We've said it multiple times - we chose our house based on perceived potential. And here we are, over four years later and the dream is so much closer to becoming reality.
This latest upgrade works into what we've been focusing on again this year: the outside of the house. If any of you have been to our house you've probably been in our covered patio off the family room. Remember how the concrete pad was all cracked and sagging? Remember how weathered (and somewhat loose) the supports holding up the roof were? Remember all that green? Well, that's all changed now!
It started awhile back when we had the trim replaced. We also had those guys install a new sliding glass door on the back where the old french doors were. The old doors weren't in great shape and, at least with how we have the furniture arranged, opening the door was fairly inconvenient. The new glass door lets in a lot more light and is really convenient, especially for letting Leo in and out 400 times a day. Plus it works for the new outdoor configuration so nicely too!
The next step was replacing the old broken patio concrete with some beautiful stamped and colored concrete. Besides just replacing the old pad we wanted to put in a sidewalk of sorts from the covered patio down to the back door from the garage. This would give us an easy way to walk between the two and also provide a secondary patio space for more seating and our outdoor cooking appliances. We went to the Indianapolis Flower + Patio Show, where we met a few contractors and eventually narrowed it down to the one we had perform the work. They did a great job and the final product looks amazing! The only downside? They were so popular and booked up that they weren't able to do our work until late June! We really would have liked for them to get it done sooner (right around the time the trim was done), that way the rest of the work could have been done in the cooler temperatures of May instead of the sweltering heat of July... but hey, that's just not how it worked out.
So, door done and patio poured, what was next? Reframing the covered patio and screening it in, of course! They put the roof on temporary supports while they did the new concrete, so we had to leave it on those for a few weeks after they were done to let the concrete cure a bit more. Then, once it was ready to support weight again, we got to work putting 4x4 supports back in place. The old ones were pretty beat up, would require painting, and probably wouldn't be the right length anymore since the new patio was, I assume, sloped differently. So we just opted to replace all of them. I started off by establishing layout of the new posts. I did this with the assistance of a laser level I borrowed from work (again, it really does pay to work for a contractor and have access to some fun toys). Using this saved me a ton of time versus laying it all out with a plumb bob and chalk line.
Next up was setting the posts. I used post anchors held into the concrete with concrete wedge anchors on the bottom and a different kind of bracket to hold the top into the beams around the roof. This was probably overkill since each of these anchors has like, half a dozen nails or more in it, but I don't have a framing nailer and I'd rather have this all be too strong than too weak. The most challenging 4x4 to install was the one right against the house near the back door. This needed to be flush with the wall, so just putting it right up against the siding wouldn't cut it. To fix this, I took off all the siding in this area, installed the post, put new J-channel on the sides, and then reinstalled the siding. It was an extra step that I think makes a huge difference - if we're going to do this, why not do it right?
After the 4x4s were all in, we started in on the 2x4 framing. This was primarily railings and toe-boards. We installed a mid-rail at 34" to serve as a handrail and to give us somewhere to attach screen (but this is actually a pretty good ledge to rest drinks on and for cats to climb on - unintended bonuses!). We also framed in two screen doors and a pet door just for Leo. This means we only have to open one door to let him out to do his business and also gives him in/out privileges when the weather is nice and we have the sliding door open. After a quick training session with Leo and about six training treats he was good to go and now loves his little door that's all for him.
Our next step was the new ceiling. The existing ceiling was just a bunch of plywood painted green to match all the other green trim. It wasn't in great shape and would have taken a ton of paint to get it white anyway, so we just replaced it with beadboard panels that we painted white. Before long we had a new ceiling and a new ceiling fan installed!
Now came the fun part - screening it all in. We used a system that we bought from Menards that consists of bases that are screwed into the wood, screens that are held taut by rubber spline rolled into tracks on the bases, and then a cap that's placed over that to complete the look. It's actually pretty simple and the demo video is really all the instruction you need. The whole process took just a few afternoons to complete and suddenly we had a whole new space! After the screening we worked on some of the little details - installing the hardware on the doors, putting in trim around the doors and ceiling, putting on outlet covers, hanging our string lights, and setting up our furniture. Leslie and I had managed to score a deal on a display set of patio furniture from Sam's Club earlier in the summer, so now we finally had the beautiful patio to match the set!
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| We now have three switches for the patio - one for the ceiling fan, one for the flood light, and one for this outlet with the string lights. Now turning them on is just the flick of a switch away! |
We do, of course, still have a few things to finish out there. As part of the project, we had our landscaper come in and bury some corrugated pipe from our downspouts to the drainage ditch outside the fence. This means the water will be taken far away from our nice new patio instead of just dumping next to it where it could just wash underneath and erode the foundation. I also had them fill in some dirt around the patio from where the concrete forms had been placed. The soil looks great, but the grass seed we planted didn't do so well in the 95 degree heat of July. So we'll have to replant this fall or next spring. I'm also planning on moving my stereo receiver to a new location and installing speakers around the patio, so that's another step that needs to be taken. There are a few other little things too, but none of that is a huge rush. So I think we're going to take a minute to just enjoy our new space.
This was a big project and I'm proud of the fact that we knocked it out in about three weeks. The concrete wasn't ready for us to work on it until after the July 4th weekend and our we had everything done by the time my family came to visit on July 29th. It was a ton of work, but much cheaper than if we had paid someone to do it. I'd gotten a few quotes when we were weighing whether or not we should do it ourselves and prices ranged from $3,500 to $8,000. All said and done, we spent about $2,000 on material (at least that's what all the transactions from Lowe's and Menard's add up to... but there are probably a few more things I'm missing), so I think we did pretty well. Plus this way we were able to do it all the way we wanted. We're really happy with how it turned out and love our new outdoor space. And so does Luna! It's definitely her new favorite spot and she's out there every chance she gets. Now if only Franklin could get the nerve to join her...
Thanks for reading and we'll catch you next time!
