Watch the second of our two-part series to see the completion of the sunroom, porch, deck, and pool additions we added to this house that has a beautiful view of the water, including:
Read episode article to find out more.
Watch Sunroom, Deck, and Pool Addition Project, Part 1 for more.
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This week on Today’s Homeowner we are continuing work on a room with a view. We’ve done a lot already to strengthen this coastal home against the hurricanes that frequent the area. Now we’re going to make it comfortable and fun.
Last week we started working on this room with a view. And as you might guess, one of the chief concerns was taking advantage of the scenic location. But we also had to build with the weather in mind. This home it’s along the central Gulf Coast and it gets its share of tropical storms. In fact the homeowners lost their deck during Hurricane Katrina back in 2005.
To replace it we’re building a 500-square-foot sunroom with covered porches on either side, one of which will lead to a swimming pool. The framing plan called for a load of lumber and hundreds of steel straps to ensure that this thing will stand up to those winds from the tropics.
But what good is a view if you can’t enjoy it? So we had to find some windows that could take the pressure is well they’re called impact guard and the folks at JELD-WEN Windows and Doors designed them for just this kind of situation, protecting the inside of the home from the winds outside. With the sun room dried in, we turned our focus to the fun stuff outside. A small pool house was added outside, along with the decking joined the addition to the pool and an extension of the roof to cover the outdoor spot.
You can just imagine at this point how excited the homeowners are they can finally get an idea of what everything will look like once it’s completed. You know it gets a little frustrating when you’re just looking at a set of blueprints trying to figure out how it’s all going to look when it’s finished. Well, they can definitely get a good idea now. And, we can ensure that the pool’s going to look a lot better than this once it’s completed, should look great.
The pool being finished coping all around the pool house spot positions right the middle of everything with decking all around. But as you can see we have a little more work to do. Inside we’re opening up the addition to the existing house. Joe is creating an archway that will mimic the arches found outside above the newly built porches. This little touch of visual continuity will tie the spaces together and help disguise the fact that the root is in addition.
At this stage there are subcontractors all over the job. Electricians and home entertainment guys are conferring about where the run their respective wires, and how to coordinate the placement of light fixtures and speakers in the ceilings. While they’re hanging fixtures, housings, and pulling miles of wire inside; the HVAC guys are outside preparing to replace the old air conditioning compressor with the newer, larger unit to service the extra space.
Out here the stucco contractor is also starting work. His first chore is applying the cement backer board over the housewrap that covers the plywood skin on these walls. It’s a simple process, but there’s a lot of surface to cover out here. Then the base coat of stucco goes on, covering seams and trim details with an embedded fiberglass mesh to finish out the smooth look of the house.
Well, I’ve been hearing a lot of all the progress we’re making on this project, so I had to drop by and take a look at it. It’s looking great, but I understand there’s a real interesting process taking place inside. And the process that I’m talking about is going to make this addition very warm and cozy, very energy efficient. The guy that’s taking care of it, Hap Partridge. Hap, pretty interesting stuff you have going on here. What exactly are we looking at?
This is cellulose insulation. It’s made from 85% newspaper, which is a recycled product, very green. It qualifies for LEEDS. The other 15% is boric acid, which is a fire retardant and it’s the most fire retardant installation you can get. You see it spraying in the walls, it’s spraying around all the wiring.
Yeah, how is it sticking to it, though, because I’ve seen cellulose in attics, that it’s just laying there, must be something in it?
It’s a different process. It has a dry adhesive mixed at the factory, so it’s measured at the factory. And actually right now it’s just sticking with water, but these pieces will dry over several days, and it will be cured in full strength. Now the boric acid that you mentioned, it’s perfectly harmless individuals and everything, but I hear it’s pretty good for a bug repellent.
Actually the roach proof that Paul Harvey used to advertise, it was always boric acid.
Right.
And actually, boric acid is used in Murine, it’s actually medicinal.
Oh, I see, okay. Also, I noticed that before you guys got started, you foamed a lot of cracks and crevices, that’s going the extra lengths that he had to go to these days.
Right. Studies show that air infiltration is the biggest factor in energy efficiency. So we want to get all the key areas that are possible air infiltration sites, and then we blow the cellulose on top of them. And the cellulose is more tight than ordinary installation, about 40% more airtight than the ordinary installation.
