should be noticeably wider than the front door including any sidelights, typically at least 2 to 3 ft (about 60 to 90 cm) on each side.
• A porch that covers about one third to one half of the facade looks intentional. Anything narrower can look like a canopy.
• A full-width porch works well on farmhouse, craftsman and traditional houses and visually lowers a tall two-story facade.
• Posts or columns are usually spaced about 6 to 10 ft (about 1.8 to 3 m) apart. They should line up with windows and doors behind them, not stand in front of them.

Porch Ceiling and Roof

A porch ceiling of about 8 to 10 ft (about 2.4 to 3 m) works for most houses. It is often similar to the ceiling height of the main floor, which our guide to standard ceiling height explains in detail. The porch roof can be a shed roof attached to the wall, a gable over the entry, or a continuation of the main roof. On two-story houses, the porch roof has to fit below the upper-floor windows, which limits the possible depth and roof slope.

Steps, Railings and Landings

The height of the porch floor above the ground affects both the layout and the rules that apply. The following values are common in many areas of North America under the International Residential Code, but local rules vary, so always check with your local building department.

• Landing at the front door: generally at least 36 in (about 91 cm) deep in the direction of travel and at least as wide as the door.
• Steps: risers are generally limited to about 7 3/4 in (about 19.7 cm) and treads must be at least about 10 in (about 25.4 cm) deep. Comfortable porch steps are often around 6 to 7 in (about 15 to 18 cm) high with treads of 11 to 12 in (about 28 to 30 cm).
• Guards: usually required when the porch floor is more than 30 in (about 76 cm) above the ground, typically with a height of at least 36 in (about 91 cm).
• Handrails: generally required on stairs with four or more risers.

Steps take more space than many people expect. A porch that is 28 in (about 71 cm) above the ground needs four risers of 7 in (about 18 cm) and three treads of 11 in (about 28 cm), so the stairs extend almost 3 ft (about 84 cm) in front of the porch. On a sloped lot, the porch height can vary a lot along the facade. Our guide on planning a house on a slope shows how to handle these differences.

Common Front Porch Size Mistakes

Making the Porch Too Shallow

A 4 or 5-foot (about 1.2 or 1.5 m) porch looks fine in a drawing but cannot hold chairs and a walkway. If you want to sit on the porch, plan at least 6 ft (about 1.8 m), ideally 8 ft (about 2.4 m).

Blocking the Path to the Door

Steps, the door and the furniture should be arranged so the walkway from the street to the entrance is direct. Furniture belongs to the side of this path, not in it.

Forgetting the Door Swing

A storm door or screen door that opens outward needs free space on the porch. Plan the landing and furniture with the door fully open.

Ignoring Drainage

A porch floor should slope slightly away from the house, typically about 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot (about 1 to 2 percent), so rain does not run toward the front door.

Not Checking the Porch from the Street

Posts, roof and depth change the look of the whole facade. Viewing the house in 3D from the street shows whether the porch is in proportion before it is built.

How to Determine the Right Front Porch Size

1. Decide how you will use the porch: only as a covered entry, or also for sitting, a swing or dining.
2. Choose the furniture and add a walkway of at least 36 in (about 91 cm) to find the minimum depth.
3. Set the width based on the door, sidelights, windows and the proportions of the facade.
4. Plan the floor height, steps and landing and check whether guards and handrails are needed.
5. Coordinate the porch roof with the upper-floor windows and the main roof.
6. Review the design in 2D and 3D and check the local requirements before construction.

Drawing the porch in the floor plan with exact dimensions makes these steps much easier. Our guide on creating floor plans with dimensions explains how to do this in Plan7Architect.

Plan Your Front Porch with Plan7Architect

With Plan7Architect Pro, you can create professional floor plans and design your front porch with its exact depth and width, the entry door, steps, railings, posts and porch roof. Furnish the porch with chairs, benches or a swing from millions of 3D objects, and check proportions in the instant 3D view, sections and elevations. You can work in feet and inches or in meters and export your plans as PDF, DWG or DXF, including drawings for the building permit. Every purchase includes a 14-day right of withdrawal, so you can simply cancel your purchase by email if the software is not right for you.