Thursday, June 16, 2016

A Month Ago

A month ago I did a post about the possibility of turning our screened porch just off the kitchen into a three or four season room and adding glass windows with screens, so that we could enjoy the room all year long.  Well, that's not going to happen.
We received quotes for the cost of this project and it turns out it would mean spending in the neighborhood of $50,000.  Keeping that money in the bank just sound so much smarter for us.  We hemmed and hawed and chewed on the idea for a few weeks, but nope.... first he got cold feet, then I got cold feet and before you know it we had talked ourselves out of it.

One of the concerns we were having was that all of the glass windows would surely add a heat load onto the house since we get a lot of late afternoon sun on the west side.  The space is 16x16, which means we would both be cooling and heating an additional  256 square feet.  
This decision does however mean that we can't enjoy the room on the days of gorgeous snowfall, nor in the early spring when we get days of very heavy pollen that blow into the porch.  I'll be keeping the furniture under tarps during those times.

The alternative is to make it as nice of an outdoor room as possible for tons less money.
Want to see what I have done so far?

 We have had the metal table and chairs since 1998 or 1999 for our covered patio when we lived in Arizona and it's been good to us!  Last year my husband finally painted it's faded surfaces.  It's a deep green that has taken me a year or so to fall in love with, but it plays well against the green backdrop of the trees on our property.  This table and chairs set will probably never die... totally got our money's worth on that buy!
So, I purchased four new seat pillows that are striped on one side and a bright island print on the other.  You can see that island print on the one cushion that I have turned over.
 A few days ago I decided it was time to add a sofa.... a place to lay my head and listen to the birdies chirp in the mornings, enjoy my coffee or tea, and read a magazine.
I am digging my sofa.
 Today I added two chairs, they match the sofa... dark brown metal arms, legs and back, and it was time to tone things down a bit from the previous striped cushions of the sofa and the even brighter striped cushions at the table chairs.  
They all play well together and keep the green them going which I LOVE LOVE LOVE.
 The rug is an 8x10 indoor outdoor rug.
It's in a very neutral color so it lets all of the green in the room do the talking.
All items can be left out on the porch on rainy days if a bit of the rain blows through the screens,
but knowing me, I'll probably gather the pillows up and keep them dry indoors.

 I also bought a few fun pillows in coordinating green printed fabrics since sometimes you just want a bit of extra support behind the back or under the head if you choose to take a quick nap.

 We have had the small jars on the ledge for a few years now.  They gather the sunshine all day and then the plastic fireflies inside light up at night.  Solar powered fun!
 You can really see the difference between the two sides of the seat cushions in this photo depending on whether you are feeling your stripes that day or sipping on an island drink through a straw.
Whatever floats your boat.

 I added a gold bottle with a fun green and gold sunburst.
Just another added fun touch.





 And there you have it.
A screened porch make-over for WAAAAY less than $50,000.
We enjoy it daily.... or until the snow flies anyway.

Table and chairs patio set from Lowes or Home Depot nearly 20 years ago.
Patio Set Chair Cushions Lowes $76 
Indoor Outdoor Rug Lowes $118
Lynboro Sofa Lowes $220
Sofa Cushions Lowes $150
Lynboro chairs $165 on sale
Chair Cushions $120
Three Throw Pillows Lowes $45
 Gold Bottle and bottle accessory from Plow and Hearth (price unknown)
Green plant from local garden center $6.99

Total cost of this screened in porch make-over was just under $1,000 and we feel much better having saved ourselves the other $49,000.

*please note that this post was NOT done in conjunction with Lowes or any other company mentioned*


7 comments :

  1. Looks good. We have priced a sunroom, too, long ago, and it cost almost as much as it did to build our house back in the day. But I'd still like to have one.

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  2. Great decision I would say!
    A beautiful "two season room" indeed . . .
    Love the color, pattern mixes!

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  3. The porch is just fabulous! Love the colors and textures. The firefly jars are cute. Yep, I would back down from enclosing the room when I heard the price. xoxo

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  4. Wow I can't believe the quote you received that sounds like a ridiculous price and I agree with you use the porch when you can and keep your cash. Everything looks fantastic! Have you ever thought about painting the white french door (in one of the photos) a color to compliment your new porch furniture?

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  5. Beautiful, you did a great job. I had friends that used a propane heater to heat theirs... They had a hot tub on it. They only had two exposed sides though...enjoy it when you can.

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  6. I am new to your blog and have been enjoying your past posts. Love your fashion sense and decorating ideas!

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  7. Looks amazing it really does! Love it! Thr colors look great and the patterns mix well. Have you thought about any hanging plants or ferns? Im with yall-'''i so much more enjoy screens and breezes instead of sun room type enclosure. Great job!

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