extreme porch makeover!

sadly i did not take any "before" pics, but you can probably imagine what our screened porch looked like prior to this weekend. it had been woefully ignored since we moved in, used as storage for various pieces of furniture that don't fit in the house (yet somehow never made it to the cellar like the rest of our crap) and for trash/recycling storage until jeremy can bring everything to the dump every week or so. it was also home to a dying christmas tree and a deep fryer. pretty classy establishment. jeremy actually had saturday and sunday off so we finally decided it was time to tackle the white trash porch. even though you can't really see it from the road, i'm sure our neighbors appreciate the effort! here guinness the cat models the exciting new recycling center designed by me and built by jeremy. it turned out pretty darn well i think considering that i only took shop in 8th grade, and jeremy never did! it's pretty basic - plywood top, bottom, and sides and 4 boards as vertical posts. home depot cuts the wood for you, but they won't make all the necessary cuts, and they don't guarantee accurate measurements. we have a table saw so jeremy did the rest, and managed to keep all ten fingers attached! none of the boards were the same size, but they were all close enough! and the plywood wasn't entirely flat. once we nailed, screwed, and braced it together you could hardly even tell. slap on a coat of white paint, and it doesn't look so ghetto! you can't see but there's a curtain across the back (and will be one across the front too as soon as i get out there and do it) - it's just a vinyl table cloth i cut in half and stapled along the top to hide the various recycling bins. i'll take a picture of the completed piece once i actually get out there and do it!

our old patio furniture is too big for the porch so it's in the backyard instead. so we splurged and bought some new porch furniture. (thanks tax stimulus check!) we bought a glider, 4 chairs, and a dining table. the side tables are from ikea and used to be black and in our living room in richmond - some blue and white spray paint and voila! perfect side tables!

here is the lovely dining set. i love it however i do need to get on the phone tomorrow - the frame of one of the chairs came bent so the whole chair tilts to the side. hopefully the whole return/exchange process won't be a giant pain in the rear. but even if it is - the company sent me two dining tables, even though i only ordered (and paid for) one! bonus!

this plant shelf used to be in our backyard in richmond, however it was just a plain brown metal finish. it had gotten a bit rusty and nasty, so a coat of blue spray paint and we're back in business. the plants are all various herbs. if you're in need of a fresh herb, chances are we have it! and because they're on the porch and i'll walk past them 5-6 times a day, i may actually remember to water them unlike herb gardens past!

a cat-less shot of the recycling center, which also serves as an additional plant ledge for more herbs and assorted plants. if you look closely in the background, you will see our little red birdhouse hanging from the tree. a mama wren has taken up residence in there! probably a better home than the wren that settled in one of our potted geraniums last year and would get watered by the hose on a daily basis.

cat loves the porch and especially likes his new cat ledge.

he really likes his cat ledge!

the best part - other than the plants, the porch furniture and the wood to make the recycling center, everything was already here and in need of a purpose.

oh yeah. i bought the lobsters too. $2.99 each at christmas tree shops. don't you just love a bargain? and the vinyl table cloth set me back another $3.

ok so i guess that doesn't leave much else - just the plant shelf, the side tables, and the flower pots.

but it looks awesome, so that's all that matters, right?