It’s really coming along now and I’m getting closer and closer to moving my furniture out there and can I just say this….I can hardly wait! Oh, and I now have a blue ceiling!
The temps are also heating up here in Georgia and being on a covered porch will be so exciting this year, with our heat and humidity that’s a must. My big dreams of having a screened porch are about to come true. Thank you, Lord! He knows our heart’s desire, doesn’t he?
Can’t wait to share all the progress with you, it’s really looking like a porch now!
Dad had to enlarge the doorway going outside, so he cut back the door jamb to allow for a 36” vinyl screened door that I got from Lowes. By the way, all my materials came from Lowes by working with them as a Creative Ideas blogger. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to use gift cards from Lowes for my project, what a blessing that has been!
He’s in the process of finishing out the door jamb and trimming it out. You can see the progress on all the posts and around the windows have been trimmed out and primed.
So, after this door jamb is finished, it was time for me to paint the inside.
Dad taking a break.
Adding wood to the doorway to trim it out.
Door way trimmed out and ready to paint.
I chose this vinyl screened door from Lowes and love the looks of it. I am adding a spring to it so that it will sound just like a Grandma door. You know the sound when a screen door slams? Yeah, that sweet sound!
In fact, my dad’s mama (my grandma) had one such screen door on her front porch and I STILL remember that sound vividly!
And here’s the door in place. We had to take down the old steps outside, because they were just not put together very well and the guy who installed them before I bought the house had them spaced about 4” apart, which made for a very awkward climb up and down. We are re-working the outside stairs and adding a landing to accommodate my grill, thanks to a great idea from my sister who suggested that. It’s going to work out very well and we are running the stairs down next to the porch instead of straight out like they are now.
So, to get ready to paint the ceiling, I taped it off with FrogTape, my favorite green tape.
I decided to spray the ceiling with a sprayer I received from Black and Decker to speed up the process. So glad I did!
To keep down on the overspray, I taped a line of FrogTape all around the ceiling.
And a big thanks to Black and Decker for giving me a paint sprayer to use. It worked pretty well, although it did sputter a bit and I found that it did put quite a bit of paint up on the ceiling, but I did need to go back and spread it out with my paint brush. I did add water to the paint before putting it in the container. But, having the sprayer really made that go fast, so I’m glad I used it. I sprayed one section at a time and then smoothed it out with my paintbrush, moving on to the next section. Then I went back and added more paint as needed until the whole ceiling was covered well.
I used Sherwin Williams Rainwashed on the ceiling and I was very blessed to get 2 gallons of paint from them for my project, which really came in handy. I used Alabaster for all the white trim in their Emerald Exterior Satin paint collection. It really is a great paint and goes on very smooth.
Somewhere along the line, this blue on the ceiling was called Haint Blue and that seems to be a Southern thang! You can read all about blue porch ceilings at Sherwin Williams and it’s interesting how it all got started and spread all over the country. Some say blue ceilings repel spiders and other critters and if so, I hope that is correct! Regardless of the why’s on blue porch ceilings, I knew I wanted one on MY porch too!
The ceiling is a nice shade of blue now and just what I wanted. I had used Rainwashed before so knew it was a safe blue to use for my ceiling. Just enough! This is a good shot of the blue and white together.
After painting the ceiling, I then got on all the white trim and gave it 2 coats of Alabaster.
And it’s looking SO good! I love how it’s turning out. Once it is all painted, floor included, then we’ll go back and staple on the screening from the outside and trim it out with a small trim piece on the outside of the porch. Where the seam came together on the beadboard in the middle of the ceiling, I added a flat piece of pine molding that gives it a finished look.
My dad has made this porch look amazing! I’m so grateful he has been willing to help me get this finished.
After removing the old stairs, we are ready to start building the landing for the new stairs. He added 2×4 boards and posts nailed to the house to stabilize it all. He buried the posts and leveled them all.
He amazes me how he can still figure out all this stuff. He’s been doing it for years and has built some pretty amazing things over his years of carpentry and I know he has to think extra hard now to get it all together.
But, he finally gets things figured out and going.
And we have a base for the platform which will be the landing for my grill.
Here it is from inside the porch looking out. Can you see it now? The grill will be straight ahead against the railing that will eventually go up. The new steps will go down to the right and also turn on another smaller landing.
So, that’s the latest progress on the porch! I’m so excited to get this one behind us and I know my dad is too. He’s working hard on his garden too and has plenty to keep him busy. Once the stairs are finished, it will be full speed ahead. I hope to get the floor painted in the next couple of weeks and then I think I’ll be moving furniture out there. Yippee!
Check out Lowes Creative Ideas Magazine app, visit Lowes on Facebook, and Lowes on Pinterest.
Are you on Instagram? I’m on there and having so much fun since I got my iphone last year! If you want to see what I’m doing in real time, follow me on Instagram. You can see Lowes on Instagram as well. It’s a fun little snapshot of what is going on every day.
Disclosure: As a Lowes Creative blogger, I am sent gift cards to spend on projects and blog about them.
