This is a big, big week coming up!! The 2nd annual Haven conference is happening this week, starting on Thursday night, so my week is going to be busy, busy, busy! I’ve got posts lined up for you so nothing will stop on the blog, but just know that I’ll be running like a crazy lady this week. The Haven team is so excited for this year’s conference and we just know that it’s going to be even better than last year!! You’ll be hearing all about it after it’s over too.
But meanwhile, we’ve still been in project mode at my house. Even though we are now enjoying my screened porch so much and it’s all beautifully decorated, the outside wasn’t quite so beautiful and we’ve been trying to get all that finished up. Just those little details that take awhile to complete and the rain hasn’t helped either. Oh, the rain we’ve had! So, we had a few days of sunshine last week and were able to get most of it done…..finally. I’ve been living with a mess of a backyard since March when we set up shop out there. My dad’s table saw has been sitting on sawhorses and we just covered it with a tarp to protect it from the rain, so it’s nice to get that down and stored again.
So this is the mess I see when I look outside my porch windows. Not exactly paradise out here. I’m hoping to get this all cleaned up in August and all this debris hauled away.
Little by little we are finishing up the stairs and getting everything trimmed out. It’s amazing all the cuts and fitting that has to be done on something like this. I really didn’t think it would take 4 months to finish the porch, but it sure did. Between rainy weather and both of us out of town and traveling at times, it’s gone on a lot longer than anticipated.
Some siding was added which you can see has to be painted too.
We reused some of the wood that we took down when the screening went up, but a few extra boards had to be put up. Dad is measuring to add another board right below the windows. Then we will trim out around the screens and hide all the nails behind strips of wood.
We bought these fence post pieces to rip up and use as our trim around the screens. All will be painted out eventually.
Ripping up the fence pieces.
Cutting them to fit.
After we ripped all those small slats to fit between the screens, we got them primed and painted.
Here you can see the outside where the screening is tacked up and waiting for trim. The trim work will finish it off nicely especially when I finally get everything painted out here.
We alternated between finishing out the stairs and working on the screen trimming.
Finally got around to cutting down those big posts that anchor the bottom steps.
Dad marked his line and started cutting with the skillsaw.
Then he finished off the cut with his handsaw.
He loves that handsaw.
I got these cute copper cap pieces at Lowes to fit on top of the posts.
Don’t you love them? They add a little bit of bling to the stairs.
Dad has been busy working on these stairs and we are finally finished with them. Lots of cutting and fitting in pieces here and there. They are definitely not perfect and a pro carpenter would probably not like them, but I think they are pretty and work just fine. They are nice and solid and should stay here for years. All of this wood is pressure treated and should hold up for a long, long time. I’ll soon paint all of this out with a solid wood stain. You can see we reused some of the old stair materials too, that’s where the blue color comes from.
The stairs feel good going up and down now.
Close up of my copper caps on top.
Next all those slats were primed and painted with 2 coats of exterior white.
And we got started on that job next. Dad cut all those slats to fit right on top of the screens where the wood posts are and it will cover all the nails.
This is before we started.
Back to trimming off the ends of the rails going down, I had him cut those at an angle. You know, all fancy like.
He finished that off with the handsaw.
I’ll sand it a bit and paint it all out. Paint will make it all look better.
Dad taking a break.
So here we are til this point, almost done with the stairs.
Starting to cut the slats.
Now all the trimming around the windows goes up and I’m glad I painted most of it before it went up. Much easier than cutting in around that screen.
White slats all in place and finished.
On this end too. I have plenty of painting to finish up as well, but I’m so happy to be done with the trim work.
Front side trimmed out.
We figured out one more thing to make the stairs look better and cut some of those fence slats to fit on the ends of the stairs.
Cut them on an angle and slid them in place and got them nailed with the nailgun.
I think it looks pretty darn good.
Here’s a reminder of where the porch started when we bought the house. A shell of a porch, very basic with nothing finished out. The old stairs were so pathetic, they were hard to walk up and down. But, I can tell you I was ecstatic that the house had a porch, I knew we could do something with it….and we did!
One of my projects will be adding a brick landing at the bottom of the stairs. My dad has lots of left over brick and I’m going to get those over here and make a nice brick landing coming out from the bottom of the stairs and I’ll fill in that little alcove with bricks too, which will help keep the dirt down and everything cleaner.
I can’t wait to get this backyard cleaned up! I hate living with a mess like this, but it was necessary to get this job done. We are both so happy it’s all finished. Well mostly finished. The other end of the porch still has to have lattice added. Dad is going to build a gate that will open and close for storage under the porch and we have to clean out all the extra lumber that has been stored under there. So, as soon as I can, we’ll clean up the mess, get rid of the extra lumber (which means Dad will take most of it back to his house, he is a lumber hoarder) and then I’ll have my pretty backyard again. I think I’ll get another Bagster for clean-up this time. Those work really well.
