Let's back up a moment...
Last year, we discovered water leaking in our back door. The back door opens up onto a deck. Previously, we had our grill and patio furniture up there, as well as a summer patio garden (where it was out of reach of local deer and squirrels). But to be honest, we rarely used the space.
In looking at solutions to our leaking problem, we considered building a small 4'x4' overhang or installing a canvas overhang. But when the wind blew the rain, we knew we'd still experience leaking around the bottom of the door. We'd always wanted a screened in back porch, so we got estimates, and bit the bullet. But we did it on a budget. You see, we didn't want to wipe our savings clean to build this new screened-in room, so we opted to start by building just the roof. It was the cheapest option, and allowed us to finish the painting ceiling, door, electrical, and screens in our own time, when the budget allowed.
Construction ensued in the fall, and I (we) couldn't be more pleased with the results. From the outside, it looked completely finished, with soffits, (matching) painted siding, and (matching) shingles. On the inside, it was roughed in, but water was no longer hitting the back door and leaking in, so we couldn't be happier. The bonus was that I was able to move the old furniture to the patio below, purchase an indoor/outdoor carpet to put down, and the deck became our new playroom during the day. We spend hours outside each day playing in the fresh air and breeze. It's wonderful, and worth every penny.
In the early spring, we had the deck stained and trim painted. We had planned to do it ourselves, but looking back, it took a professional three weeks to do a pristine job (just as we would have done it), and so it was worth every penny to contract that work out. In late spring, we paid an electrician to install two flood lights off the corners of the room, wire the ceiling for a ceiling fan, and fix the light switch to accommodate all the new functionality. I moved an old light fixture to the back porch, in the spot where an original floodlight had resided.
And then it was time to begin screening things in. We are constantly sitting and playing on our back porch, so keeping the little one from running down the open staircase was a challenge. Srike that. It was making me a nervous wreck. So I opted to put up a screen door.
I started with a somewhat warped door opening, which apparently isn't that uncommon in building. So I had to rough-in my door frame. Armed with measurements, shims, scrap wood, and a level, I blocked in around the existing opening and made a square, level frame for the new door. Check out all the added blocks below!
That was the hardest part. I purchased a white vinyl (read that "NO PAINTING REQUIRED!") screen door for a reasonable $70, with coupon, from my local home improvement store. It came with spring-loaded hinges and some standard, simple door hardware. I opted to add a brushed nickel sliding flat lock and a brushed nickel stationary door knob, which match existing hardware on the back door and were much sturdier (and likely to uphold well to the constant tugging of a toddler). Voila!
At this point, I'm waiting for the pressure treated wood to cure. In a couple of months, I'll prime and paint it, and no one will know how "off" the door opening used to be!
I'm rating this moderately difficult because (1) it required more than one person (believe me, with all the hammering and leveling, I needed a second set of hands--hats off to my wonderful dad!), and (2) it took a little bit of knowledge about building, leveling, and cutting.
Costs? This one set me back about $125, which doesn't include scrap wood I had lying around, and the few nails and screws I already had on hand. Not bad for some peace of mind while my little one plays on the deck.
Now, on to screening in the rest of the back porch!
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