Things are about to get a lot more action-packed than your average home project. Better Homes & Gardens has opened voting for their favorite outdoor transformation, and our front porch makeover—completed as part of their 48-Hour Challenge—is entered in the competition. The winning blogger will receive a $5,000 bonus, which would make a huge difference in funding future home improvements.
We would be thrilled to have your vote. The competition is strong and we’re honored just to be included, but every vote helps. Voting is straightforward: visit BHG.com and find the 48-Hour Challenge entries, then select the Young House Love porch image and cast your vote. You can register once and then return to vote daily, allowing supporters to vote once per day throughout the contest period. The daily vote tally gets updated, so watching the standings can be surprisingly suspenseful.
We know how irresistible before-and-after photos are, so here’s a reminder of what the porch looked like before the makeover. That tired, overlooked entry needed a refresh to make it welcoming again:
And here’s the porch after our quick but thorough transformation. We brightened the space with painted porch stripes, added a bench for seating, repurposed a planter into a side table, turned decorative light bulb covers into hanging lanterns, and created a food and water station for Burger. To make the area cozy for our dog, we cut a lounge chair cushion into two floor pillows and introduced cheerful potted foliage for a fresher, more inviting atmosphere.
Here we are enjoying the new porch—this candid, casual pose shows how the space now feels like a natural extension of the home. It’s comfortable, bright, and layered with small details that make a big impact:
What we love most about this project is how a handful of thoughtful updates completely changed the porch’s character. Painting stripes on the floor brought instant energy, while the bench and side table created a practical seating area without crowding the space. Upcycling items—like turning light bulb covers into lanterns—added personality on a budget. Small touches for our pet, such as the food and water station and the cushioned floor pillows, made the porch functional for everyone who uses it.
If you enjoy porch makeovers, budget-friendly DIY solutions, and simple design tricks that deliver big results, we’d appreciate your support in the BHG challenge. Vote for your favorite project on BHG.com—whether it’s ours or another entry you love—and return each day to cast another vote if you like. We’re proud to be in such good company with four other talented bloggers who poured time and creativity into their entries. Everyone worked hard and we genuinely wish the best for all the participants.
Thank you for reading, for supporting creative home projects, and for helping us give this porch the spotlight it deserves. Your vote could help unlock funds for more transformations and inspire more accessible, stylish outdoor spaces for readers everywhere.