What Is the Cost of a Porch? [2024 Data]
Porch perfection is one budget sheet away
The cost of a porch is about $14,500 on average for a 200-square-foot porch. You could pay anywhere from $4,000 for a small, open porch under 100 square feet to over $90,000 for a 600-square-foot wraparound or all-season porch with added features like lighting, heaters, or other elements to make the space more comfortable.
While the total cost will vary on factors like the type of porch and materials it’s made from, the porch cost can also depend on size, with the average cost ranging from around $40 to $120 per square foot. Installing a new porch can not only give your home some extra curb appeal, but it can also extend your living space and even boost the value of your home.
| Low Cost | Average Cost | High Cost |
|---|---|---|
| $4,000 | $14,500 | $90,000 |
Adding a Porch Cost Breakdown
The cost of a porch varies from around $4,000 for a small porch with no added features like screens or porticos to $90,000 for a 600-square-foot wraparound porch. With such a big range of costs, there are many factors that can influence the price of adding a porch to your home.
Type of Porch
A standard (aka open) front or back porch is the least expensive option, while adding a screened-in porch, a wraparound porch, or even a multi-season porch that you can enjoy year-round costs more but may be more functional for your family. Here are some average costs for different porch types:
| Porch Type | Cost per Square Foot | Average Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of a Porch | $40–$120 | $4,000–$72,000 |
| Veranda | $60–$150 | $6,000–$90,000 |
| Screened-in porch | $25–$120 | $2,500–$72,000 |
| Multi-season porch | $115–$200 | $20,000–$70,000 |
| Wraparound porch | $60–$150 | $6,000–$90,000 |
Materials
In total, a 200-square-foot porch costs about $14,500 for materials and installation. Materials alone account for 50% to 65% of the project total. From foundations to roofing, there are a lot of different materials that go into building a porch. Here are some common costs for porch materials:
| Material | Cost |
|---|---|
| Concrete foundation | $2–$10 per sq. ft. |
| Wood foundation | $4–$30 per sq. ft. |
| Composite foundation | $25–$55 per sq. ft. |
| Pier and beam foundation | $7–$12 per sq. ft. |
| Skirting | $25–$30 per sq. ft. |
| Roofing | $30–$160 per sq. ft. |
| Flooring | $4–$32 per sq. ft. |
| Railings | $15–$600 per linear ft. |
| Screens | $5–$7 per sq. ft. |
| Stairs | $120–$300 per step |
Size
The cost of a standard porch is about $40 to $120 per square foot for parts and labor, so the larger the porch, the more this project will cost. A wraparound porch costs more, up to $150 per square foot. The average porch is about 200 square feet, which will cost about $8,000 to $24,000.
| Size in Square Feet | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | $4,000–$12,000 |
| 150 | $6,000–$18,000 |
| 200 | $8,000–$24,000 |
| 250 | $10,000–$30,000 |
| 300 | $12,000–$36,000 |
| 350 | $14,000–$42,000 |
| 400 | $16,000–$48,000 |
| 450 | $18,000–$54,000 |
| 500 | $20,000–$60,000 |
| 550 | $22,000–$66,000 |
| 600 | $24,000–$72,000 |
Labor
Of the cost to add a porch, labor costs will make up about 35% to 55% of the job. That’s because this project is a big lift. From designing the porch to securing the proper permits to building a safe foundation, installing a new porch will require help from the pros. Expect to spend about $20 to $50 per square foot for labor costs, or, if you agree to hourly rates, it will cost about $50 to $250 per hour.
Permits
Obtaining a building permit costs about $150 to $2,000 for outdoor projects like building a porch. When you work with a pro, they can help you determine which permits you need and often will handle the permit process entirely, taking the stress off your hands. It’s important to check that you have the right permits. Otherwise, you risk penalty fees.
Land Prep
You’re dreaming of a new front porch, but your home sits on a hilly landscape. The cost of an outdoor living space goes up by about $500 to $6,000 if you need to do any land prep, like excavation or leveling. Additionally, your porch will need a proper foundation for safety. Once the land is prepped, adding the porch foundation may cost about $2 to $55 per square foot, depending on the foundation type.
Cost of Porch by Type
When you’re looking at the cost of porches, one thing to consider is what type of porch is best for your family. A multi-season porch is great if you want to enjoy a taste of outdoor living all year long, while a screened-in porch is a smart addition if you’re looking to sit outside without being bothered by pests.
Open Porch
An open porch is probably what you picture when you imagine a porch: an outdoor space covered by a roof with open sides. Building an open porch costs about $40 to $120 per square foot for materials and installation. This style works well for many different climates and house styles, and an open porch is a great addition to the front or back of a home.
Wraparound Porch
A wraparound porch costs about $60 to $150 per square foot. Many a dream home includes a charming, wraparound porch, which stretches around at least two sides of a home. Because these porches are larger than a standard porch, they tend to cost more. But they can quickly increase the amount of outdoor living space, making wraparound porches well worth the investment.
