And that’s a wrap — the porch columns are officially finished. Time to celebrate! Here’s a quick reminder of why we decided to box in those columns:
- The carport already had four chunky, square columns, while the porch still had three curvy, traditional posts, which left the exterior feeling inconsistent.
- Square, boxed-in columns better match the mid-century ranch style we wanted to emphasize, and many neighboring ranch homes already have that look.
We made surprisingly fast progress on the initial work, so we anticipated the finishing touches would be quick, too. After framing each column and adding a basic header, we figured caulking seams and painting would be a short final step.
But we paused before breaking out the caulk. Once the three columns were boxed, the simplified header we’d added looked a little too slim compared with the beefier columns. To balance the proportions, we grabbed three additional 1×6 boards and layered them over the original 1×3 header, securing everything with wood glue, nails, and a few screws. Here’s how that looked mid-project:
That extra step didn’t add much time, but caulking did. There were so many seams to seal — and we didn’t want any moisture finding its way behind the wood. We used the same approach we trusted on a previous porch rebuild five years ago: prime the wood, apply paintable caulk to all seams, and then paint. It’s a bit tedious, but thorough sealing prevents rot and warping down the road.
For caulking we prefer Dap window and door caulk in the paintable white finish — paintability is essential so the caulk blends with the trim when painted.
With caulk dry, we moved on to paint. The boards we bought were pre-primed, so painting was simply a matter of matching the porch trim color. Fortunately, the previous owners left a couple of gallons of house paint, so there was no added material cost. The can was labeled “Creamy Color,” which is about as vague a paint name as you’ll find, but it matched well and we stuck with it for this small update.
We briefly toyed with repainting all the trim from “creamy” to white, but that’s a much larger project — lots of trim runs all around the house, and parts of the back are two stories — so we saved that for another day.
As usual, Sherry handled the cutting-in with precision (and a little bravado), painting right up to the edges without tape, while I tackled the rolling.
After a single full coat and some touch-ups, we were finished. There was much rejoicing.
Now the house reads more clearly as a mid-century-inspired ranch. Concealing the ornate, traditional columns with clean, square casings gives the exterior a crisper, more cohesive look and prevents the porch posts from clashing with the carport columns.
Here’s a close-up of the detail where the 1×8 boards on the front and back meet the 1×6 boards on the sides. The layered arrangement creates a subtle profile that looks intentional and substantial on each post. For more on the board layout for boxed columns, see our earlier porch post titled “Take That Porch” where we sketch why square columns often use two 8″ boards and two 6″ boards.
Budget breakdown (materials only, since we already had paint and caulk):
- Four 1×3 boards for the original thin header: $20.50
- Four 1×6 boards for the thicker header: $41.33
- Six 1×6 boards for the sides of the posts: $62.08
- Six 1×8 boards for the front and back of the posts: $74.12
- Total: $198.03
We could have trimmed another $20 by skipping the initial 1×3 header that ended up being too small, or by buying the cheapest whitewood. We chose primed pine because it’s smoother and straighter than bargain lumber, and buying pre-primed boards let us skip an extra priming step. We also liked that the same material held up well on a similar project five years ago.
Now that this project is finished, we’re ready for more outdoor work — perfect timing because spring has finally arrived in Richmond. In the three springs since we moved in, the house’s curb appeal has changed a lot, and this was a satisfying step forward.
What are you planning this spring? Are you starting a big renovation, or keeping things simple with small updates and lemonade on the porch?
PS: I nearly called this post “Porch-a de Rossi” — the best porch pun I could muster — and I blame my excitement for the new season of Arrested Development.