enclosing back porch with salvage and plexi

Here is an update with new photos of the work we have been doing to enclose our L shaped back porch with salvaged doors, windows and plexiglass..it has been a long tiring job as mostly I'm doing it myself with my husband being mentally and physically disabled, but I did get some help putting up the last few parts ..still a 4' area yet to finish..then I can unpile the furniture..

http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

click on the link to see 5 new photographs

It looks super Brenda, how nice (for you and the cats) to have it all enclosed.

If I were enclosing a porch I would have a section I could easily remove so then I could use my leaf blower to blow all the cat hair, dust, etc. straight out as I now do to my garage weekly.  It works so well I've started using the leaf blower to blow out the inside of car and truck :0)  It is much harder to try and blow the stuff through a door opening, but it's doable.

Your amazing with all you do around your place.  Thanks for posting the link to your update and photos.

looks really nice!

Thanks, never used a leaf blower to remove cat hair..we usually watch to see where the cats are wanting to sit, and throw a towel or a rug on that chair and wash them every week or so.

that works, the lint catcher catches the hair..

(get enough to make a new cat sometimes)

we actually could "feel" the difference with all the heavy wind we had today coming out of the northwest, as this rear porch faces North..the opening IS to the northwest so it will be a priority to get that last opening finished up

Once you get that last open space closed up, you'll have a dandy place for storing Christmas goodies.  My Mom always had all the treats that we made and all the stuff Dad's patients made for him put on our enclosed porch.  If you wanted a cookie, you had to brave the cold and go out and get it.

Fantastic Brenda - really good job !

You'll be a lot more comfortable this year and have another place to stash stuff !!

Brenda Groth wrote:
Thanks, never used a leaf blower to remove cat hair..

Ha!  Only works on loose hair of course.  Such as hair on plastic and vinyl lawn furniture, etc.  The idea of washable covers is a good one too.  A blower is great for a lot of other stuff.

Well I guess I'm NOT a STASHER..won't be having any christmas goodies out there at all.

I'm even anxious to get the furniture spread back out, I am a PILE HATER..I hate storing stuff and hate piles..i want everything useful or not at all...and I no longer am into much decoration as there are no children around and we have very little company..

clean is my desire, not cluttered..but thanks for the comments

Haha !

I love keeping things for rainy day and I like playing with things and making things but I do see where you're coming from because I often exceed even my own limits. 

my inlaws were hoarders, grandfatherinlaw actually ran a junkyard and had those paths through their house between the piles..so nope..can't stand to have piles..my husband inherited the hoarding genes..but I do tend to go through his piles regularly and throw things out.

Temorarily done..will do more next summer.

Today i cut a scrap of old paneling (heavy stuff) and made a door out of it and put it on with hinges and a hook lock, not the best arrangement but it will keep the wind out..I also put a panel beside the door of plexiglass scraps and a cat door at the bottom...first time the kitties have seen a cat door, and so I propped it open to see if they would use it and they did, not sure when I'll feel i can close it and convince them to push it with their noses..but in the meantime only a few gaps that need caulk and an open cat door and the rest of the thing is all closed off.

eventually I'll take the paneling off of the doorway and cut an opening in it and install a plexiglass scrap into it, the door is 6' high and 30 " wide..i have a 13.5 " wide 8' long plexi scrap i  can cut to use as a window which will leave around 8 " on both sides of the "window" and probably about the same top and bottom..the panelling is ugly brown but it is way too cold here to prime and paint and caulk, so that will wait until summer..even the cat door was temprarily installed in a thin piece of oak paneling (luan) to get it quickly up before any storms roll in this week.

there was about a 5 to 8 degree improvement inside the porch today, and when it is windy and storm it will be much mroe (this is not in the sun but rather on our north side off the north door, we also have a 8x10enclosure off of our south door that is plexi and glass and it heats up to 80 easily when the sun is out, an warm the entire house with that room when it is nice out.

Just a thought. You got the glass. http://www.youtube.com/user/tonyfixit#p/u/5/30XVx3qTXAo

solar furnace maybe.

thanks, I watched the video, it is very similar to our front porch however we only use the heat from the porch by opening the front door and it comes into the house..no fan..however, that might be a way to run the heat through our ductwork with "power" rather than just allowing the heat to come in and then move it around with our ceiling fan..we do use it a lot when it is sunshiney, however, we don't get a lot of sun here in the winter..when we do..our front door is always open as soon as the temp reaches 70