The Screened In Porch

After the winter we've had, I get positively giddy thinking about a screened in porch.  Sitting outside in the summer, with my feet up and a cocktail....ahhhh....it seems kind of magical.  But then I come back to reality as I sweep the snow off the porch floor.

Screened In Porch - Before

The bones of the porch are really nice, but it needs some work to make it look as nice as the rest of the house.  And it's a big outdoor space - 12 x 16 feet!

Screened in Porch - Before

First step, the guys put up a headboard ceiling.  Wow, that nice bright ceiling makes a world of difference!  It's so much lighter and brighter.

Photo:  Houzz

I've purchased this incredibly cool ceiling fan by Savoy House to put up - I love how it looks and it will create such a nice breeze on a summer evening.  It was a bit of a splurge, but so worth it!  Oh, and the guys updated the wiring with new outlets while they were working out there.  After all, you need a place to plug in the blender for margaritas.

Photo - Target

And I've always wanted to try an outdoor rug - but figured we needed a porch with a cover.  I found this 'Distressed Diamonds' rug on sale at Target - I can't wait to see it on the finished porch!  Of course we'll also have lots of seating and if the weather ever warms up, some nice plants.









Speaking of plants, the original boiler in the basement had this big copper holding tank.  I thought it was way too cool to just send for metal recycling, so one of our amazing craftsmen cut it in half for me.  I'm planning to put it back on the original cast iron stand and use it as a planter!!  Definitely a conversation starter!

Once we removed the old screening and slats, we discovered the cedar structure was in nice shape.  So we will just clean it up and re-oil to beautify the finish (once it gets warm enough to do that!).  Then we can install nice new screening.

It still needs work, but is looking better!!

We'll keep the original cedar shakes that are up against the house and paint them a bright white, to contrast with the natural wood.  And that french door could use a coat of paint.  I'm thinking a pretty blue.

Stay tuned - hopefully it will warm up enough in the next week or so to do the work.  Then we can push forward with all our plans!  In the meantime, I'm curious.  How important is an outdoor feature like a screened-in porch to you?  

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