Originally published on August 10, 2021
Guys, hey! Corinna is back with another guest post.

My Macrame Lamp Shades for my bedroom renovation were posted the last time I visited this site. After finishing the space, I started working on a new blog (yay!). Visit A Designer At Home), as well as my front porch. When I first moved into this house, I believed I would complete all of my projects within five years. And now, three years later, we’ve only just begun to tackle that wish list! A porch refresh is at the top of my list since I think the front porch is so crucial because it’s the first impression we offer visitors and the outside world.

We have a plain brick facade, and I want to add some cottage charm to it for next to nothing (who doesn’t?!). So I made a salvaged wood porch lattice and planter box using some very inventive materials, my love of ivy covered country charm, and my plain front porch. Everything is constructed directly onto the porch railing, which makes things quite simple!

SUMMARY OF MATERIALS: Reclaimed Wood Wood Screws Measuring Paint Brushes using a Power Drill Window box planters that use tape and dirt Strong Zip Ties Shelf Brackets THE COURSE: Assuming you’ve already gathered your wood, the first thing to do is measure and chop all of the wood. I would advise you to consider some unconventional ideas if you haven’t yet located wood for the project. My own was torn off our old box spring that was being thrown out.

It would depend on the porch, but I can tell you where I discovered mine. The height for the lattice and the height of your vertical pieces is determined by measuring from the top of the lattice where holes may be drilled into the porch to the bottom of where the planter boxes will sit. Just to link the horizontal sections, measure a third, shorter vertical piece. The length of the horizontal pieces will then be determined by measuring the width of the area it will span (cut as many of these as what looks good for your opening – I chose 4). For the planter box support, you’ll need two pieces that are as long as the window box planters, two pieces that cover the distance from the planter’s bottom to the porch floor, and two pieces that are wide enough to connect to the two pieces that span that distance. I hope this helps to give a clearer image, but if none of that makes sense, the pictures below show it.

Because I had more problems doing it in the order I did it than in the order I’m showing it, my instructions and photographs are presented in reverse chronological order. Working from the bottom up is so obvious now!

Place the two vertical pieces against the porch railing so that they are trimmed to the length of the planter’s bottom. Ensure that they are positioned such that they will support the center of each planter box.

Place the railing between the planter support pieces, and then carefully screw the back support pieces to the opposite side of the rail. (I believe the ornaments in the dirt there date back to two Christmases ago when I thought it would be amusing to hang them from the crape myrtle in the front yard. I’ll go get those right away ;))

After that, fasten the shelf brackets, leaving space between them and the planter box for the wood to rest. Instead of the bracket supporting the weight at a single spot, the wood distributes it evenly throughout the planter. Place the pieces of wood onto the brackets as you choose.

Lay the two vertical pieces flat and the horizontal pieces on top to assemble the lattice part. I decided to make the gap 12 inches between each horizontal component and an 11-inch overhang off the vertical sections. Once everything is positioned evenly, fasten it all together with wood screws. The third vertical component, which is drilled in the center for more stability and more room for the plant to climb onto, is not shown in the picture.

To attach the planters, drill holes into the window box planters, and then loop heavy-duty zip ties through the holes and onto the porch railing. This will assist prevent stress on the porch railing from the additional weight of earth, water, and the lattice because the porch railing isn’t as stable as a proper window box would be.

Place the lattice into the planting boxes after that, then drill the vertical pieces’ tops into the porch cover. Any time during the procedure, you can begin painting the wood. It doesn’t alter the construction, so go ahead and paint whenever you want. I painted after it was hung because I wasn’t sure at this point if I would be staining or painting.

I’m really happy with how it turned out and how little money I spent ($10) to put it all together. There is still plenty to be done on the porch. The stunning turquoise color we chose for the concrete landing. I can’t wait to go mail box and welcome mat shopping. And those amazing faux brushed nickel finish house numbers that you can see there on the floor (I originally intended to hang them vertically, but changed my mind) are made even better by an idea I think I have! Since making those, I haven’t had any issues with visitors finding our home.

I’m hoping to get more free wood to construct a box to house the planters in. That will make this setup outstanding, I am confident. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my blog when I do, so visit and follow along! Have a nice day and thanks for dropping by, and check out the two posts below!

How to Find Affordable and Adorable Furniture and What to Expect
Curtain Rods with a Hollywood Regency Theme in Gold Bamboo