Covered Patio Reveal
Well folks, sad news, this is our LAST room reveal of our recently renovated 1938 Tudor. But the good news is that I saved the very best for last. What’s so crazy is that not only did this space get an EXTREME makeover, but this freaking gorgeous room almost wasn’t built at all.
Back in the spring of 2019 before we started our renovation, I designed our whole house using a CAD software called SketchUp, and sent the designs over to our general contractor, who (for the record) is AMAZING, and wonderful, and a really, really good friend to me. I sent him four or five designs, and he would comment on what worked or didn’t work with it, and I would go back to the drawing board. And among the many changes along the way, I added on the covered patio. And the email with the patio design probably got lost among the many email I sent to him. So his quotes for the renovation were all without the patio, until, somewhere among the emails, we realized the patio wasn’t apart of the grand-total budget. I honestly was heartbroken because this patio was my pride and joy. Yes, I was excited to have new plumbing and an open floor concept, etc. Who wouldn’t be? But this was the final statement that gave us privacy from our neighbors that sit very close to us, as well as a space to enjoy Nashville’s weather, at least, three seasons out of the year.
So after we had already started on our renovation (and after we already pulled our permits, which is a big no, no, but thankfully no one got in any major trouble), we bit the “budget-bullet” and pulled the trigger on the patio. We called the framers, called the electricians, called the roofers, and just like that, my designs were birthed into existence. And a HUGE shout out to our GC, Josh, who made it all work out in the end. (This is also the lesson on why hiring a b.a. contractor is crucial to a successful renovation).
I will say the disclaimer that’s not so fun but is the reality of this decision: this patio was the main reason why we went over our budget. Extra labor, supplies, materials, they all add up VERY quickly. And writing more checks wasn’t very fun. BUT I do say money well spent, because, you guys… I WANTED THIS PATIO WITH EVERY FIBER IN ME. Do you see that bold, italicized, capitalized font? It’s a bit excessive, I’ll admit, but I just want to make sure the written words match the burning, devoted, unconditional love I have for this space. This is basically the equivalency of a puppy starring at you from the window, looking into your soul, and crying out for someone to love. Are you going to walk away from that window, away from the cutest thing you’ve ever seen begging you to take it home and love it as if it were your own child? NO YOU ARE NOT!! You are going to buy that puppy because your soul is demanding it of you. And if your soul demands something of you, I believe it would be VERY wise to listen to it. Only good things will come when you follow demands to that degree, I promise you.
Anyways, I’m stepping down from this soapbox now, and I’m so pleased to show you this soul-demanding room. Last but not least, the before and after pictures of our Covered (Soon to be Screened-In) Patio:
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER (DAY)
AFTER (NIGHT)
AFTER (DAY)
AFTER (NIGHT)
What We Accomplished:
We did so much demolition to the original space. The most obvious things: we tore down the hideous, wasp-infested metal patio awning, demolished the entire exterior laundry (including the concrete footing), and cut the metal poles down that held the awning up. We also pulled all the vinyl and steel siding off the house, as well as the two dinky lights we had out there.
This whole space was built from the ground up so pretty much everything is brand new. New roof, walls, electric, concrete hardy siding, flashing, gutters, paint, the works. The only thing that is the same is the concrete floor.
The paint is called Play It Cool by Sherwin Williams. It’s a gorgeous, contemporary light gray. The accents and trim are Pure White by Sherwin Williams. And then we made our flashing and gutters a very dark charcoal gray.
We were originally going to leave the patio open because our electric meter was on the side of the house. But once our electric service provider came out to see the space, they said we had to move the meter as they were afraid that, eventually, an owner of the home would turn the patio into an interior addition. Honestly, I was fine with this decision as it was my very original idea to do this. But again, this cost us more money to move it to the outside our master bedroom. Our electrician then ran a very thick and industrious electric wire (or more of a rope considering the thickness) underneath our house and up to our panel that sits behind our Murphy Door in our Kitchen. How’s that for some problem solving?
We kept our original back door, but it is slightly smaller than a regular door should be. Someone must have cut the bottom of it off at some point—my guess is that it was rot from rain. But it still works and is very cute and matches the style of our home. She just got some new paint and now looks brand new.
This is also the first time this house has electric outlets outside, and we have FOUR of them now: two around the perimeter of the patio and two on the ceiling.
And speaking of the ceiling, I added the outlets to our vaulted ceilings because I wanted to string bulb lights without seeing a long extension cord coming down the wall. These also serve as the main light for the space. We also added a ceiling fan to have some air circulation during the muggy summer. The ceiling is also the only part that doesn’t have the concrete hardy on it. Just good ole, beautiful shiplap.
Lastly, we added a new exterior light, or more of a lantern, next to our back door, as well as two skylights to add some extra sunlight in during the day.
AFTER
AFTER
What’s Left:
There are only two major things I have left to do with this space. One: I want to stain the concrete. Yes! This is a thing I just learned about and will be project that’s doing to get once the weather starts getting a little warmer. I was thinking of painting it until I went to my local Home Depot and learned that there are SO many options you can do to update concrete floors. It was all so very exciting, and I was just swept away in the options.
Two: I need to install the screens and screen door. I’ve been putting this off because, one, the current temperature outside while I type this post is 23° F. And two, because I just have a mountain of projects to finish first, including staining the concrete. But I’m determined to get all my projects around the house done and the screens installed just in time for Nashville’s beautiful spring days.
This may be a potential major project #3, but I need to add a statement piece to that Plain Jane back wall. And while I would have loved to install screens on that wall too, it is the wall that gives us our privacy from our neighbors, and didn’t want to compromise our privacy or the noise that we could be burdening them with if we have guests over. I’m still debating between a painted mural of some kind (which would be so fun to do since I haven’t done one in ages, yet alone, in our family home), or some kind of installation with hanging or wall-mounted baskets. I don’t know. I have a couple pins saved, but still haven’t come up with a definite idea.
Also, we only updated the siding on the parts of the house that we renovated. This means that a good 80% of our exterior still has its original, ugly, steel siding, (which is also painted white, I might add.) So…eventually…the plan is to save up enough money to make the rest of the exterior of our home the same as it looks in our patio area: concrete hardy siding, gray paint, white trim, and charcoal flashing and gutters. Oh and while they’re at it, we’ll put new roofing on as well. This is definitely going to happen, I would say, in the next five years. We’re getting really close to being due for a new roof.
And then of course I’m going douse the crap out of this space with plants galore! Oh so many new plant babies. Yeeee! I’m also trying to figure out a storage solution/herb garden on the wall next to our back door. I’ve specifically been keeping an eye out at the thrift stores for something on its last leg that I can bring back to life. Again, another project for the future.
As always, I have my mood board below with everything I purchased for the space. However, this one is a pretty easy one as 95% of the things I bought for this space are from Article, LOL. Ryne has said that I should have reached out to them to get them to sponsor the space. I don’t know if I’m quite there yet in my business, but I do LOVE every piece of furniture I’ve ever bought from them, including our covered patio furniture.
We are going to have so many great memories out here, and every person, literally, no joke, ever person that has seen this space has loved it and commented on how great it looks. I love the flattery, and the validation, but, again people, this is the product that comes with saying YES to what thing that is tugging on your heart strings, and your soul is demanding of you. I have absolutely no regrets on going over our budget because it was very much worth it. We can’t wait for the weather to warm up and to truly enjoy this space.
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