Our house is oddly constructed with a two story patio right outside my home office door. While trying to clean the chick dust off my desk and cars in the garage, I started thinking outside the box for another place to hatch eggs and brood chicks. It was then that I had my “Aha” moment to screen in the odd two story patio and use it as a summer porch that also doubles as a incubator/brooder room. I got an estimate to have the work done but then we decided to do it ourselves. We started yesterday and should finish tomorrow! Please excuse the construction debris as I take you through the project.
This is the patio that we are going to screen in. As you can see, most of the structure is already in place. We just have to enclose the opening on the right and put a screen wall and screen door across the front. The boards on the ground are the bottom pieces for the three foot pony wall that will span the front of the room. The screen door will be on the left, directly across from my office door. In the opening on the right we are putting a sliding glass door with a glass enclosure on top. Over in the corner in the right by the brown chair is the electrical. That is where I will add a couple of base cabinets and a countertop to hold my incubators. I am planning to build a couple of predator proof brooders as well. This will work out great for people coming to pick up hatching eggs and chicks. I also got my first fresh eating eggs customer today. I have a small refrigerator I can put right by the door and people that I know can come in, get some eggs and leave their money in the cash box. I know a lot of people who operate self service egg sales and they say most people are honest. I will get to know people before allowing them to help themselves!
Another benefit of closing this area off is that it floods when it rains, right up to my office steps. The driving rain comes in the area where the sliding glass door will be. We think we have solved the flooding problem by walling it off, sealing the bottom well and putting a glass door where most of the rain blows in. Screen this area in will also force people to go to the front door instead of my office door. Win/Win, as I see it!
This is the ceiling of the covered patio. It is very intricate and interesting. It even has a window!
This is the second story of the screen room. The window on the back is the master bedroom and the other is a guest room.
This is the opening where the sliding glass door will go, hopefully. We are going to have to get very creative getting it to fit in that opening. We worked on it this morning and ran into difficulties and moved on to the pony wall out of frustration.
By nightfall tonight we had the screen wall framed, the screen door installed and the painting of the framework done. I am the painter and I have a lot of siding to paint tomorrow before it is installed.
Before stopping for the night we were treated to this view from the new sunroom. Awesome! Makes it all worthwhile!
The Other Mary says
What a beautiful view…….and photograph!!! The two of you are doing a great job…who needs to hire help when you got each other!!
Michael O says
She’s a slave driver…….please help me……..;-)
Kathy says
You have been busy busy busy! It is gonna be great, and I am sure you will enjoy it. You two be careful out there!