Sorry, Joe, if you are referring to you being a longhorn. I'm sure you have the respect deserving of any proud t.u. fan, but I've seen countless bad fans that show lack of decent upbringing. Also, being in the military I figure you to be an Aggie. TAMU has turned out more generals than any other school in this nation. The last game I attended at Kyle Field when we were playing t.u., many of the t.u. fans didn't even take their hats off for the National Anthem or the Pledge Of Allegiance, which makes my blood boil. At every game, there is a fly over by military pilots and they are introduced at halftime. The longhorn fans didn't even applaud for them...kind of ironic since the military men and women are the ones fighting for the right for them to act that way. I guess I just don't understand 'Austin' thinking...I guess that's why they have bumpers stickers that read, "Keep Austin Weird." Don't get me started. "TT" logo on my outhouse...how fitting. Kt

@Brianne Gandy - thanks for picture which clarifies things. Yes to your light placements & maybe add one at the inside corner of garage & house. I’d say no to shiplap on that section between windows but yes to some kind of metal wall hanging there. At 6’ wide, there’s enough room for 2 chairs - even rocking chairs - with a small table between them. If the section of pavers under the windows is 6’ wide, looks like section along garage is at least 12’ wide? My thought is to draw an imaginary line from the right edge of the window at left of door over to garage wall. See if that triangular space is large enough to place a circular table - larger than a bistro table size- with 4 chairs around it. This will give you the 2 seating areas you want with 2 very different looks. Place at least 3 large planters with evergreen plantings in them along the garage wall from the garage corner to edge of imaginary triangle space. You’ll need to water year round as under the eves so no rain. I have big saucers on my big pots to catch water & not have it all over pavers. I also have my large pots on plant caddies so I can easily move them when needed. Place 2 more large pots, one at right of front door, the other one at far end of narrow side of pavers to right of chairs. Maybe put very colorful flowering plants in those two. Last, but certainly just as important, remove the grass from left corner of pavers at garage end & all the way up past front of tree & to right corner of house. Fill this planting bed with flowering shrubs & evergreens. Lay a flagstone path through the bed from about the left corner of pavers over to the sitting area btween the two windows. This connects one end of pavers to the other & gives another nice option for how to walk over to that area. If you’re not an experienced gardner, get design help from local nursery. Having that planting bed will add huge curb appeal to your nice home.

First you need to decide how to use the porch. Are you a sit on the front porch type of person? With food or drink? If yes think about adding another seat and some type of table. Is this an area to stand around before coming into the house? If yes your bench is enough, I would consider moving the bench to against the wall to give you more room around the door and color on against the wall. Regardless of how you use the porch put art on both walls. Put colorful pillows on your bench, I like it, colorful pillows will make it stand out more. You might want to consider painting the bench another color to make it stand out. You have a blank slate have fun with the area. Art on the wall can bring in color that plants would, but with fewer limitations, and upkeep.

We're finishing up a long rehab of a home built in 1965. We also have a concrete porch that needs something! I wanted real brick, and thought we could do it with "thin brick". Turns out we don't have the minimum % of slope. That's a red flag, as we are in MN, and the amount of rain & snow here, plus freeze/thaw cycles could cause any stone or tile work to "pop" if moisture doesn't drain away properly. Last fall we had our old garage floor re-surfaced with new type of product that carries a 15 year warranty. So right now we're waiting on some custom color choices to use on our porch. The company is Valence Coatings out of Minnesota. I think they would have a list of companies using their products. The prep and coating was about $5 sq ft, and has a 15 year warranty. Decorative Concrete | ValenceSupply | Mendota Heights (to the trade) Valence Protective Coatings Inc. | Facebook