Looking fantastic, and I LOVE your grandma door! Eventually we’ll get around to a kitchen redo ($$$) and a ‘grandma door’ will absolutely be a part of that. Also, I was starting to think your dad never took breaks. 🙂 He’s a machine!!
Once again I just love seeing your daddy help finish your house! And I love your porch – the blue “Haint Blue” ceiling looks so calm & lovely. After we finish remodeling I am really, really wanting a screened porch. Mosquitoes are bad after 3 p.m.!
http://northislandcottage.blogspot.com/
As always I love the posts with Mr. SH in them. What a treasure you have in that Daddy of yours! The porch is looking fab…can’t wait to see the finale!
Daddies are wonderful!
it is looking so pretty….I am envious. I want my patio screened in so bad. I know I probably missed this….but do your parents live with you? I am thinking no, but close by.
HI, Ceekay, no they don’t live with me but close by. They are still doing well and in their own house.
So happy to see a post about your home. Your dad is a real trooper, you are so lucky to have him, and I don’t just mean that because he helps u so much.
Porch is looking great. I like the pale blue ceiling. I have a weird question…to me…do you put screening under the deck too?
Anyways, it is going to be lovely. Blessings Paula
Hey, Paula, I hadn’t planned to add screening under the deck, but I might go back and do that IF I see mosquitoes are coming in there. There will be a few small cracks in this porch, so I’ll just see how it goes. If I can get by without doing it, I will, but if necessary, I can add it later too.
God Bless your Dad! What a trooper.
Your is going to look great.
Love the clapper door!!
love the haint blue ceiling. I do recommend getting screening to put under the deck. It’s a real help also, please use long screws to put the deck together. My builder didn’t and we have had to go back and put screws in where the nails loosened and came up.
That porch looks like a great place to hang out. I used to live in Mississippi and every year we had wasps building nests on the front porch. The last year we were there, I painted the porch ceiling a pale blue and we enjoyed an entire summer without any wasps dive bombing us when we came in and out the front door. It looked so pretty. I wish I’d done it sooner.
I was really tickled by the screen door sound. Thought I was the only one who wished for that. It is all looking so nice, and I’m excited to see the end result. Is your Daddy a retired AG minister? I’m an AG preacher’s kid and always wonder when I see his face. Such beautiful memories.
Hi, Vel! Yes, he is retired A/G. How funny, you must have known him from youth camp or something like that. Where did you go to church? He pastored for 27 years in Marietta.
Each time I read one of your posts about what your very talented and loving father creates for you, it just brings a smile to my face. You are so lucky to have your parents healthy and living near you–and a bonus that your dad is such a wonderful carpenter to help you with your new home. And of course your mom too–she gets in there too right with you. I love your porch and can’t wait to see it finished with furniture in place…
I just love your dad! you and I are lucky to have them with us. Mine will be 89 in September and he’s still going strong!
Rhoda, the porch is great, but your sweet daddy steals the show! I adore him. He reminds me of my grandfather who could do anything. Just did a post on my grandmother and him. How I miss them!
Haint Blue is supposed to also ward off evil spirits or haints in addition to bugs. Same with bottle trees and blue glass. That’s the story at any rate, but we know that prayer works better.
Love that color by SW. I need to go there and check it out. I know other folks who love it, too.
xo,
Sheila
Rhoda,
Every time I see your dad helping you I think of how fortunate you are. I know you’ve been through a lot but isn’t it wonderful to have his and your mom’s support.
I just love seeing these pictures of your father working on your house. SUCH a treasure!
Wow! You are one lucky woman…to have such a wonderful and talented Dad like that….he deserves an ice cold lemonade on that porch exactly 2 weeks from today!
And **YEA!** to the slammin screen door—wouldn’t be summer without one.
Your dad just amazes me! When I see that he hand hammers every nail… I think, someone needs to get that sweet man a air compressor and a nailer. Lowes? Hello. lol
The porch is going to be so wonderful when it’s done, it already looks great!! So glad you added the little instagram info at the end, could have sworn I was following you? Am no though.
Hey, Shannon, we do have a compressor and nailgun, but for these outside stairs, only 16 or longer penny nails will do. The nailgun we have wouldn’t be powerful enough for this project. Believe me, I have used it a ton!
I can’t wait to see it all finished!
Oh, Rhoda, I’m so glad I stopped by, as I am so excited to see your screened in porch taking shape! What a charming space that will be, even extra special because it was made with LOVE! Our master bedroom is “Rainwashed,” and I absolutely LOVE it–so serene and peaceful. Reading about “Haint” blue reminded me of the tours in Savannah, GA. Great story about ceilings that color supposedly warding off evil spirits, which makes it all the better for your new porch ceiling! Can’t wait to see how you decorate this space! Take care! Lou Ann C. from WV
There is a store in Fairhope, Alabama called Haint Blue! My grandmothers porch with the screen door also had a blue breadboard ceiling, built in the 30’s. I really love that era, and my screen porch, but also very thankful for air conditioning here in the deep south!