Instructions For Remodeling Porches

Remodeling porches can be a great benefit to homes in regard to both its appearance and value. The following example from DoItYouself shows how you can make more of your outdoors with new ideas, such as painting, staining or trying some basic carpentry skills. You can turn a plain backyard into a fresh, fabulous outdoor environment. This may also be a good time to repair an old porch while also sprucing up its appearance.

The owners of an Atlanta, Georgia home decided to transport their back porch from a concrete slab to a screened-in porch due to mosquitoes and their desire to relax outside. They already knew they wanted to screen in their existing back porch, but complications arose since their patio was simply a concrete square tucked under an overhang. They wanted the porch to blend in with the rest of the house yet still stand up against the mosquitoes, humidity and high summer temperatures. Additionally, because their existing concrete porch also had a slight drop for rain runoff the homeowner shad to trim the inside of the frame to fit the drop.

Here is a step-by-step outline of what these homeowners did:

First, cut the paneling. You should cut 4 x 8 foot sheets of pre-primed beadboard ceiling paneling to fit. Second, install the ceiling panels and fan. A nail gun is the most efficient tool when installing ceiling panels. This is easier than holding the panel while swinging the hammer. Be sure the ceiling is wired for a fan and light before installing all of the paneling. The fan helps the porch stay eight to ten degrees cooler than the outdoors, while the light allows the porch to be used at night. Have someone hold the fan while the other person connects the wires and screws the fan into place. The ceiling's trim should hide the seams in the paneling to give a nice appearance. Third, frame the porch.

These homeowner's 2 x 4 frame was sized to fit the standard-width screens installed later. You can either nail the crosspieces directly through the vertical braces or toenail them into place. Fourth, attach the interior paneling. A staple gun secures the interior plywood beadboard paneling. The panels were level across the top, but because the concrete floor was uneven the bottom of the paneling had to be trimmed. Fifth, attach and level the exterior paneling. The hardboard exterior panels should be added individually starting from the bottom. The first panel was custom-cut to fit the bumpy ground line. It did require a few attempts to get the paint's pale yellow tone to match the weathered version of the house. A benefit of using weather-resistant exterior paint is that it only requires washing with soap and water to maintain its color.

The paint thus maintains its great looks unless you use a chain saw to mess up with it. Finally, finish the screen. Vinyl grids are screwed into the wooden frame and the screens attach to the channels in these grids. This creates a staple-less installation of fiberglass of aluminum screens. Once the screens are rolled into the grids, the excess screen is trimmed off. Mallet snaps the caps over the vinyl channels and locks the screens into place.

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