Sometimes the answer to dissatisfaction with your home isn’t to move, it’s to grow where you are. For this East Cobb family, they were looking for a larger space to enjoy the beautiful view of trees on their lot while basking in the natural sunshine.
The Backstory
Their original old deck was slowing falling into disrepair. The decking was warped and full of splinters. Sadly, both the sun porch and deck didn’t get much use because of the unusual floor plan. The awkward layout didn’t encourage the family to stop and enjoy the view.
Initially, the family thought the outer deck structure was salvageable. However, we discovered that after removing the top boards, the underlying joists were not only weak but also not level. It would be unsafe and short-sighted to build on top of this. What a shame it would be to put a beautiful new deck and porch on such a crooked, irregular frame. After a short meeting, the family decided to bite the bullet and start fresh from the ground up. Another benefit to starting over would be an expansion of the foundation. Increasing the square footage would also boost the home’s value.
Going Up!
With the new foundation installed, the structure started to take shape. A new detail to this sun porch was the EZE Breeze windows. EZE Breeze windows are different than your typical residential windows because they are made of vinyl. Benefits include a lifetime warranty. Most interesting is that they fold up or down and can stack into four pieces. Modularity allows for more creativity, especially when the screens are open and there is airflow. Plus they are excellent at protecting your furniture during Atlanta’s dreaded pollen season!
Another style upgrade to the sun porch is the addition to the ceiling. Behold the beautiful dark brown cedar beams! The overall color scheme chosen is a gorgeous shade of white with complementary browns. The natural color of the cedar in the beams and detailed columns give great warmth to the room now. We used 2×6 smooth cedar decking outside and finished it with an oil base tinted stain. It should be noted when designing a new porch, the price of cedar raises the overall cost quite considerably.
Efficiency Year Round
The key to keeping the temperature stable year round on a sun porch is insulation! The walls and ceiling were the first to receive the treatment. In a later phase, the floor will get insulated too. Georgia summers can be brutal, so we installed a massive 72″ ceiling fan. It’s doing an excellent job keeping the room cool when some of the windows are vented.
Skylights were installed to overcome the vastness of this larger porch. Skylights help bring some natural light inside; it’s beautiful to see the sky and clouds pass by while sitting down enjoying the day.
The final dress-up to this sun porch was the myriad of lighting selected. Outside, we installed under soffit can lights. Inside, we placed indoor can lights on two different dimmer switches; this allows for ‘atmosphere dimming’ to set the mood. The new wall-mounted decorative lights look fantastic on the columns.
Have you heard of shiplap? It’s the latest style in renovating and it looks sumptuous on the inside wall against the house. We used different-sized wood planks and gave them a whitewashed finish. It’s a trend that’s here to stay.
According to the client, the most popular part of the sunroom they have found themselves using is the sitting area. It’s getting daily use now along with the long table when they host friends.
Are you ready to get your porch ready for Spring and Summer? Call Atlanta Curb Appeal to get a free estimate today at 770-778-1172.
Want to read another makeover story? See the beautiful Outdoor Kitchen with Cedar Deck we built for this family!
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