"Yardvaark: Apologies if I stepped on your toes... " I didn't perceive that. Plants can be problem solvers, if one knows what the problem is and understands the personality/character of the plant. But not knowing the bed shape, size and way it is divided and what parts of the house one is willing to screen and what parts shouldn't be screened means that the problem is not well enough understood. My sketch is exploring how PART of the problem might be solved, but since it is from only one viewpoint, one must be thinking of how it can be converted (with or without refinements and alterations) to work in 3 dimensions. If you like the plants as low mounds and groups better than the much more common -- lines -- then it would be ok to begin transferring those ideas to plan view for working out and further refinement. I'm not trying to shove an idea or scheme down your throat but am trying to show a process. You can alter a/the scheme to suit your needs. If one begins selecting plants before knowing how those plants should be shaped, sized and arranged, then the chance will be greater that a plant would become a problem CREATOR instead of a problem solver. To take one example, in the scheme I've offered, I see only one place where a single 'Otto Luyken would work. You might come up with a different scheme to work in more, but you'd need to create that need first. Thanks for explaining the "stone border" with the picture. Sorry to say, that is not what I consider to be a good solution as compared to other possible solutions. I'm not saying it to hurt your feelings, but to let you know that better is available. What's wrong with it? First, the scale ... a 3-inch wide stripe embedded in the ground reads as thin as a knife edge relative to the size of the entire lawn ... especially if it is raised above the surrounding grade, which seems to be the common, popular way of doing it. Second, that it is raised ... so as to give the bed an appearance of emptiness instead of fullness. Third, and again this seems the popular way of doing it, but the shape outlined is a quarter-circle ... why is there a flat spot at the 10 o'clock position? It adds an air of sloppiness or cheapness to the appearance. It would look a whole lot better if you: create a mowing strip (a flush, inlaid strip) ... that is at least 8" wide ... that is organized and laid out with perfect plan view geometry. In the case here, you'd be working with a sloped grade, so the strip must be created with a smoothness and uniformity that flows with the grade. If there is an imperfection in the grade (a bump or "pothole") then it would be imperative to fix the grade in order to create a border strip with a uniformly smooth, flowing grade. Granted, my solution costs a bit more than the solution proposed in the photo, but the difference in cost is far less than the differential in appearance between the two different schemes. This post was edited by Yardvaark on Wed, Jan 8, 14 at 17:53

Its a funny deal with you porch,you dont know what a 18' span means,you tell folks to put plywood over an older deck with carpet but yet you have been puting down T&G decking,an advanced know how kinda thing, for a lot of years. Anyway I dont recomend pre finish at all.The decking has got to be able to breathe prefinish,should it survive the handling/install,will hinder this. It also will further trap moisture that works its way into the wood from the top. That many coats of paint like your talking about would have to be very cearfully applied so the gaps in the T&G material are not cloged up. Paint will crack and peal exposed flat to the sun its fine for a virtical surface but thats totat diferent. The more coats the worst it gets. Your right about the old T&G porches they were all painted and they all cracked and pealed,of course they had radical fall to the outside and were installed at a 90% from the house so the rain was runing with the joint not against it. Hey Man,if your satisfied and the Wallet is happy down the road I never argue with sucess.But I would never prefinish a T&G project X 100 all sides. Cross Ventalation provides the protection I think you are going for and is a must for a T&G install. I put down construstion adhesive on the joist not for the hold down power but to protect the dry decking from all the water gasing off the wet pt frame in the first few important weeks. I also cut a 1/2'' slot in the T every 3' or so, the screw goes thru the G not the T and the decking is milled with an extra 1/8'' in the G.The install is not jamed up just snuged in. I really dont know what you have been doing all these years,far as deck finish goes and T&G install goes thats what I do. J.

Hey, we are planning work on our very sad and embarrassing porch. We've already ordered fiberglass/ wood windows for the whole front. So far the plans are very much similar to how it would have originally looked, cedar shakes (although they were painted before) and narrow lap siding. The roof line obviously is changing and will be grey standing seam, I can't remember which colour. Unfortunately the soffits and facia will stay, I'd love to do a wood look though. The little overhang over the door is a maybe. We are doing screw piles to level the porch which is sagging terribly, and spray foaming everything, to we can add a closet for winter. Any comments on this design? Is there anything we should change or consider?

Well, painting our doors is taking much more time than anticipated! Partly bc we decided to take them off to lay flat and spray for a smoother finish. Plus my husband decided to work on building our shed yesterday so i had to wait for help on a few occasions. But we need a shed so that’s ok! Prep took forever bc the doors are not in great shape. And those darn windows! But I got both doors prepped and we sprayed 1 coat of primer on 1 door. But then couldn’t move it right away and then had to hang them before dark! So we will finish this weekend! I’ll post pics when done. Thank you!