This is my view through the screens….yuck!
Yay! It’s a great feeling to get the outside finished and it will soon be pretty like the inside. Can’t wait to get the yard cleaned up and everything painted. I think my Dad did an awesome job on this project, don’t you?
I took one more little video of him as we were finishing up, so enjoy!
Jenny Lynn says
You have an amazing Dad!
The porch looks great and I am sure you are going to enjoy it for many years to come.
Melanie says
Great job! Oh, how I have enjoyed your home renovation pics. I have been inspired by the transformation and my heart has melted each time I see your dad’s love for you.
Melanie says
Oh, hope all goes very smoothly at Haven. I am not a blogger, just a blog-enjoyer, so I won’t be there, but I will be attending the second Becoming conference in Asheville the following weekend. Would be thrilled to see you participate in that one next year
mary says
Your Dad steals the show!! Love the videos’s of him, and the two of you must be overjoyed to have this big project completed. I am so impressed by all the work the two of you have done in a year.
Love how it turned out even w/o it painted.
Hope you have a great time at Haven and I know it will be a huge success.
nancy says
Thanks to your father for providing for you and entertaining us as well.
Tracy @ Cotton Pickin Cute says
Morning Rhoda! Your porch looks great!!! But I tell you I’m in love with that daddy of yours. I really enjoyed seeing he & hearing you both speak on the video. Being Southern you certainly sound like me. Your Dad’s a cross between my sweet lovin’ dad and the worker & look of my grandfather. Give your dad a hug from another Southern girl and tell him I think he’s a real star. (he can run circles around me). I also watched the birthday video. What a blessing to continue to have your parents.
Hugs…Tracy
Cheryl Ann says
Rhoda, your relationship with your father is very sweet. I’m sure you are adding years to his life with your projects. Feeling needed & valued is key to aging well. Your parents are good examples to us all. Thanks for sharing them with us! Cheryl Ann
Diane says
Your porch looks great … such a change from the beginning. Like everyone else, I have fallen in love with your dad! He reminds me of my sweet daddy who was always busy working on something. During his last few years with us, he was not able to do handy man things around the house. So, when I’d go for a visit, he would have a list of things for us to do. I have cherished memories of him supervising me as I attempted to work with his tools doing things that were totally foreign to me. It always gave us both a big laugh! Thanks so much for sharing your dad with all of us.
Diane
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says
You know how much I love a screened in porch! The stairs look wonderful, and having that extra landing for the grill is genius. I don’t know how your dad figures out all those cuts and makes it fit together, but you are blessed! See you soon, and please let me know what I can do to help with Haven. 🙂
Joann says
Found your blog recently and have so enjoyed following your porch progress especially watching your Dad. So much like my own Dad. I lost him 32 years ago in August and still miss him. He was a fine Christian man who was able to do projects like your Dad. You are very lucky to have him. Look forward to keeping up with your blog!
Paula says
Your porch looks super !!
You are so blessed to have your “Daddy” , mine was the same way loved projects and could figure out how to get them done. You said a Pro contractor would not approve of your stairs, well my daddy once said the only difference between his work and a so call Pro was,” They could hide there mistakes better”!
Paula
Betsy(@coastal-colors) says
Rhoda, your porch looks fabulous! Your Dad is one talented man! It’s been so much fun to follow along as you updated your home with your parents! I love all the transformations!
Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says
The outside of the porch is looking good, Rhoda! You and your dad can’t stop now-he’s the biggest star in blogland! You will have to bring him back for some small projects just so we can get our dose of your dad!
shar y says
Your dad is so cool, and the porch looks wonderful!
Cynthia Ann Jackson says
Your dad is great. Will he be attending Haven? I would love to meet him. Thanks for sharing the porch project.
Rhoda says
HI, Cynthia, no, he will not be at Haven. That would be torture to him! 🙂
Michelle says
I think your Dad is totally awesome. You make a great team 🙂
Carole says
I think you are secretly cloned into at least 2 other Rhodas, you get so much done! The close up photos of you dad have inspired me to take some shots like that of my carpenter husband. I think he looks sexy in his tool belt so I want a close up of that. Congrats to you and your dad on your beautiful porch.
Countryfeather says
Hi Rhoda, Thank your Daddy for me, he brought back some sweet memories of my Dad and all the projects he did. The porch looks great and smallest details makes the most impression and takes the longest to do. Enjoy your porch & your family for many seasons. From my house to yours, peace & love and some sweet tea, too.
Muriel says
The house looks great, but I just can’t get enough of your sweet daddy! Please keep posting those cute videos of him,he is ADORABLE!
Brenda says
Everything’s looking good, and I love your sweet parents! How blessed you are to still have both of them.