How common are porches on new houses, and in which regions are they most common?

Published November 1, 2026

How many new homes have a porch?

NAHB's Eye on Housing analysis of the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction puts porches on 67.2% of single-family homes started in 2024. The share was just below the all-time peak of 67.7% a year earlier: 67.7 - 67.2 = 0.5 percentage points. These figures describe a feature included in new construction, not the share of all existing houses with a porch.

NAHB's November 2023 post also places porches among the top 10 features in its surveys of recent and prospective home buyers. That is a preference measure. It should not be confused with the construction share, which describes the houses being started.

These are survey estimates. The Census Bureau cautions that its Characteristics of New Housing estimates have both sampling variability and nonsampling error. A small change from one year to the next, such as the 0.5-point dip, should be read with that in mind.

Which regions build the most porches?

NAHB's 2024 figures by Census division give these shares for four divisions:

The gap between East South Central and South Atlantic is 81 - 74 = 7 percentage points, and all four are above the national 67.2%. In each of them, roughly three in four new homes or more were built with a porch.

Materials also vary by place. In a November 2023 Eye on Housing post, NAHB reported that builders used concrete for porches more than any other material on a square-foot basis, except in New England. There, treated wood, composite, natural stone and PVC or other plastics each exceeded concrete. NAHB describes composite as wood fibers, usually recycled, blended with plastic.

Who sets the rules for a porch on your lot?

The requirements for a porch on a new house are the ones your county or city building department has adopted, along with any local amendments, and they can differ from the next county's. Local codes vary, so ask the department which code edition applies to your lot and how it reviews a porch that is part of a new house. The permits guide explains how to find the rules for your location and when inspections happen.

Raleigh, North Carolina shows what adding a porch later can involve. The city's outdoor permit checklist says "A building permit is required when installing a screened porch, deck, balcony, sunroom, or similar structure," and lists a certified survey, a site plan and structural elevations among the application materials. Its page on screened porches and decks adds that elevations are required "for any structure with a roof, including patios and covered decks."

Putting the porch in the builder brief

Decide what the porch includes while comparing house plans, so builders can price the same space. For scale, NAHB's 2024 cost survey puts outdoor structures, meaning decks, patios and porches together, at $4,722 on average, or 1.1% of construction cost. That is an average across surveyed homes, not the price of a porch. If you are still choosing a house plan, compare how each plan draws the porch, including its depth, its roof and which doors open onto it, because those are the items builders will price. The height of the porch floor above the finished grade comes from the foundation design and the way the lot slopes, and it shapes how many steps lead to the door. Ask the builder and the local building department whether that height triggers any guard or stair requirements.

When you describe the porch to builders, cover:

• whether the porch is under the main roof, has its own roof or is open
• its approximate depth and length, and which doors open onto it
• the floor and step material you want, or whether you will take the builder's standard
• how high above the yard you expect the floor to be
• whether the porch is in the base price or listed as an option, and what the quote includes for steps, rails and lighting

A useful comparison needs more than a porch allowance with a total beside it. If one builder includes the porch in the base price and another lists it as an option, ask both for the porch as its own line so you can compare the two amounts directly.

Record the dimensions, roof arrangement and included work in the builder brief tool before requesting the next quote. If you are comparing a stock plan with a plan seller's modification service, have the seller confirm how the revised porch appears in the drawings builders will receive. The floor plan should show the doors and porch space you intend to buy, rather than leaving the change to a conversation after pricing.