Our Porch Renovation

Renovation 1 is in the books!

This renovation project spanned several months and has been one of our most rewarding and biggest projects to date. On July 29, we moved into our first home. While the house is in really good shape and was well cared for by the previous owners, it is 96 years old. We knew there were several home renovation projects that we wanted to take on—the first being the porch! With help from family and friends, we were able to complete this renovation without any professional help (minus a family friend who came out and hung the new front door).

This room was not utilized by the previous owners and lacked insulation, so it could not be used all year long. It had not been updated in a long time and needed some love. Just a few short days after we moved in, we began to tear down the existing plastic bead-board ceiling and faux wood paneling.

After removing the ceiling panel, Corbin found that the ceiling could be lofted. This was an exciting find, as it made the room feel so much bigger. However, it added a layer of complexity. Reinforcement beams were added to the ceiling along with baffles for airflow. Insulation went in to help turn this porch into a fully functional space that could be loved and used in each season.

Before drywalling, we roughed in a few new electrical boxes in the ceiling where we thought we would like to have lighting. Then the drywall went up! It was a feat to put up, as walls are not exactly square in an old home. Following, the room was mudded…then sanded…and mudded…and sanded…and—you get the point… After this messy process was done, and we were starting to get more comfortable, we began to tile!

I chose a hex tile design with a traditional border to pay homage to the home’s historical and craftsmen style. Neither of us had ever laid tile before, but before we started, we heard from many DIY-ers that it was their least favorite part. We didn’t think too much about it and ordered our tile. Sub floor for the tile was laid prior to the weekend and on one Saturday, Corbin and each of our dads knocked out the tile! It was back breaking and hot, but we were so happy to have it in the space. Next came the grueling part. Before we could grout, we had to remove any mortar that had crowned above the tiles so that it would not show through the dark grout we had chosen. We thought a dark grout would be helpful in hiding dirt as this is a high traffic space, but we had not thought about how obvious the dark grout would make any protruding mortar appear. Together, Corbin and I spend nearly 12 hours chiseling mortar out of the gaps by hand. After this, we understood why people said tile was their least favorite part of any renovation. The next day, we were able to grout, and we were still nervous about seeing the white mortar through the charcoal grout. However, we had done a thorough job and the charcoal grout went down seamlessly!

Once the tile job was complete, we were relieved and finally felt the pieces coming together! We now felt like we were in our wheelhouse with trim work, painting, and final design details! We knocked out the trim together over several nights after work. My dad and Corbin transformed the space with paint in just one day! It was so exciting to see all of our hard work paying off. There were still quite a few details to finalize though!

The design: Corbin and I both work from home occasionally and with only one office, we knew this space would be well suited to serve as a flexible space which we could utilize when working from home, hosting dinners, or playing cards with friends and family. With this in mind, we began framing out a built in bench that would span the length of the back wall. This would serve multiple purposes. It conserves space in the room, offers convenient storage, and provides functional seating.

The bench was framed in no time, and we trimmed it out with oak paneling on the inside to level up the design. We ordered a custom pad for the bench, modern slip cover chairs, and a beautiful, cast aluminum table to fill the space.

Corbin finished wiring in the lights, and we put the final touches together! This project taught us so much, and we are so grateful for all those who helped along the way!

So. While this project required grit, time, and endurance, there is not much that I would change! Bringing this porch back to its former glory has been a gift and we are excited to live life in it.

For any questions on product, finishes, or projects, send me an email or dm. I would love to chat more!