Covered Rear Porch
A simple covered entrance can provide shelter above the back door without creating a fully enclosed room. This can work particularly well where space is limited.
Rear Porch Ideas
Enhance Your Home with a Stylish Rear Porch
A rear porch can create a more practical and sheltered entrance between your home and garden, while also giving you useful space around a back door.
From compact covered entrances and glazed porches to brick-built designs with room for coats, shoes or everyday storage, there are plenty of ways to design a rear porch around the way you use your home.
Quick Answer
What Is a Rear Porch?
A rear porch is a covered or enclosed structure positioned around an external door at the back of a house.
It can provide shelter, create a useful transition between the house and garden and, where the design allows, provide additional space for shoes, coats, pet equipment or other everyday items.
Design Inspiration
Rear Porch Ideas for UK Homes
Brick Rear Porch
Brickwork can help a rear porch feel connected to the original house, particularly where the bricks and roof materials complement the existing property.
Glazed Rear Porch
Larger glazed sections can keep the entrance bright and maintain views towards the garden while still creating a defined porch space.
Utility-Style Rear Porch
Where there is sufficient space, a rear porch can provide a useful area for muddy shoes, coats, pet leads and other items that you may not want carried directly into the house.
Practical Benefits
Why Add a Rear Porch?
Sheltered Entrance
A roofed porch can provide additional protection around the rear doorway when entering or leaving the house in poor weather.
Useful Everyday Space
An enclosed design can provide somewhere to organise shoes, coats, umbrellas, pet equipment and other frequently used items.
Garden Transition
A rear porch can create a more defined transition between indoor living space and the garden or patio beyond.
Comfort
Can a Rear Porch Help Keep the House Warmer?
An enclosed porch can create an additional buffer between the outside and the main entrance to the house, but its thermal performance depends on the complete design.
Glazing, doors, roof construction, insulation, seals and whether the original external door remains in place can all influence how the porch performs.
It is therefore better to consider the porch as a complete structure rather than assuming that adding a porch automatically makes the home significantly more energy efficient.
Design Choices
How Can a Rear Porch Be Designed?
Roof Style
Pitched, lean-to and flatter roof designs can all be considered depending on the property, available height and the existing rooflines.
Glazing
More glazing can create a brighter connection with the garden, while additional solid wall area can provide privacy and usable storage space.
Doors
The entrance arrangement can be designed around how the porch is used, the available opening and the style of the rear elevation.
Choosing the Right Project
Rear Porch or Full Rear Extension?
A rear porch is normally focused on the external doorway and entrance area, while a full rear extension is intended to increase the main internal living space of the house.
If your main goal is somewhere for coats, shoes, pet equipment or a sheltered transition into the garden, a porch may provide the type of space you need without designing an entire new room.
Permissions
Does a Rear Porch Need Planning Permission?
In England, permitted development rights for porches can apply to an external door at the rear of a house as well as a front door.
Under the national limits, the external ground area of the porch must not exceed 3 square metres, no part can exceed 3 metres in height and no part can be within 2 metres of a boundary that fronts a highway.
These rights do not apply in every circumstance, and some properties can have additional restrictions, so the requirements for the individual property should be checked before work starts.
Building Requirements
Do Building Regulations Apply to a Rear Porch?
Planning permission and Building Regulations are separate considerations.
A ground-level porch under 30 square metres can normally be exempt from Building Regulations approval where the relevant exemption conditions are met, including retaining the existing external entrance door between the house and the porch.
Glazing and fixed electrical installations still need to comply with the applicable requirements, and existing accessible entrances should not be adversely affected.
Before You Choose
What Should You Consider Before Adding a Rear Porch?
1
How You Will Use It
Decide whether you mainly need shelter, storage or a more substantial enclosed entrance.
2
Available Space
Consider how the porch will affect the patio, garden access, paths and doors around the rear of the house.
3
Natural Light
Think about how much brickwork and glazing you want and whether the new structure could affect daylight inside nearby rooms.
4
Style and Materials
Choose roof, frame and wall finishes that complement the existing rear elevation of the house.
Common Questions
Rear Porch FAQs
Can you put a porch on the back of a house?
Yes. A porch can be positioned around a rear external door, subject to the design, available space and any planning or building requirements that apply to the property.
What can a rear porch be used for?
Rear porches are commonly used as sheltered entrances and can also provide space for shoes, coats, umbrellas, pet equipment and other everyday storage.
Can a rear porch be fully glazed?
A rear porch can incorporate substantial glazing if the design, structure and required privacy suit the property.
Can a rear porch have a pitched roof?
Yes. Pitched, lean-to and other roof designs can be used depending on the dimensions of the porch and how it connects to the house.
Do rear porches need planning permission?
Many porches on houses in England can fall within permitted development rights if the relevant size, height and highway-boundary conditions are met, although restrictions can apply to individual properties.
Thinking About Adding a Rear Porch?
Explore porch designs, glazing, doors and roof styles that can be tailored to suit your home and the way you use your rear entrance.