SoPo Cottage: Storybook Cottage: Porch Before and After

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Storybook Cottage: Porch Before and After

The house is finished and I can finally start sharing some Before & After photos. So let's start at the entryway! When we started, it was a 3 season porch right off of the driveway.

This was the primary entrance to the house and had a row of windows all around it - and an electrical meter against the wall (certainly not something that's allowed by today's code!!).

Now that we're finished - it's the main entrance with year round use.

This explained why the floors were so bouncy!

But changing all that was a bit of challenge. As we got started, we discovered that the joists and footings were in bad shape. We had to re-dig a couple of footings (not an easy task in January!!) and reframe the floor joists. And since the sidewalls were essentially a row of old porch windows, we had to reframe them to provide enough strength for the new doors and windows that would get installed.

We wanted to make the space warm and cozy for our Maine winters, so we installed foam insulation in the ceiling and floors, to maximize the insulation value.

And we used this new living space to change how you enter the house.

Porch - Before

Porch Becomes Living Space - After

Now there is a big foyer/mudroom that will give the new owners a place to shed their coats and boots before entering the rest of the house.

The mudroom features lots of hooks and a built-in with shelves/baskets for gloves and hats. Can you tell we live in Maine??? Certainly it's great for sunscreen and flip-flops in the summertime!!

Porch - Before

Porch - now foyer and office - After

To the right, there are french doors that open into a home office. This room features two walls of windows that provide a bright spot to work. And with a view of the giant lilac tree, it looks and smells heavenly!