Tuesday, November 1, 2016

The Front Porch Project

 We like our front porch, but we don't use it much. It's very close to a busy 2-lane road. In an 1100-square-foot house, we want to make all the space usable. So Adam is turning the porch into a greenhouse for the winter.
 He painted and nailed some 1x6 boards around the perimeter of the porch.
 To them he'll attach these metal channels with "wiggle wire" inside them -- all along the top edge and the bottom edge of the porch.
 He's ordered a roll of plastic greenhouse sheeting. It will be wrapped around that wiggle wire and pulled tight in the metal channels, enclosing the porch.
And Saturday he installed a screen door. He did the framing:
 It looks really good! When the sheeting arrives, he'll finish the porch. Then I'll have a warm(er) place to put my lemongrass plants and all the other potted items -- ferns and such. We may sit out there too.
We also planted five elaeagnus bushes along the front of the property, between the porch and the road. They grow very fast and form a thick hedge of privacy. We felt it would be a bit more "neighbor friendly" than a tall wooden fence. We want to use our front porch, but it's no fun to be stared at while you sit there. Here's a photo of an elaeagnus hedge just down the road from us:
Yep, that's what we want.
More on the front porch and the new roof later this week ... hopefully!
Update: The wiggle wire and channel strips arrived:
 It goes in very easily and makes the plastic sheeting nice and taut. Adam says he'll use this stuff again. Here's what the first side of the porch looks like:
However -- the truck that was delivering the rest of the red metal roofing was in an accident and all materials were rendered unusable :( So we will have to wait on delivery of the additional roofing for the little building.
AND ... the USPS somehow utterly lost the rest of the wiggle wire and channel strips for the porch, so Adam can only do about half of it. Ugh. If we could just get stuff to our house, he could finish these projects! Still, doesn't that first panel look great? He will trim off the excess sheeting, and it will be done.
This morning I start digging plants out of the herb garden, repotting them, and getting everything ready for the new greenhouse!

7 comments:

  1. I love your porch, but truly understand your wanting your privacy, it's the same here and I have a hedgerow of a mixed bag of plants for privacy, plus we have wire fencing about 6' high on the inside, and more plants.

    How wonderful your greenhouse is going to be. As always, Adam is doing a great job.

    Happy Living there at the farm ~ FlowerLady

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  2. Way to go! You'll have so many nice plants in the winter! Are you taking a break from the market? Was it too much?

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  3. The hedge will give you some nice privacy. I'm so used to the privacy we had out at the farm that I don't even sit on my balcony because "someone might SEE me!" :)
    The greenhouse looks like a winner!

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  4. I guess those days of people sitting on front porches to chat with passersby are gone with the people who strolled, and who knew their neighbors. I have my private place in the back garden, but in the front yard I am going to have a bench I can sit on when I'm feeling friendly - because after 26 years I do have quite a few neighbors whose names I know and who often take walks, and I've found that when I am gardening in front they will stop to chat. We don't have much contact otherwise, in each other's houses, for example.

    The temporary greenhouse design is great!! And with a door - so convenient. It may, as you say, be a nice place to sit after all, like a sunroom on wintry days.

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  5. I'm just catching up on your two blogs. Your husband has so many skills. I think the rest of your house will be even warmer with this greenhouse on the front of it.

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  6. That hedge is one great idea! By the way, are you on Facebook? I joined about a year ago to contact various high school and college and church friends. If you are, I am listed as Mary Ann Sikkema Potter --- used my maiden name so folks from the past could find me easily.

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