Home is where life happens. It is where you entertain friends and family, take care of loved ones and carry on family traditions. Whether the winter snow is blowing or the hot summer sun is shining, it’s always a good time to think about home’s front porch. In addition to welcoming guests, front porches are excellent dining, relaxing and entertaining spaces. Brookside Homes has many front porch styles to fit your needs.

1. Covered Stoops or Porticos: A portico is a covered space extending from the front door that shields guests from the elements when at the door, in addition to giving your home architectural dimension. Great for displaying potted plants or small décor, porticos are generally too small for furniture. Brookside offers porticos on these plans:

4-Bed/2-Story: Charleston, Susquehanna, Washington 2 [THESE LINKS ARE NOT YET READY AS HOME PLAN PGS ARE NOT YET BUILT]

Cape Cod: Anderson 1, Anderson 2

Ranch: Morehart, Musser 2

2. Open Stoops: These stoops are like porticos, but uncovered. Brookside offers open stoops on these plans:

3-Bed/2-Story: Benner, Blair 1, Blair 2, Blair 3, Washington 1

4-Bed/2-Story: Brookside, Casale 3, Sampsell, Wilmington

Cape Cod: Jefferson

Multi-level: Bracken House, Lennox, Mitchell

Ranch: Lincoln, Musser 1, Musser 3, Philadelphian 1, Princeton, Vicksburg

Tioga Log Style: Covington, Westfield 1, Westfield 2

3. Wrap-arounds: The grandest style is the wrap-around porch. As their name implies, these porches wrap continuously around at least two sides of your home, giving you space to create multiple zones to greet guests, dine, entertain or relax. While this style provides the most space for furniture, keep in mind the larger amount of porch roofing will shade your interior. To make the most use of a wrap-around porch and connect it to your interior, add doors leading to the porch from at least one of the interior rooms. Wrap-arounds are offered on these Brookside plans:

3-Bed/2-Story: Franklin 1, Franklin 2, Hawthorne

4-Bed/2-Story: Colonial, Jackson 1, Jackson 2, Mansfield, Oxford, Valley

Tioga Log Style: Cowanesque

4. Everything In Between: A whole range of front porch sizes exist in the middle of the size spectrum, offering more room for furniture and decor; some extend a few feet beyond a portico, and some extend the entire front of the house. Brookside offers front porches on these plans:

3-Bed/2-Story: Aument, Bradford, Cameron, Fairhaven, Layton 1, Layton 2, Madison, Marks 1, Salem, Taylor, Williamsburg

4-Bed/2-Story: Bassett Hall, Casale 1, Casale 2, Hampton, Hartford, Levenson, Logan 1, Logan 2, Marks 2, Yorktown

Cape Cod: Bakersfield, Beacon Hill 1, Beacon Hill 2, Cherry Run, Patriot, Slate Run

Multi-level: Palmer 1, Palmer 2

Ranch: Adams, Concord 1, Concord 2, Cornell 1, Cornell 2, New Haven, Philadelphian 2, Philadelphian 3, Riverside 1, Riverside 2, Roosevelt, Wheatland

Tioga Log Style: Blossburg 1, Blossburg 2, Buttonwood, Liberty, Wellsboro, Liberty

For the ultimate in flexibility, nearly all of Brookside’s home plans can be customized with the porch style of your choice.