Soooo, it's been a while! This pesky life kinda got in the way again... ;-) Besides working on this renovation since January and another international conference in May, I lost my Grandmother in June. That put me into a rather strange state, like I was in some kind of limbo for a bit. It really doesn't matter that you know in your mind the time is coming, your heart still breaks when that time does come. After a few weeks, I was able to get off the couch and do more than just go to work. My parents decided to give us their old camping trailer and I have ALWAYS wanted one! Stay tuned for that renovation project next! During everything else going on, Hubby and I have been toiling away weekends and weeknights on the porch renovation. Here is a before and after to get us started:
We pretty much replaced everything except most of the roof. I say "most" of the roof because a good portion of the end of it was rotten:
Yup, not a whole lot holding that together but the tar on the shingles!
One of our goals, besides a leak-proof roof of course, was to gain as much ceiling height inside the porch as we could. During demo, we took down the aluminum cladding to open the ceiling and found that the porch roof rafters were just nailed to the ends of the house rafters:
One of our goals, besides a leak-proof roof of course, was to gain as much ceiling height inside the porch as we could. During demo, we took down the aluminum cladding to open the ceiling and found that the porch roof rafters were just nailed to the ends of the house rafters:
Just hangin' in the wind! Hubby drilled through each set and bolted them together for a sturdier connection. During demo and construction, our neighbor's cat Vader was a most vigilant supervisor... LOL!
He keeps us on our toes!
Taking shape before windows: (The big box is actually our new replacement sliding doors.)
Taking shape before windows: (The big box is actually our new replacement sliding doors.)
The ceiling was a bear and Hubby tamed it. He added a reflecting barrier between each rafter to help with the heat from the roof. Of course, the rafters were very old and warped, so he had to cut each piece of siding to fit perfectly between:
Luckily, while I was away in Miami for work, Hubby snagged some neighborly help to put in the bigger windows. Those things are NOT light! We were a bit remiss in getting photos during the window and door installation process, sorry! We chose composite Andersen sliding windows and doors.
We used exterior siding, LP SmartSide, from Lowe's for the interior walls and ceiling, hanging it ship lap style. We caulked EVERYTHING, then painted with Olympic One satin in Delicate White. We then installed Style Selections Galvano Charcoal, 12 X 24" floor tile with matching grout directly over the concrete porch surface...
We used exterior siding, LP SmartSide, from Lowe's for the interior walls and ceiling, hanging it ship lap style. We caulked EVERYTHING, then painted with Olympic One satin in Delicate White. We then installed Style Selections Galvano Charcoal, 12 X 24" floor tile with matching grout directly over the concrete porch surface...
Now for the best part! The After photos! Yay! :-)
We also enlisted another neighbor to hoist the 160 + pound sliding doors into place. Phew! That thing was crazy heavy! Hubby had it all set and ready to go, so it was quickly set in place. The futon and acrylic chairs are from Hayneedle for a serious deal! The side tables are old Ikea tables we've had for years, but the coffee table was handmade by yours truly! I ordered the hairpin legs from Etsy, had Hubby cut a leftover piece of butcher block into an asymmetrical shape then I sanded it with the belt sander to get the edges I wanted. I had to mix my own stain and then finish it with three coats of Polycrylic.
We also enlisted another neighbor to hoist the 160 + pound sliding doors into place. Phew! That thing was crazy heavy! Hubby had it all set and ready to go, so it was quickly set in place. The futon and acrylic chairs are from Hayneedle for a serious deal! The side tables are old Ikea tables we've had for years, but the coffee table was handmade by yours truly! I ordered the hairpin legs from Etsy, had Hubby cut a leftover piece of butcher block into an asymmetrical shape then I sanded it with the belt sander to get the edges I wanted. I had to mix my own stain and then finish it with three coats of Polycrylic.
We also wanted to create a beverage station in this room, so we picked up a small Whirlpool mini fridge while it was on sale and added an Ikea top and adjustable legs for the countertop. An inexpensive cart from Ikea provides some storage. The shelves were one Ikea shelf that we cut into two and then screwed to the wall. I just love the exposed screw heads! Good thing too, since there was NO way to hang that shelf with the included hardware after we chopped it... ;-)
The wall sconces were a score from Lamps Plus and I grabbed the floor lamp and table lamp from Target. There are many clearance and thrift store finds as well. After the cost of the construction materials, windows and doors, I needed to be as frugal on the decorating side as possible. The pillows are from the previous comfy screened porch reno, I just added some interest with yarn I had in my stash. Instead of buying art, I bought a cheap 20 X 30" foam core board and painted the artwork for the other side of the sliding door:
One last look at our new room...
Thanks for hanging in with me for this renovation! It was a doozy and, to be quite honest, still unfinished. The outside is still incomplete! LOL! We are working on that now, but the current heat and random thunderstorms are hampering our progress. Hubby says it's ok, you can't even see the outside while sitting in this awesome space! ;-) If you have any questions on anything, please just leave a comment! Hope you are all enjoying your summer!
Cheers!
M J
Cheers!
M J
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