This stuff sure seems like a great solution to hold down energy costs. Speaking of solutions, while Hap’s crew finishes up here, let’s check in with Joe for another Simple Solution.
Everyone is always looking for a faster way to paint, but sometimes a shortcut is not a great idea, particularly when painting raw wood. Now, the first step you have to do is prime it. Now primer typically comes bright white. You can order tinted, but if you already have some primer around the house, what you need to do is tint it toward the final color, in this case dark green.
So we’re going to take some of this green. Rather than pour it, I’m just going to use as little cup and dump it right into the primer. Now, I’m going to mix that up, and what you end up with is a primer tinted toward the final color. Now, I’m going to take his tinted primer, and apply it right to the piece, in this case it’s a child’s storage bench.
You can see that it’s only tinted a little bit, but that will help a lot. If you were to prime this just the pure white primer and try to cover with that green, you’d never do it, you’d need two or three coats. In this case, one coat of tinted primer, and one coat of topcoat, and you’re done.
The inside of our room with a view is moving along pretty well, with the drywall work done and trimming underway. This goes slow because much of it is very detailed work like matching the beads and bevels on the case molding to the ones on the custom-made JELD-WEN windows. These boards are being ripped to width and planed to line the inside of the casing that join the addition to the existing house.
Outside the V-groove wood planks have gone up on the porch ceilings, and the final coat of stucco starts going on the house itself. This final coat includes the tinting that will determine the finished color of the walls. For uniformity sake the existing house will get a coat of the same color.
The small pool house has now been framed, roofed, and is also ready for final cut of stucco. To create access to the lower yard and the water, we framed up a set of stairs leading down from the pool deck. Now one of the tricks these guys use for tilting the handrails is to cut a double on the top edge of the hand rail. This helps the rail shed more water more easily and ultimately lasts a lot longer. With our stairs complete we have easy safe access from this level the project right down to the backyard.
Speaking of the backyard, it looks like the landscaper has more than a day’s worth of work out here, but it shouldn’t take long to really get this part of the project looking great. Now, one of the things we like to do when group building handrails on stairs or handrails around decks is to add this little accent. Just little copper caps that not only look good, but they also serve an important function in not allowing rainwater to get into that end grain of these new posts. This makes it last a lot longer. Now, I love these little plastic caps that just cap right over it to protect that copper while the rest of the work is being done.
Now, speaking of the work to be done, a lot to be done out here where the pool being completed and they’re building a screen enclosure over the entire pool and it will extend right down the side of the deck to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping off. That would be a long way down. Now one thing I love on exterior porches like this is this type of wood ceiling. Now this is the one by six pine them to look a little different once the painter applies one coat of staying and a coat of polyurethane. It will change the color just a little bit, but it still should go along very nicely with all the earth tones we have on the stucco and a cream colored trim.
If you really think about a remodeling project you can add a lot of small things that will really be convenient for you once the projects complete. Here’s a great example. The homeowners have a cat, and so to allow the cat access in and out anytime it wants to a little cat door here, and we also installed one over on the other side. If you buy a good quality cat door like this, it won’t lose any energy at all, because it has a flap on the inside and out that will prevent any of that air infiltration from affecting your heating and cooling.
Hey, on the inside it’s all about the finishes in here. With the walls done, the painters turn their attention to fine-tuning the trim inside the addition. And with all these windows, there are plenty of them to be caulked and painted. Then out on the porch they have to apply the sealer to the V-groove wood ceiling.
While this is going on, the pieces for the massive screen enclosure start arriving, and the work to keep out the insects begins. The mounting system, which includes integrated gutter, attaches to the eve of the house, and the aluminum framework that supports the rest of the structure starts going up around the pool. It’s like putting together an enormous Erector Set. And as the framework starts to take shape, it begins to resemble some sort of space bubble from a science fiction movie.
The screen itself is much like the stuff used on your windows, only larger and much tougher. After the individual pieces were cut out, they are secured with a rubber’s spline. Again, just like a window screen, only bigger and stronger. The guys have pretty much completed all of the framework for the screen enclosure around the pool. They still have a few little pieces of screen to install here and there.
