Porch Potential

***Update: The Porch has reached it's potential, see the mega update here - but be sure to scroll down and see the crazy looking before shots***

Well we haven't wasted any time getting into the new house and tackling any project we can.  Luckily we have two months to complete this move, so that gives us a little flexibility.  We haven't been able to just start hauling things over yet since we were waiting for it to be fumigated. Sounds gross, right?  It's normal, I swear!  Oh, for those of you not living on the west coast, termites are a pretty common pest around here.  So it's a standard sight to see a house dressed up like a circus tent now and then...

I can't wait for that thing to be off! I wonder what the neighbors think... ha!  I'm really happy we were able  to do this before moving in, I've heard it's a nightmare to bag up all your stuff for this, and move out for a week.  Now, why exactly the termites prefer to eat the wood of the house instead of the 3 million trees surrounding it is a mystery to me.  But it is what it is, and now that this is out of the way we can really get to work. One thing we did last weekend,
was take down this lattice that has bugging us both since the initial walkthrough.  Here's what it used to look like:

Interesting...This whole porch area has baffled us for a while actually.  The white lattice seems to be added for some sort of privacy, as no vines are growing on it.  See, the door behind this mystery porch is a door to the downstairs guest bedroom.  So - maybe - the last owner was just sick of people thinking it was the front door, and closed it up? Regardless, we think it totally robs curb appeal from the house, and we've got plans to cute it up.  So for some instant gratification, Ralph grabbed the drill and did something he's wanted to do for about a month.

There it goes! See that yellow? That apparently was the old color of the house.  I'm a fan of yellow, but I wonder if that shade was a little too dark for the forest. Currently the house is..... um.... mauve? I have no idea what shade of white/grey that is.  Doesn't it look better already without that lattice??

It's a step in the right direction! We also bought a sawzall, which we'll put to the test when we open up the walls. Everyone says it's the most amazing thing in the world.  See the plan is, to cut those walls in half, replace the roof, and make a cute covered patio in the front there.  If people mistake it for the front door, then oh well - the house isn't that big, we can walk a little further.  Or just shout down to them from the windows, haha.  Here's my attempt at using paint to demonstrate the idea - don't make fun of it, I'm new to it!

Haha - it looks SO Nintendo.... so the black squares are where we'll cut out the wood, turning the walls into porch banisters.  I'm sure we'll keep the shingle look going since it ties into the house so well.  A new roof, perhaps at an angle to discourage leaf build up.. or hey - why not a patio on top? {Whoah... major construction!} Add some plants, some lights... I think we're in business.  

I can see it now, rainy nights.... sitting on the covered porch with a beer & a blanket. Perfect!  What do you think of our idea, can you imagine it - even with my Super Mario drawings? Thanks for reading, have a good one!

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