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.
Hope @ Fairhope Supply Co. says
If you hadn’t painted that ceiling blue, I would have come and “gotcha!”
Should have known you were a PK. I’m one too!
Pine Tree Home says
What a blessing to work on your home with your Dad. Looking great!
Kathy says
God bless your sweet Daddy!! He’s the best! Your porch will be lovely. Great job on everything!
Beth says
Your Dad is so precious, Rhoda. He continues to amaze me with all your projects and his love for you is so apparent. God really blessed you with him.
Diane says
I love your porch. I’ve bookmarked your pages and will show them to my carpenter if/when he’s ever available. I’d never heard or thought of painting porch ceilings blue, but my DIL had and suggested that about the two small porches I already have. We used the blue paint, and I love it! It’s pale, as yours is, but I’m not sure the name of our color. It’s has a little robin’s egg tint to it. And the slamming door — I have one at my back door now and just a week ago my grandson slammed it at least 50 times. Pure music. A person can never have too many porches or screened doors.
Lynda says
Hi Rhoda-
I just love your porch! It will be such an amazing place to hang out and sip an iced tea or a margarita!! So I just wanted to send you a note to say thank you for the Rainwashed color tip. I have been searching for the perfect color for my dining room ceiling and that shade is going to be perfect! Also I will be at Haven again this year. Looking forward to seeing you again.
Lynda
susan maclean says
Oooh, Rhoda! I am so excited for you now….. it’s moving so fast (that’s fast in blog-time – not fast enough for you, I’m sure!) that I can’t wait to see it dressed out by your skilled hands. In our garden, a summer house/garden room is going up this summer, and I will take pics for my own blog – lovely to have an extra room, isn’t it? This Haint Blue thing …. knew nothing about it, and I wonder if I should paint the ceiling of my room that colour, so that little waspies and things are discouraged…….. (thinks, but what colour actually is it – we don’t have that paint manufacturer here in the UK). Move with the speed of light, now Rhoda – I can’t wait to see the end result!
Rita C says
Rhoda,
What blessings! Having your dad to do this project with/for you, and the beauty in seeing it transform! I love the photos of your dad at work, carpentry skill as art. It looks amazing – I love the ceiling, and can’t wait to see how you furnish it.
Mary says
I love these posts with your Dad! What a great job he has done on your porch. It’s coming together wonderfully and I’m always amazed at his talent and energy. Love the blue ceiling and I’m going to paint my little porch ceiling blue now too.
I was wondering how his garden was coming along? Any pictures of tips from him to share?
Rhoda says
Hey, Mary, I’ve got a garden post from him coming next week, with an update on how his garden is coming along.
Kathy says
I can’t wait to see this all finished and decorated. (Probably no more than you, right?) And, all the more special that your daddy is building it for you! I am blessed to have a daddy like you have who has built a lot of the furniture in my house. A couple of years ago we finished the bonus room above our garage together. He and I now repurpose and sell furniture. The time we spend together is more valuable than the money I make selling the pieces.
Patti Smith says
I love reading about your dad’s building expertise as well…and the photos of his hands at work…priceless. Ah, the door slam…I can just hear my grandmother, “Don’t slam the…SLAM…door!”
MK says
Love the screen door. After a visit to Prince Edward Island I just had to get a Victorian-inspired screened door with the little gingerbread cutouts to go on my keeping room door, and aside from letting in a nice breeze or allowing me to hear the rain better, I got immeasurable joy from just looking at everytime I went in or out. Mine too was vinyl, and it looked as good the day we sold the house as it did the day I bought it.
And, yes, the blue ceiling is a must down south. You probably already know this, but for any of your non-Southern (bless their hearts) readers, back porches used to be used for sleeping to escape the oppressive heat. Fearful that the “haints” (bad spirits) might visit them in the night, the Charleston folk began painting their ceilings blue to emulate the daytime sky b/c the bad spirits would not come out in the daytime. So the blue “fooled” the “haints” into thinking it was still daytime so they would stay away. The term “haints” is probably African in origin and came from the Gullah peoples in the low country of Charleston. So that’s why ya gotta paint your porch ceiling blue in the south:) Drive along the Battery or any of the historic district in Charleston and almost all those fabulous homes have “haint blue” ceilings on their porches.
Nancy says
Now I am a Northern girl…and I have to say thank you for teachin’ me somethin’ new! ~Nancy from OHIO
Patricia says
God Bless that sweet Daddy of yours – he is just beautiful !
Speaking of beautiful – your porch is just lovely – that is a PERFECT shade of blue and against the white it looks wonderful. You will have many relaxing evenings sitting out there sipping iced tea – and I know you already know how blessed you are to have your Daddy working with you so hard on your home – every time you look at something in your home, you will see your Daddy working right along side you ! He is amazing……. !
beth says
Love the porch! So excited for you – a long awaited dream come true! Also love the tool belt your daddy wears! Such a blessing and I think he really enjoys all your house projects! Kudos to your sister for the landing idea and your grill – that small bit of extra square footage will be space well used! I can envision all sorts of cute stuff you’ll decorate with and can’t wait to see the finished product! Move in day for your porch will be fabulous! Lot’s of entertaining out there for sure! I can see you enjoying your morning coffee with your famous froth out there too!
Lisa @ Paintbrush & Screwdriver says
It looks great – I really like the paint color for the ceiling.
Question – did you have to have any sort of permit/inspection for this project? I know in some areas that you have to do that sort of thing. My dad recently did some minor work on his laundry room, and the paperwork was ridiculous!
Rhoda says
Hey, Lisa, I operate under a don’t ask, don’t tell policy. We just do what we need to do around here. 🙂
Lisa @ Paintbrush & Screwdriver says
LOL!!
Cheryl says
Rhoda your porch is going to be amazing! You are so lucky to have your parent’s living nearby and most importantly, healthy and able to help you!
Sharon says
How exciting, Rhoda! The porch is really coming together nicely. I can’t wait to see it all finished and decorated. I’m happy for you!
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
Rhoda…the screen porch is coming along so beautifully….your dad is the best!!
I have contemplated painting my porch ceilings blue….Please let us know if the spiders, etc really stay away!!!
Whimzy Thyme says
Wow – I love the screened porch. It will be heavenly to sit our their with your morning coffee.
Your Dad is amazing. You are so very lucky to have such supportive and talented parents.
Jackie says
How sweet your father is! My Dad is 80 and is a spitfire too. (Although he does things like skydiving to freak us out.) I think I will show my non-handy husband your posts so he can see that if your elderly father can build a porch, he can surely try to install a ceiling fan for me! What’s a girl gotta do? Anyway, love the porch & the blue ceiling!