Meanwhile, on a porch in the Ozarks…

Useful software for human life.

An inked and painted porch in the Ozarks looking out over rolling forested hills, with a rocking chair, a hanging lantern, and wildflowers in the foreground

Porch Labs is a father-and-son software lab. Justin and Lukas Johnson build small, thoughtful tools that help people think, talk, plan, learn, and take care of real life. Some are ours, some we build with other people, and a few might grow into something bigger.

Pull up a chair Peek at the bench

Chapter 1

The bench

Golden hour, out in the workshop…

A cozy wooden workshop at golden hour. On the workbench: a picture frame beside a family calendar, a recipe box with a grocery list, an open laptop, and a small weatherproof sensor box with an antenna and solar panel.

On the bench right now

Four experiments, each at a different stage. Click one to see what it's about.

Our own tools

Small things we wish existed. We build them, use them ourselves, and keep the ones that earn it.
Built with others

Sometimes the best experiment is solving a real problem for a real person or small business, with care.
Big swings

A few ideas might grow into something bigger. We give those room without pretending they're done.

Chapter 2

What we care about

Four things we keep close…

A comic page of four still lifes: two coffee mugs on a porch rail, clay on a potter's wheel, hand tools on a pegboard with one spot empty, and an open sketchbook beside a jar of fireflies.

Human. Tools should fit real homes, small businesses, messy schedules, and actual people.
Malleable. Good software can change as we learn. It shouldn't trap anyone in yesterday's guess.
Useful. We'd rather solve an honest problem than sound impressive.
Curious. Tinkering matters. So does ambition. Flexible, but never careless.

Chapter 3

How things grow

Small things, given time…

Four tall comic panels of the same patch of garden by the porch steps: seeds and a trowel, a small sprout, a young plant with its first flower and a butterfly, and at dusk a full plant with a harvest basket and fireflies.

1 Find a real problem close enough to understand.
2 Build the smallest version that can teach us something.
3 Make the business model part of the craft, not an afterthought.
4 Keep what blossoms. Compost the rest.

Chapter 4

Pull up a chair

Later that night…

The same porch at night, the lantern lit and the rocking chair waiting, stars over the dark Ozark hills.

Got a real problem that might need small, thoughtful software?

We'd love to hear about it. The chair's open.

hello@porchlabs.com

Justin & Lukas