7 Low Budget Front Porch Ideas to Add Curb Appeal

Make a big impact to your curb appeal with low budget front porch ideas.

Are you looking to add some curb appeal to your outdoor space without breaking the bank? Does the idea of an expensive exterior renovation make you feel overwhelmed? Don't worry – you can add value to the front of your home without a costly price tag. From quick and easy landscaping tips to tasteful décor changes, each of these front porch ideas on a budget is designed to help make your home stand out without breaking the bank.

7 Front Porch Decor Ideas on a Low Budget

During the winter months I spend a lot of time decorating my interior. Now that spring is finally in season, it's time to start working on the exterior and add to my home's curb appeal. Whether you have a small space or a large porch, you want this area to be inviting.

As the front porch is the one place that everybody sees as they drive past or come up to the front of the house, this is the best way to expand your home's curb appeal. However, most don't have hundreds or thousands to spend on a small front porch makeover. So here are 7 low budget high impact ways to add curb appeal to your home's exterior.

Make Your Front Door a Statement

One of the best small front porch ideas on a budget is to make sure that your front door stands out. It's the best way to create a natural focal point, especially for small front porches. This front door is a basic metal builder grade door. We quickly discovered that new doors were over $3000 and that was not in the budget. As you can see, this front door doesn't stand out.

The best option for our front door was to create an updated look into our front entry. A great way to do this is by casing in your front door. It is a more affordable way to update that doesn't cost a lot of money. We also stripped the old finish and gave it a fresh coat of paint, along with the two window panels on either side. What a huge difference this simple change can make.

Consequently, the front of our house looks like there is a brand new door. You can see the full post on how we did this here. When you want something to really stand out, going with a bright pop of color or a black door are also an easy DIY project. But if you have a small porch area with limited space, refreshing your front door is a great choice to create some pizazz.

If you don't want to paint your door, you can also stain it if it is made of wood. See how we cut costs by casing and staining the front doors in our new house, by ourselves.

Add a Welcome Mat

A simple welcome mat or outdoor rug is an easy way to provide a warm welcoming front porch with some additional front porch decor. It can change the look of your front porch by adding a small splash of color, or by creating a more formal or informal style. See my outdoor mats here and here.

Consider the layered look with a mat and a small rug underneath for more texture and style. One of my favorite ways to do this is by using a solid mat on top with a patterned outdoor rug underneath. This is what I use to keep my outdoor mats from blowing everywhere. Layering your outdoor mats can make a small porch appear larger.

Plant Flower Pots

Adding flowers and greenery creates great front porch curb appeal. Not only is it one of the easiest ways to bring in lots of colors and textures, but they smell wonderful and make your front yard more inviting. Plus planting flowers in pots is an inexpensive way to boost appeal.

I reuse my pots each year and plant my own flowers. You can also get creative with what you plant your flowers in, whether that is a flower pot or something else. This year I used two galvanized pots I bought at a garage sale. You can even check Home Depot or the Dollar Tree for thrifty pot finds. It is also very easy to take outdoor planters you already have and apply a fresh coat of spray paint for just a few dollars. It's amazing what a little paint can do.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Add Colorful Accessories for Low Budget Front Porch

Adding a color scheme to front porches helps to brighten small spaces and draw people in. I incorporated some of my larger colorful accessories for a bigger impact. This dresser turned bench (post here) finally found a home on this beautiful front porch. It is the perfect place to add bright colors.

If you don't have a large porch then painting your front door a bold color is a great option as well. For our door I wanted a neutral color so I opted to add color through my accessories instead.

Decorating with a few fun accessories is a great way to really set your home apart for a low budget front porch. But while I prefer to go minimal on my accessories, they need to have a big impact like our hello sign. This hello sign demonstrates instant curb appeal to our guests and it's super easy to hang with brick clips.

I love this hello sign because you can clearly see it from the road since it is 29x23 inches. It's really important to have a few decorative elements. Also try:

• Colorful throw pillows
• Decorative lanterns
• String lights or a stunning light fixture
• Colorful throws
• Wreaths for your front door

Paint Your House White

Painting your home with a fresh coat of paint is one way to add to the curb appeal of your home. And doing it yourself can eliminate a lot of the cost so you end up only paying for supplies.

A couple summers ago I sprayed the exterior of our home white because I wanted a whole new look. You can see that tutorial here or the video tutorial here. The bright white is much more inviting instead of the dull brown palette it was before.

I also added a hello cutout in a beautiful coral pink for spring. But most of all, I love how the white makes my front porch just pop.

These gorgeous spring pillow covers compliment the hello sign and create a strong contrast with our white house exterior. You can view some similar ones here.

Create an Outdoor Seating Area

If you can fit it into your porch space, outdoor furniture is one of the best ways to update your front porch curb appeal. Pick something simple like a couple of stylish chairs and a small table in between.

Additionally, I made this DIY porch swing to fit in this little nook off of our front porch. It is the perfect size to fit into this small space while also providing a stylish focal point. Hanging a light fixture above your seating area or front doors can especially add stylish embellishment.

And also, don't forget to add an outdoor rug to your seating area. This will help the space to feel cozy and welcoming. Shop mine here.

Clean Up Your Flower Beds for Low Budget Front Porch

And finally, your surrounding flower beds are basically an extension of your front porch and as such, are an easy way to get a little more embellishment for low cost. This is especially true if you use perennials that will come back every year. Another option is colorful annuals that can also work since they can be bought for so cheap.

Additionally, outdoor lights or solar lighting ground lights like mine are an easy way to illuminate your front flower beds and draw more attention to your front entry space.

Low Budget Front Porch Curb Appeal

By following these low budget high impact tips, you can add curb appeal to your home without emptying your wallet. From painting your door, to adding flowers and more, you can make small changes that make a big difference. Investing in the aesthetics of your home is an investment in boosting the value of your property.

Remember, no matter how small or large the improvements, the effort you put into enhancing your home’s curb appeal is worth it. Start with these easy and budget-friendly tips and you'll be amazed at the results.

Happy DIYing!

Brooke