Brick Porches: A Solid, Lasting Welcome

A brick porch gives your front door a solid, permanent entrance that looks as though it has always been part of the house. It is where the day is left at the door: coats hung up, boots kicked off, the dog towelled down and the post waiting safely on the mat. Step through the inner door and the hallway is warm, clean and calm.

A porch built in brick to match your home is an investment that adds to the character of the house for decades. It gives the frontage weight and presence, the kind of entrance that makes a home look settled and cared for. If you sell in the future, that first view from the drive matters. A handsome brick porch tells a buyer the house has been looked after, and it sets the tone before they even step inside.

We build porches on brick dwarf walls for homes across Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. The ideas below come from real porches and cover the choices that make a brick porch work beautifully, from matching the brick and roof to the door, the cost and the rules.

What Is a Brick Porch?

A brick porch sits on low dwarf walls with windows above. The brickwork gives the porch a solid feel, adds privacy at the lower level and helps it blend with the house, especially when the brick is matched closely. Inside, the dwarf walls create a natural ledge and hide shoes, bags and boots from view.

It is a lovely choice for homes where the porch faces the street, for bungalows and for anyone who wants a porch that feels like a small room. Some homeowners choose full-height brick on one side, such as the side facing a neighbour, with glazing on the others for light.

Brick or Glass?

A brick porch gives more privacy, a more permanent look and a warmer feel, because the dwarf walls hold heat better than glass. A fully glazed porch gives more light and a lighter, more modern look. Both keep the cold out of the hallway and give you a lockable space for coats, shoes and deliveries. Our guide to glass porches covers the fully glazed option, and you can see more ideas in our guide to enclosed porches.

Porch on brick dwarf walls built by Prior Products

Matching the Brick and the Roof

We match the brick as closely as we can to your house, so the porch looks as though it was built at the same time. Red brick suits the towns and villages of Warwickshire and Worcestershire, and stone dwarf walls suit Cotswold homes, where the porch can be built to sit naturally against honey-coloured stone.

A tiled roof in the same tiles as the main roof completes the look. One bungalow porch we built has brick walls to match the house, a gable roof in the same tiles as the main roof and a soft green front door that gives the entrance real character.

A Stone Porch in Shipston-on-Stour

In Shipston-on-Stour, we built a white uPVC porch with internal Georgian bars on a matching stone dwarf wall. The stone ties the porch to the house, and the Georgian bars echo the traditional windows, so the whole frontage reads as one.

Small details make the difference. Pointing that matches the house, a sill that lines up with the windows and a roof pitch that suits the main roof all help a new porch look settled from day one.

Porch with Georgian bar windows on a matching stone wall

A Porch Built From the Ground Up

A porch becomes part of your house, so it needs to be built properly from the ground up. We look after the base and groundwork, the brick dwarf walls, the frames, the glazing, the door, the roof and the guttering.

A brick porch needs proper foundations to carry the weight of the brickwork. We survey the ground at the home visit, check for drains and manholes near the front door, and plan the base and the step so the porch sits level and the threshold is comfortable.

One Team From Start to Finish

Our porch frames are made in our own factory near Stratford-upon-Avon, and our installers work full time for Prior Products. Any brickwork or electrics are built by us or arranged with qualified trades we know and work with regularly, so you have one point of contact from the first visit to the final clean-up.

Lights and sockets can be added, so the porch is lit as you come home and there is power for a doorbell camera or a charging point.

Inside a porch with coats and a shoe rack

A Porch in Alcester

This bungalow porch in Alcester sits on a low brick base matched to the house, with French doors at the front and a second door on the side fitted with a letterbox, so post and parcels arrive safely inside.

The lower brickwork keeps the space private, and the glazing above lets in plenty of light. Gold handles and letter plate add a smart finishing detail, and black guttering and a downpipe carry rainwater away cleanly. A rubber flat roof gives a long-lasting, watertight finish that sits neatly under the existing roofline.

Roof Choices

A tiled roof blends with the main house and gives the porch a solid, permanent feel. A flat roof gives a clean line and works well under first-floor windows or bungalow eaves, where a pitched roof would not fit. A glass roof brings in more light where the porch faces north or sits in shade.

We look at the shape of your house, the height of the windows above and the style of the main roof, then recommend the roof that will look most at home.

White uPVC porch with a rubber flat roof on a brick base in Alcester

Doors, Windows and Glass

You can choose a uPVC door, a composite door or a Solidor composite door, in a wide range of colours and styles. Try different looks on our Composite Door Designer before your home visit.

Windows in the porch can match the windows in the rest of the house, with clear glass for light or obscure and decorative glass for privacy. All glazing near the floor and around doors is toughened safety glass, as the Building Regulations require.

Period Homes and Cottages

Older homes across the Cotswolds often have lower doorways and character you will want to keep. We make non-standard front doors from 1740mm high, so the porch sits naturally with a cottage or farmhouse. Windows with Georgian bars, a tiled roof matched to the main roof and dwarf walls in brick or stone close to your own all help a new porch look as though it has always been there.

For older properties, our windows for period properties can be matched in the porch, so the style runs through the whole frontage.

Elephant grey Solidor front door inside a porch on a stone cottage

How the Costs Compare

A brick porch usually costs more than a fully glazed porch of the same size, because of the extra groundwork, foundations and bricklaying. The cost also rises with size, a tiled roof, a composite or Solidor door, decorative glass and electrics. We give you a clear quotation after measuring up, and we offer 0% finance options. Find out more about our finance options.

Planning Permission and Building Regulations

Porches can usually be built without planning permission when the floor area is 3 square metres or less measured externally, no part is more than 3 metres high and no part is within 2 metres of a boundary with a road or pavement. The brick walls count towards the 3 square metres, so the measurements matter. Our guide to porch planning permission explains the rules.

Porches are usually exempt from Building Regulations when they are at ground level, under 30 square metres and keep the existing front door between the house and the porch. Adding a radiator from the central heating removes that exemption.

Warmth, Security and Peace of Mind

Double glazing keeps warmth in and noise out, and a lockable outer door keeps coats, shoes and deliveries safe. As a Certass registered, family-owned business with 36 years of experience, we back every porch with an insurance-backed 10-year guarantee. Find out more about our uPVC porches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need planning permission for a brick porch?

Porches can usually be built without planning permission when they stay within set limits on size, height and distance from the road. The brickwork counts towards the size, and our guide to porch planning permission explains the rules.

Can you match my existing brick?

We match the brick as closely as we can to your house, and we can build in stone for Cotswold properties.

Can I have lights and sockets in my porch?

Yes. We arrange lights and sockets with qualified electricians as part of the project.

Brick or glass porch: which is warmer?

A brick porch on dwarf walls holds warmth well and gives more privacy. A glass porch gives more light. We can show you both on your home visit.

Can I heat my porch?

A small electric heater with its own controls keeps the porch exempt from Building Regulations. Connecting it to your central heating means Building Regulations apply.