Transforming Modern Homes with a Portico

We are well known for restoration and heritage projects, but at Chilstone we design and make many new build and contemporary projects too. Choosing the right portico can transform your property. Take a look at how adding the right portico can enhance the entrances of modern houses.

Chic Contemporary

This property originally looked like fairly ordinary modern build. It lacked the wow factor, with the large front door lost in the dip below the small upstairs window. There was no shelter from the weather and the white drainpipe from the roof stood out against the dark brickwork.

The original house without a portico.

Our architectural specialist designed a portico to add a more contemporary style, creating a dramatic entrance for this late twentieth century house.

The property has a number of sections with windows above each one in set in a triangular roof point. Using a long, rectangular portico, with sharply defined edges contrasts with the existing structure and draws the focus towards the entrance as the central feature at the front. This balanced out the other architectural elements. The portico was blended into the existing brick with a white painted finish. This lifts the whole exterior to make this house more contemporary.

The Right Lighting

This portico’s ceiling height matches in with the edge of the main roof of the property, so a large outdoor feature light wouldn’t fit with the design. Spot lights were added instead to the interior of the portico to highlight the over-sized front door. Spot lights were also placed above the garage door to light up the front section of the house, blending it together with clean, bright lines. This house now has a dramatic doorway as a central focal point, with a chic finish.

A modern look, lit beautifully with spot lights.

This house has a modern style, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be bold with property renovations. Columns evoke a sense of stature and prestige that make the whole property seem more desirable, increasing both its curb appeal and property value.

This portico was designed and made by Chilstone, but it was installed and finished by Hedges and Swan.

The whole house was finished in white create a more contemporary look, installed by Hedges and Swan.

The Right Portico For Your Home

A similar style portico can create a totally different look on a property with different proportions. Unlike the previous property featured, this new build is taller with greater symmetry. The large portico was designed to created an impressive, welcoming entrance at the center of this family home.

Our team create CAD drawings for our customers so they can see how our porticos can improve the whole exterior of their house.It is really important to get the right fit. The wrong portico shape and size can spoil the appearance of your property. All the architectural elements need to be factored in to create the best possible focal point for your main entrance.

A similar style portico creates a totally different look on a larger house with more traditional window surrounds.

There are many styles to consider too. This home celebrates a mix of traditional and contemporary elements with rectangular columns made in blocks with a pitched roof to create a totally unique look. It also uses a darker, brown tone for the portico . Our cast stone is available in a range of hues and can be colour matched to your existing stone, or you can choose a stand out colour for a dramatic contrast.

This block-style portico adds mixes traditional with contemporary for a striking feature.

New Build Living with Traditional Styling

There is real focus to build new homes with a more traditional aesthetic. This provides the best of both worlds with modern insulation and practicalities combined with the style and attention to detail on the exterior, synonymous with period properties. These homes are more sympathetic to the neighbouring houses in villages and in more traditionally styled towns.

A new build with a traditional vibe.

Adding a portico to this impressive new build adds real stature, so if you want to attain that wow factor, a portico could be just the thing you need.

An impressive new build with a statement portico.

We take time to design and tailor the proportions of your portico for your home. We handcraft our stone to bring out the fine details with sharply defined lines, so it looks great all the way round. We can connect you with an installer to ensure a quality finish.

Columns to Suit Your Style

Columns are viewed as a traditional feature, but they are more versatile than you think. They are available in numerous styles and heights to suit your home. We make our columns in as few sections as possible to keep them sleek.

Whether you like intricate details or prefer  contemporary simplicity, we can create the right columns for your building project. Our columns can be fluted, flamboyantly decorated or simply smooth, but they are always hand made.

Our stone is hand made so we can produce fine details.

Columns and fine details aren’t just limited to your portico. We can make them for your gardens too. Just ask!

This Bacchus column is decorated with grape vines, butterflies and salamanders, all made by hand.

Handcrafted for Finer Details

We make everything by hand with tools, never factory machinery, the same way we have for seven decades, since the day we started our business on the Queen’s coronation in the 1950s. This gives us the flexibility to create bespoke commissions and adapt items from our range to produce the right components for your projects. Cast stone is an adaptable material that weathers like natural stone, so please ask our experienced team to advise you.

Call our team to book your appointment 01892 740866 or email office@chilstone.com

We produce all our cast stone by hand in our Kent workshop.