From Screened Porch to Sun Porch: A Long Awaited Transformation
For me, one of the best things about living in the country is enjoying the outdoors. When we first purchased our Hill country home, my husband and I loved the existing screened porch. We were able to look out over the oak trees and pond at the back of our property. We spent many mornings there, just drinking coffee and soaking in the view.
While it was a calm place for us to collect our thoughts for the day, that space didn’t go without its challenges. Between raccoons constantly teasing our two Labradors to weather-related issues, we soon realized that our screened porch was desperate for a facelift. A transformation was needed. Enter the idea of a sun porch!
Sun porches have long been a way to bring the outdoors into your home without wrestling with mosquitos and triple digit summer heat (and we all know those battles are not easily won!). Because sun porches are closed in with large windows, you gain the protection from the elements without losing your sunlight or view. Plus, it is a great place for my three grandsons (and soon a granddaughter) to sleep when they come to visit. The new space has became part of the rest of the house, expanded our usable square footage (Hooray!), and created a more free-flowing feel to that side of the house. Win, win!
We started with bead board on the ceiling and ship lap on the walls to add texture and warmth. The eye nicely follows the linear look that both bead board and ship lap present. We created a cozy and bright feeling by painting both the ceiling and walls a soft white color. I wanted to make sure that the white we used was as close a match as possible to the existing hardy plank. Good thing I have a whiz of a painter who was able to easily match the white.
I also wanted to keep another original feature of the back porch, the brick wall. This old brick was the perfect way to break up the wood features and add color and opposing texture. The white paint we used on the majority of the porch played nicely with the white accents within the brick itself. Plus, I have the same brick inside my kitchen and around my fireplace, so it was a no brainer to keep that going in this portion of the house. Just another way I was able to make this now indoor space an extension of our home.
One hurdle I had to jump was the flooring. Since the new sun porch was going from an outdoor space to an indoor space, I needed to make sure the floor would be airtight and sealed properly. We decided to go over the existing long plank floor a vinyl, wood-like flooring with cork padding. Not going to lie, I was a little apprehensive about the vinyl (I immediately thought 1970’s kitchen. Yikes!), but I absolutely LOVE it. The floor is durable, beautiful, and the cork padding underneath makes walking on it comfy. It was just the right material to transform a tired outdoor space into a new and fresh indoor oasis!
Another one of my favorite parts of the sun porch is this custom door with two sidelights that open with screens. I lucked out and found the PERFECT door for our needs. Here are the before and after images:
My family and I truly love this new space. I highly recommend the idea of a sun porch for anyone who is wanting to transform a tired porch into a fresh extension of their home. Below is a gallery of the finished product. My family and I truly love this new space. I highly recommend the idea of a sun porch for anyone who is wanting to transform a tired porch into a fresh extension of their home. Below is a gallery of the finished product. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
