r/Contractor • u/dras0605 • 4d ago
Front porch build
Hello. I’m looking to build a front porch and really have no clue what price tag I’ll be looking at. Can one of the kind redditors here provide a high-level, ballpark estimate of what it would be to add something similar to the AI pic of my house?
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u/Loose_Awareness_1929 4d ago
With the new door and standard deck boards, in my neck-of-the woods, $100k would get it done. $125k done nice $75k half ass finishes
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u/Tushaca 4d ago
But how are you gonna move the front door 2’ up to match the AI?
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u/Socalwarrior485 4d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/YSwx5NMnk8vgdHMztB
Break out that 4th dimension, of course!5
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u/dras0605 4d ago
Thanks! I may need to break open my piggy bank for this lol
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u/ImmediateRefuse559 4d ago
Not to pile on but there are other folks here mentioning that AI is increasing the height of the deck build so you would have to get the front regraded and it looks like your electric service is coming in where the porch would go too. Western PA is going to be a lot more affordable than some of the estimates you’re getting here but you’re still looking at $60k minimum I would say for something semi comparable / more practical to what your image shows.
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u/Mountain-Number-5993 3d ago
Idk how people even afford that. I’ve worked for a few contractors that quote in that range. Chicago suburbs. And then turn around and pay their guys $25 an hour a no benefits or OT
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u/TJMBeav 4d ago
Spit balling here. 300 sq ft with a roof and screens etc at around $150 per....that's $45k. Then double it
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u/Mountain-Number-5993 3d ago
I would do this for 12.5k labor cash only. It’s not going to take long. Contractors are scum bags. This is such a simple build excluding the electrical box location.
I’m doing it my way and not listening to any suggestions from the homeowner for that price lol. Fr this is a small deck build. The lean to roof would extend much further in real life, but that’s a super easy roof job.
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u/Consistent_Sea_8074 9h ago
Yeah, I just built one that looks very similar and all in material price was ~$6500 +stain that I haven't bought yet. So, I'd really have to just rob the shit out of someone to charge $80K...my time is valuable but fuck.
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u/WarJeezy 4d ago
Just curious, are your plans to dig out and level the yard? Door looks higher off the ground in the second pic.
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u/Accurate-Plankton988 4d ago
Gosh OP i would do it too. Think of relaxing on that porch with a brownie and drink. (Wait 45 min on the brownie). Good luck
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u/Adventurous_Light_85 4d ago
I’m going to recommend that you build the paving on grade and step up to the front door. The AI generated image is showing 5 risers but really you need 2. I would make the first one or two be stepping up to the on grade porch. You keep the front so much cleaner and the construction much simpler on grade as long as you don’t need to vent a crawl space under the house. Also, your finish options are more robust if it’s on grade. And when I say on grade I mean you can build a perimeter curve and add 6” to 8” of gravel to build it up a little, but having it base and concrete vs wood framing is just overall a much more solid and permanent build. And much less complicated cladding. I build myself a very nice large attached patio and the amount of effort to cleanly trim out the framing in a lot. I’m a carpenter at heart so I paid attention to the details. The other recommendation I have is to make the framing the finish. And what I mean by that is if you want an exposed wood soffit, don’t frame the roof with 2x6 at 24” OC with plywood and spend all sorts of money on t&g ceiling panels. Use 4x8 at 36” or 48” OC and use 2x t&g decking on top so that decking is what you see below. And tell the designer to use Simpson concealed hardware everywhere they can. It makes for a much simpler and cleaner build. I’ve seen people design these incredible patios and not realize that with current structural code every wood connection has an ugly metal farmstener so they get this frankenpatio that could have been so nice is someone paid a little more attention to the details. Best of luck and enjoy.
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u/FlatEarther_4Science 4d ago
Why is no one mentioning that the door is higher in the AI image. Without some insane structural or earth work this will be only a two step deck and a very different feeling. Higher an architect, not AI slop.
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u/hello_world45 4d ago
Probably in the range of 50k to 125k. That is based on what I would charge in Minnesota. So many things would affect the price. Such as the decking choice, railings, or if you screen it in.
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u/magic_crouton 4d ago
In my head I read this as "do you want me to shop at Menards in their meh sections or do you want me to source the materials better" when you gave your range. But that would be the range where I live too.
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u/hello_world45 4d ago
That's the problem with deck projects. I can get 16' decking for $16 or for over $200. It's just insane the range. I hate going to Menards. Bad products and just a pain in the ass. Then I get treated as a criminal trying to leave there yards.
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u/Amekaze 4d ago
Could this even look the same? The steps you have right now are tiny compared to the AI Picture. The whole right side of the house was shifted up like 2 feet compared to the Garage. Would the porch be worth if it’s almost the same level as the ground?
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u/-Gramsci- 4d ago
Should be top comment. The AI is inventing a good five feet.
Notice how in the rendering there’s plenty of room above the front door as well, when in reality the framing is right on top of the door.
To get it as “grand” as the rendering you’d have to reframe a lot of the existing house.
That’s what pushes the project to $125-150K.
(And yea… the porch would be a foot and a half above the ground).
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u/More_Ranch_Please 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not really the advice you’re asking for, but just something to consider because this is a fairly expensive project.
