Yes Julie, it is Brookside (on Huntington), so I am sure it is the same one that you saw . It was a strip to the studs remodel in 2009. Originally I was lamenting that it was a little bit too "redone" but based on feedback from our new neighbors it sounds like prior to that it was inhabited by a bit of a hermit (and a family of raccoons) so am now grateful. We moved from Johnson County, and I think a "new" 1920 house may be an easier transition for my husband and I who aren't the handiest folks around. We had a contract fall through on a house that was closer to the Waldo area (74th and Summit) and am now very grateful it worked out that way because we love our new neighborhood. Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We have been taking full advantage of the other restaurants, but haven't made it there yet, so that will be next on our list! Jamies - thank you for your detailed response. With the way that you described, I have a little more vision. I especially like the thought of taking the house color around the base, and feel like maybe that would tie the porch in in a way that I feel that it is lacking now. I will definitely do the mockups that you recommend and think that it will be very helpful. The one thing I am having trouble envisioning is transitioning the trim around the roofline. I guess the next question will be on staining and color, but think we'll likely go the transparent route since i like the look of the grain. Regarding the rug, I remeasured and think I can get the next size up which will span the length of the couch so make it feel more like it fills the room. I guess this means vacuuming my deck which I may come to regret (as kswl points out) but I do like the coziness that the rug provides

I scrub my porch down with a little soap and water and even hit a few spots with bleach if needed. I wash my windows, walls, floor and furniture all the same day. I rinse with the hose and sweep the water off the floor with a broom. I do take my furniture off the porch to scrub and rinse. When everything is dry I put it all back together. I also change out my fall cushions to summer cushions and add fresh flowers. I only do this once a year and vacuum once a week or so. It is a big job but looks so fresh and clean when I finish. Note: I do have a tile floor and I know it is not supper good for the grout but hey, it's the only way I know to get it nice and clean. The pollen is pretty much stuck to everything once it is finished doing it's thing. This post was edited by caminnc on Sat, May 4, 13 at 15:47

Justgotabme-can't wait to see more pix! Can I ask a silly question? Why did you remove the ceiling? Luckily, we had our porch wired for 2 ceiling fans when we built the house. The electrician looked at us like we were nuts when we requested this, and now we know why-it gets pretty windy out here in the country! :-) But we plan on installing the fans when the porch is screened in. Amysrq=LOVELY porch! I am attempting to google Harvey, and not coming up with much yet....I will keep looking. I am hoping to find a system that will use some really wide panels. Juliekcmo-good idea to screen under the porch, but that would entail pulling all of the boards up......but I will mention it to the contractor! Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: click

We just added a screened-in porch off the back of our small house, which faces south. We added this as we were in the process of a remodel that opened up the back with lots of light... so I was pretty nervous about how it might feel with a roof limiting some of that light. Especially because we have only 8ft ceilings. It definitely reduces the bright sun but it still feels like we have plenty of light. The white roof and pillars help, as for the 3 skylights that are placed parallel with the doors. I would have loved a pergola both to preserve the light and because they’re charming, but in our area the bugs are too miserable to get much use out of an unscreened patio. This is the best before and after I can show - It’s definitely not gloomy but the bright spotlight of sun through each door is reduced.