I vote for some Roman blinds in a nice print or stripe. Something that will embrace all the colors you're bringing in. You may want to check out Etsy. When we were doing our bathroom upstairs, I wanted something different for the window and found a woman there who made valances. Her workmanship was fabulous and I was really happy with the transaction. My favorite thing about it is it's more unique so every other house in the area doesn't have the same thing. A lot of the sellers have pricing that's reasonable too and the choices are unlimited. Here is a link that might be useful: custom made Roman Shades

Actually, most ceiling fans (not huggers) are made to be installed on 8 foot high ceilings. It's only when a ceiling is lower than 8 feet that you need a hugger fan. As long as the blades are 12" or less from the ceiling it will be up to code. Here are some other important considerations: 1) Outdoor areas require more airflow than indoor areas because they are not confined spaces and the open air takes away from the intensity of the breeze since there are no walls for the air to bounce off. 2) When the blades of a fan are less than 12" from the ceiling, the amount of airflow it produces is reduced dramatically. Hugger fans may move as much as 30% to 50% less air than a fan that is hanging from a short rod where the blades are 12" from the ceiling. 3) It is better to use 2 smaller fans than one bigger fan, particularly outdoors. Smaller fans spin at a higher RPM and typically will produce a stronger breeze, but they produce that breeze in a smaller area, hence the need for two of them. So, two 52" to 60" fans is better than one 72" to 84" fan. 4) Don't just pick a fan by it's looks. Be sure to check out how much air it moves (CFM) and how fast it moves the air (Windspeed in MPH). The most important consideration is the wind speed because ceiling fans cool you off by creating a wind chill effect that is directly related to how fast the air flows, not how much air is moved. Larger fans move a larger volume of air, but at a lower speed. Even the best typical size fans (52" to 60") can only produce wind speeds close to 4 MPH. Lower end models may only produce 1 to 2 MPH. So look for fans as close to 4 MPH as possible. 5) Ceiling fans with the newer DC motors use about 75% less electricity and are typically better quality than the common AC motor fans. Here's a link that filters: DC outdoor ceiling fans with Wind Speed Close to 4 MPH Greg Tillotson Ceiling Fan Expert Hansen Wholesale https://www.hansenwholesale.com

IRC (International Residential Code) is pretty much everywhere now. If the AHJ has addendums to IRC, with regard to garage-dwelling separation it would be stricter (Santa Cruz does not). Understand there is a difference between being fire rated vs fire separated, the requirements on garages is not as strict as you might guess, it is only fire separation. "said there doesn't need to be a wall between the attic of the garage and the attic of the house." That depends. If the garage is to have a 1/2" drywall ceiling, then no wall separating the house attic from the garage attic is required above this drywall ceiling. The attic can continue uninterrupted across the entire footprint. However, if the garage ceiling is exposed and open, then the 1/2" drywall from the separating house wall should continue up to the underside of roof sheathing to section off the attic space [IRC R302.6]. Stricter adoption would typically require 5/8" Type X everywhere or on additional walls. "saying that there doesn't need to be a wall between the attic of the house and the "attic" of the outside covered porch" Correct. However, this might vary on the interpretation of the code inspector. He may consider the use of the porch (e.g. BBQ using fire), or the finish of the ceiling, or the size of the overhang, or distance to property line, to require a fire separation in the attic. ______________ As far as the insulation: - There is opportunity to use batt insulation as fireblocking to prevent unobstructed cavity access up to the attic. However, I do not believe you have that situation here, and if you did, it needs to be securely retained, which does not appear to be. - More importantly, if you have batt insulation in the rafter plane instead of the ceiling plane, you need baffles for passive venting, which I do not see. - The minimum value for Santa Cruz, AZ is R-38 for ceiling insulation value. That would require batts 12" thick, which will not hold between 2x4 truss top chords and from the pics it looks a bit skinnier than 12". - Here is the link to Santa Cruz county AZ code adoption for reference: Santa Cruz County AZ Codes

We have a porch swing that folds into a "bed" of sorts. We use "indoor" pillows on it. I can wash both the pillows and covers frequently. I sort of have to do that anyway, as I am very sensitive to mites, so I've become fastidious about frequent washing of all bedding stuff in hot water, and anti-mite additives to laundry water, plus covering all bedding with dust covers that also get washed. Working outside as much as I do, I am always at risk for picking up mites. BTW, we all have mites, even the most hygienic among us. The question is, at what level. BTW, that's also an argument against wall to wall carpet . . . I got rid of most of the outdoor carpet we had on the porch. It's actually less mite infested out there than my house with all its wall to wall carpet. We are having to just do one step at a time in the quest to rid any residual harbors of mites and mold and mildew which drive my sinuses crazy. Our leaking eaves are another mold and mildew battle right now . . .our house was not built with much regard to managing dampness, which is not good since we live in a damp spot in a damp climate . . . Edited to add that my interest is piqued in mildew-resistant pillow inserts . . . My biggest problem is finding outdoor chair cushions that can be washed without ruining them, and with covers that come off . . .