Screened Porch

When building our house, it was always meant for the back porch to be screened in. But when the budget was going over, we looked at things to postpone. The screened porch was one.

We’ve enjoyed the porch not screened in, but always imagined it finished.

We originally had the couch facing the house, as I thought we would put a TV out there.

Mom refinished a table to have out there to serve as our outdoor dining room. 

Before

After

We then rearranged and put the couch so that it faced out. We didn’t know why we didn’t do that sooner!

I was back and forth on screening the porch in. We sat on the edges of the porch and used it as seating. I didn’t want to take away the seats. But I really wanted to be able to eat outside without bugs!

We decided to go for it. We got an additional bid at a lower price, but once I said, “Let’s do this,” he stopped returning my calls! I then went back to my original contractor that gave me the highest quote and went with him. We had to wait four weeks, but it was worth it. Luckily I had time (I got the ball rolling in January and we were complete by mid-April.) 

The first day of work didn’t look like much. The material was on site and a lot of measuring was going on. The posts weren’t exactly lined up, so decisions had to be made on placement. He explained how he made sure the bottom of the screen was lined up because your eye would most likely look down. But if you look at a post, one post will have the screen centered, and the post next to it will have the screen off-center.

On Day 2, they got a little bit more framing done.  We joked that this was definitely not a DIY job for me. What took him four days, would have taken me four weeks (to find time). But when we were having a hard time getting contractors to call us back, DIY was being considered!

Day 3 finished the framing and some screen started going in. The screen was completed on Day 4.

The final product was amazing! I was shocked at how closing the porch in made it feel bigger! We have gotten use to that feeling now, but it really started to feel like a room!

Mom goes out on the couch and drinks her coffee every morning. The boys like to join her out there.

And we didn’t lose our seating on the ledge! It is still there if needed. My mom’s dog, Hunter, likes to walk on that ledge.

The contractor we used was well worth it and was definitely a perfectionist. And the boys really liked him. Little JCrew told him all about Star Wars. 

Loving the new outdoor room! No bugs!

Gravel Driveway

Well, our delay is not just a weather delay. The HOA Architectural Review Committee is involved. They want us to provide a sketch of the foundation height.

We are required to have a crawlspace per covenants. We received a waiver because a tiny sliver of our lot is flood zone. Plus, we really wanted a raised slab. The only stipulation they gave, was that the raised slab had to be 36 inches tall and faux vents. This way it would look like a crawlspace. We agreed. So, I don't know why they are asking for a sketch now. It seems clear that we'd build so many courses of block to meet the height requirement.

Hopefully we will get our answer soon. They meet on Wednesday nights.

In the meantime, we had a load of gravel delivered to put down for the driveway. After the concrete trucks made a mess of the yard and street, it was time to put something down to help prevent the mess.

The weather appears to be clearing up and sun is forecasted the next five days. I'm ready to get back to work! And maybe today the gravel will be spread out to resemble a driveway and be of use!