This unwelcoming entry lacks a cover, it has no landing and no way for guests to know if anyone is aware of their arrival.

We have all experienced the unwelcoming experience of approaching a home without a proper entryway. You approach despite a passing thought that you are not welcome. It's raining and you abruptly stop as you reach the door. You hug as close as possible to the door to avoid the dripping rain from the eve. Teetering with one foot on the step and the other on the pathway, you hope someone heard your knock and comes quickly.

This is obviously not the warm welcome that would set a proper tone for your interactions with visitors. Last newsletter outlined the critical elements of an entry on the interior of the home. This article will focus on the exterior elements of a good entry.

The addition of the small corbel covering provides a place to shelter guests, the landing at the top of the steps provides a place to wait until invited in, and the glass in the door lets the visitor know that someone is coming.

The entry is critical to the initial impression guests get when visiting. When a home has a proper entry visitors feel that their presence is welcome, that a place has been prepared for them even before they are invited in. The exterior elements of an entry include a landing, a cover to the entry, and windows in or around the door.

Even when steps are not needed, a slightly raised landing acts as a receiving place, prepared for guests to wait until the door is opened. When steps are necessary, it also provides a stable surface to stand on.

The cover is essential to provide shelter from the weather. It also creates a space that helps your guests transition from the public, somewhat guarded person of outside to the private person of the indoors. The process of entering a home should signal to visitors that they can open up while feeling safe and secure. A sheltered stoop is a receiving place that helps you and your visitors in this change.

Providing a window in or near the door for your guests to realize that their knock was loud enough to be heard, or that the doorbell worked eases their mind while they wait.

When properly considered, an entry not only makes visitors feel welcome, but also improves the looks of a home by adding a place of focus and interest.

Jared Bulloch, Renovation Design Group
© Renovation Design Group LLC