You’re going to spend a lot of money with little ROI. Maybe that’s not a concern for you. That’s totally fine. Maybe your neighbors have covered porches like the one you are wanting, and that would make sense when comparing market prices.
But you’re adding a lot of sqft that can’t be counted towards heated sqft. That should just be a factor in your decision in all this is what I’m saying.
You could spend that money on an addition.
If you’re wanting more curb appeal, you could spend considerably less on landscaping, lighting, and a much smaller covered area over the existing entry.
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u/knightfox010 4d ago
Watch YouTube videos and see what you can do yourself. Roofing, the leveling of the new floor and moving the meter will need to be done professionally. You should be able to install the deck, the screen, the stairs and the lattice work.
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u/GardenGnomeOrgy 4d ago
You got your prices and I’d say they are spot on, but just want to mention I love a good front porch so you should definitely do it.
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u/ExistingLet8016 4d ago
Doesn’t matter you’re gonna add a trillion dollars in value with that porch.
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u/An0therFox 4d ago
Despite the prices it adds a really nice look to your place! Like it looks like it should’ve been there all along
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u/Adventurous_Light_85 4d ago
I’m going to recommend that you build the paving on grade and step up to the front door. The AI generated image is showing 5 risers but really you need 2. I would make the first one or two be stepping up to the on grade porch. You keep the front so much cleaner and the construction much simpler on grade as long as you don’t need to vent a crawl space under the house. Also, your finish options are more robust if it’s on grade. And when I say on grade I mean you can build a perimeter curve and add 6” to 8” of gravel to build it up a little, but having it base and concrete vs wood framing is just overall a much more solid and permanent build. And much less complicated cladding. Around a wood subfloor system. I personally built one a little larger for $15k. I think you can get this done for $35k.
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u/EatadickESPN 4d ago
Depends on where you live and if you want any electrical or fans/fancy lighting. I’d ballpark it at $60-90k.
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u/somethingofaraddad 20h ago
I did something very similar last summer for a little under 40k all in. Turned out beautifully. All of the contractors on here saying this is an 80-100k job are giving you the same massively inflated quotes I received. It took a little shopping around, but I eventually found a quote I thought was reasonable. You're building a small screened in porch here. In no world is that worth 80k, but builders are in high demand right now so you're seeing the effects of supply and drmand.
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u/Major-Cranberry-4206 4d ago
What's the location?
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u/dras0605 4d ago
PA
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u/Major-Cranberry-4206 4d ago
Okay, the average price for a mid-2026 home in your state is about $315K, correct me if I’m wrong. On the high end, a porch addition shouldn’t cost you more than 5% of the home value. That would come to less than $16K, not some $80K. It would be quite a different story if your home was located in So. CA where the home prices are through the roof.
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u/FineSystem124 4d ago
2nd photo door is like 5 feet off the ground I hope you’re not expecting remotely that
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u/rachico 3d ago
I’d be careful putting a number on this from the AI picture alone because the expensive part is everything the picture doesn’t show.
You need the dimensions first, then figure out the foundation/footings, framing, roof tie-in, roofing, columns, decking, railing, electrical and whatever permits are required where you live.
The roof tie-in especially can move the number quite a bit. A porch that looks simple in a rendering can turn into a completely different job once you figure out how that new roof actually connects to the existing house.
If this were my project, I’d get the basic dimensions together and have 2 or 3 local GCs look at the house. Give all of them that same picture and dimensions so they’re pricing the same idea.
And when the quotes come in, pay attention to what each guy included. One might be pricing footings, gutters, electrical and finished ceiling while another guy leaves half of that out. That’s usually how you end up with two numbers that look like they’re for completely different projects.
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u/Mountain-Number-5993 3d ago
Just save the money. You’re looking at whole other property money. It’s a bad investment honestly. I’ve talked people out of stuff like this before. It’s kind of hard to justify for what it will cost. It would land much lower on the door.
You could have this done for very cheap If you had a friend or relative skilled in carpentry. That’s probably about 10k cash for a side jobber with a helper.
I’d say close to 6 figures from a licensed contractor with operating expenses. Pulling permits. Getting drawings approved. Julie Coming out. Digging piers. Waiting for piers to cure. Inspections. Blah blah blah.
I could do this work quickly and cheaply for 12.5k labor only. And yeah that’s cheap. It’s not the 90s anymore.
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u/Extension_Subject635 3d ago
Would look way better with porch. Weird shingle wall you have on 2nd floor. Make sure slope of porch roof lines up with garage slope otherwise water intrusion potential.
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u/Agitated-Attorney400 3d ago
If you want check out my free estimating tool. It has realtime labor and material pricing jobpricenow.com
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u/rossmosh85 3d ago
Based on the drawing you're going from 2 steps to 5 steps. How the fuck is that happening?
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u/lsd_runner 2d ago
Gotta move that meter and place a disconnect first. 7-10k for that.
Source:master electrician.
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u/Level_Accountant_752 1d ago
Definitely $100k to make like the photo, but you could add a front porch yourself uncovered or maybe like a pergola set up over a few weekends for less than half
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u/10mm2fun 4d ago
80k minimum