Building the Porch and Decks... Welcome to the 55th Metamorphosis Monday!

It snuck up on me...the anniversary of Metamorphosis Monday...Met Monday turned 1 year old on January 4th. We've had a full year of sharing fabulous "Before and Afters" and I have been inspired and amazed by all the creative and ambitious "Before and Afters" you have shared every Monday here at BNOTP. I am so looking forward to another awesome year!

Occasionally, I will get an email from someone saying how much a particular Met Monday post helped them with a project in their home. That makes my day because isn't that what blogging is really all about...the sharing of ideas and information that will hopefully prove helpful to someone else. :-)

Is there a project in your home that was just a little easier because of something you saw on a Met Monday post? If so, and you still remember where you saw it, please leave a comment today mentioning the name of the blog where you saw the Met Monday post. Then stop back by in a day or two and read through the comments. You may be surprised to find your Met Monday post was a blessing to someone else, or, you may find a blog mentioned with a post that will prove helpful for your next project. :-)

Since this is the anniversary month of Metamorphosis Monday, I thought it would be fun to share my very first Metamorphosis post...the "Before and After" of the screened-in porch and decks.

The "Before" was pretty awful as you'll see in the following pics...hard to believe we lived with that awful deck for 15-16 years before finally doing something about it. Yikes! We bought this house when it was eight years old and apparently, the previous homeowners had never properly cared for the existing deck...it was in a sad state. Before I could afford to replace it, I tried cleaning it with an incredibly strong deck cleaner and "painting" it with a solid color stain for decks. It was a major project...cleaning and "painting" on the stain. It looked better, but the solid stain didn't hold up well to a large dog and the elements. It was time for a BIG change.

As you can see below in a "Before" pic, the original deck on the right was very small. A previous homeowner had enlarged the deck by adding the section on the left. The deck flooring had deteriorated and was popping up in places, creating a real hazard. The stairs stuck out into the center of the yard...not a great design. On this first Met Monday, I thought I would share some of the exterior changes that took place when the screened-in porch and decks were added.


Before pic of deck...Those dark spots behind Max's head are actually holes in the deck where the deck boards had rotted around the nails. Periodically, a board would pop up into the air...it was bad!


The pic below was taken right after the workers tore off the old deck...I was so happy to see it gone! :-) You can see how over the years the dirt underneath the deck had splashed up onto the house when it rained, discoloring the siding.

I replaced the door (beneath the small window) going into the terrace level with another window, and had french doors added on the wall behind the ladder. I wanted to maximize the light coming into the terrace level. You'll be able to see this change in the next picture.


In the pic below, the porch, decks and terrace level are in mid construction. During the additions of the porch and decks, I, completely re-did the previous owner's basement renovation. It had been done badly with a hung ceiling, orange carpeting and cheap, dark paneling. I finished the basement/terrace level back in with sheet rock walls, tray ceilings, recessed lighting and decorative columns where ugly, metal poles had been. The french doors gave the terrace level more daylight, as did the new window.

The deck on the far left was designed to hold the grill, as well as my existing patio furniture, which included a good size table with four chairs and an umbrella and a small bistro table with 2 chairs. The deck on the far right (under the kitchen bay window) was the perfect spot for another seating area with a pergola overhead.


You can just see the edge of the steps coming down on the side of the deck on the right...a much better design than having them sticking out into the center of the yard.


The future screened-in porch...can you believe it once looked like this? :-)


Let's get to those "After" pictures! Here's the screened-in porch...this pic was taken from the same angle as the one above. It's come a long way! :-) Let's add some sheers and turn on the lamps.


Much better! :-)


To see more of the interior of the screened-in porch, just click on the pic of the porch posted on my sidebar.


The pic below shows the deck that was added with the pergola overhead. You can just make out the outdoor candle-lier I hung from the pergola.


A view of the area with the pergola overhead... The candle-lier came from Smith & Hawken, that store is sadly gone now. (Sorry about the grainy photo.)


An exterior view of the screened-in porch...those are bird feeders hanging on either side. :-) This pic was taken right after the porch was finished, before I added the sheers.

People often e-mail and ask how I keep the porch looking so clean. I think it helps that it's a full story up. The only really messy time is during pollen season...once that's over, it just requires a monthly vacuum and dusting..


In this view, you are looking across from the kitchen door to one of the exterior decks...the one that holds the table with the umbrella, the grill and a small bistro table.


Here's a huge tip if you're renovating your deck or porch...I had a gas line run to the grill so I don't have to worry about running out of gas in the midst of grilling. Have you had that happen? It's also nice not having to lug those heavy propane tanks back to the store for a refill. If you are renovating your deck, I highly recommend this. It does require a gas grill designed for that kind of connection, but the cost of running the gas line to the grill was only around $375.


This little area with the bistro table is about 6 feet from the grill, so it makes a nice place to sit and chat while the steaks are grilling. :-) When I was in the process of designing the porch and decks, I knew I wanted to have LOTS of seating for dining and entertaining. There are enough tables on the porch and the two decks to seat 16 for dinner...not including the seating area with the swing.


Hope you enjoyed this look back at my first Metamorphosis Monday post! Can't wait to see all your "Before and Afters!" :-) Please don't forget to leave a comment with a mention of a past Met Monday post that you found helpful...and the blog where you saw it. :-)


Looking forward to seeing all your "Before and Afters."



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