Screened-In Porch
A screened-in porch costs $25 to $120 per square foot. If you want to sit on the porch and enjoy a cool breeze without being bitten by pesky mosquitoes, a screened-in porch is right for you. Fortunately, you can either build a new screened-in porch or add screens to an existing porch.
Veranda
Installing a veranda costs $60 to $150 per square foot. A veranda is a type of porch that is typically large with open sides to welcome cooling breezes, which is why this porch style is popular for warm-weather climates. Like a wraparound porch, this porch style often spans at least two sides of the home.
Multi-Season Porch
A multi-season porch needs to be comfortable enough to enjoy year-round. In warmer climates, this type of porch may cost less to build, but if you’re hoping to have a four-season porch, you’ll need to consider costs for insulation and weatherproofing to keep the space warm in the winter. That, plus adding walls and windows to the porch, can drive the price up to $115 to $200 per square foot.
Porch Ongoing Expenses
Once your new porch is built, there are some ongoing expenses you need to consider. From refinishing wood floors and beams to paying for the electricity that powers your outdoor lighting, keep these ongoing expenses in mind before building a porch.
Operating Costs
Fortunately, porches don't have many operating costs. If you spend a lot of time on your porch in the evenings or at night, you may have a minor uptick in your energy bills for the cost of lighting. Multi-season porches may incur more energy costs if you have added features like heating and cooling.
Repairs
The kids got a little rowdy at playtime, and now you’re missing a few spindles on your porch railing. Or perhaps your cat was excited by a bird flying by, and in that excitement, they ripped a fresh hole into your screened porch. From time to time, you’ll need to handle porch repairs. Porch screen repair costs around $800 to $5,200, while replacing porch railings costs about $1,000 on average.
Maintenance
If you want to keep your porch looking its best, maintenance is required. Some tasks to tackle include pressure washing the porch and refinishing floors. If you have a concrete porch, you can save on maintenance, but wood porches will need resealing every one to three years. Pressure washing costs about $0.10 to $0.50 per square foot, while resealing a wood porch costs about $0.75 to $4 per square foot.
DIY Adding a Porch vs. Hiring a Pro
Installing a porch requires land excavation or leveling, foundation installation, and advanced construction skills. For these reasons, it’s best to let a local porch company install your new porch.
While the construction should be left to the pros, that doesn’t mean handy homeowners can’t save money by helping out with some of the work. For instance, you can save up to $5 per square foot by staining or painting the wood flooring or beams around the porch yourself. You could also reduce the cost of a screened-in porch by $5 to $7 per square foot by installing the screens on the porch yourself.
Cost of Common Porch Add-Ons
When installing a new porch, there are other projects you may want to tackle at the same time to make your new porch and outdoor space as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. From installing additional outlets or new lighting to replacing your front door, below are additional projects to consider taking on during a porch installation.
Installing an outdoor outlet cost: $150–$260
Landscape lighting cost: $2,000–$6,000
Exterior door cost: $550–$2,200
Playground cost: $330–$700
Landscaping cost: $1,200–$6,000
Tips to Reduce the Cost of a Porch
A porch is a major investment that can add value to your home and make it more functional for your family. However, there are ways to reduce the total cost of this home improvement project. Some ways to save money on the cost of a porch include:
Keeping it simple: A basic concrete porch without added railings, lots of steps, or decorative flourishes can be a comfy space for your family while also keeping costs low.
Going smaller: If you just need space for a chair or two, you can skip a massive wraparound porch and stick to a smaller porch to save money.
DIYing when possible: While you may not be able to construct the entire porch on your own, you can save money by painting or staining the floors yourself or installing screens on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Adding a porch to a house is worth it for a few reasons. For one, a covered porch adds square footage to the home, making it more valuable if you plan to sell in the future. A professionally designed and constructed porch can also improve the appearance of your home. But most importantly, a porch can make your outdoor space feel more inviting and useful.
A 12-foot-by-12-foot porch is a 144-square-foot porch. It costs about $5 to $7 per square foot to add a screen. So, you’ll likely pay between $700 and $1,000 to screen in your porch, depending on the type of screen you choose. If you’re starting from scratch, building a new 12-foot-by-12-foot screened-in porch will cost about $6,400 to $18,300.
A concrete porch costs about $2 to $10 per square foot upfront, while a wood porch costs about $4 to $30 per square foot, making concrete less expensive upfront. However, wood requires much more maintenance than concrete, so you’ll need to consider the costs of staining, painting, and resealing the porch every few years, which makes wood more expensive in the long run.
Porches can range widely in sides, from around 60 square feet for a small stoop area to over 600 square feet for a wraparound porch or veranda. An average porch will range from around 100 to 200 square feet, which is enough space to fit furniture like a porch swing or a couple of chairs.