This screen has to be rugged because of the large expanses we have here. You don’t want to have to get back up there and replace it at any time. And believe me this stuff is definitely rugged. You know we mentioned earlier how we want to safeguard against the chance of kids or pets falling off, this will this will definitely do it. You can’t even tear this stuff, pretty rugged.
You know we mentioned earlier about the landscaping it’s about to take place out in the backyard. That will really put the finishing touches on this project. Not if you’re doing a little landscaping this weekend, you may want to check out this week’s Best New Product.
Running some errands the other day, I drove by several houses with automatic sprinklers going full blast. Now I realize they probably had the sprinkler on a timer system and probably just forgot to override it while away from the house. But this makes this wireless moisture sensor from Vigoro that much cooler.
This thing actually tells you if you need to water by checking the moisture in your soil. If the soil is already saturated, it automatically overrides your programmed sprinkler system and won’t water a yard that doesn’t need it. The moisture sensor works in combination with the Vigoro water timer. So you just place the sensor in the area you want water and set the desired moisture level. Then attach receiver to the timer the moisture sensor, and it will prevent watering if it’s not needed, and end watering when your desired moisture level has been reached. It’s that simple. The results are healthier plants and healthier lawns, all while saving money and conserving a precious resource.
Our room with a view is almost complete. About all we lack is a little flooring a little touch of painting and it’s all complete on the inside. So most of the work now is focused on the outside. Now obviously our pool contractor has a little work to do. He has to drain the water out another for the plaster, do a little bit work here and there on some of the drains, and if all be complete. Now the homeowners added a few things as we progressed on this project. And of course that means that it’s taking a little longer to complete everything. But one thing added which they will really be glad they did is this little pool house we’re about to walk through.
Now, if you have a swimming pool, it is so important to have a bathroom fairly close by. Otherwise all of your guests and family will be going in and out of the house to use the bathroom. Here you’ll be able to go in, and you got your toilet, a little pedestal sink, storage for all the little pool toys, and you have a water heater tank right in behind the door.
One thing missing in here is a shower. Well, the shower is right out back. You can see the showerhead coming right out of the ceiling. I don’t know about you, this wouldn’t give me enough privacy to take a shower. But that’s okay, we’ll be putting some panels around this to provide that privacy using a very special wood called ipê. This dense tropical wood is very resistant to weathering and insects so it’s perfect for this outdoor application. Once the screen is completed, it makes a perfect addition to the pool house and yard.
Over on the porch opposite the pool we have installed cement backer board and the tile setters have arrived to start laying the porcelain tiles that will cover this area. Because porcelain is more dense than ceramic it won’t absorb moisture like ceramic tiles that could cause it to crack in freezing weather.
Inside the addition the wood floors start going down. And to spice things up, we’re getting an inlaid pattern that should create an interesting look after the sanding and finishing is complete. Back outside the guys are creating a series of lattice paneled screens on the unsightly underside of the deck.
And the landscaper has begun his work with the retaining wall along the slope from the pool deck down to the water. The wall and the irrigation rough-in are complete, flowers and the groundcover can start going in to the spaces. This should make that steep grade a lot more attractive without requiring a lot of maintenance.
But the big news has to be the final coat of plaster going on the pool. It’s a cool process to watch. The plasters’ wear these odd elevated shoes to keep from tracking up their work, looks just like a pile of goop dumped into the pool. But then these guys carefully trowel it out over the walls, and the pool begins to transform into something pretty spectacular. The dingy gray concrete gives way to a sparkling new pool surface.
We’ve been watching this pool come together over the last few months, but now that there’s water in it, it looks great and very appealing on a day like today where it’s supposed to hit 100 degrees. I think anyone who’s working on the project today would love taking a dip in this pool. And look how well it’s laid out. You got a nice whirlpool area, real easy to get in and get out. And the waterfall that kind of ties it all together visually as well as the sound of the flowing waters, always nice, right into the main part of the pool.
They still have a little bit of cleanup here and there to do, but they’ve already started the cleanup on all of the deck work, got it all pressure washed and the ceiling that we installed a month or so ago, the painters put a nice clear sealer on it, and that’ll look just like that for years and years.
Basically everything on the outside of this project is almost complete, just a few touchups taken place here and there. But the thing that will make the biggest difference in the exterior of the home is what’s happening outside, the installation of the instant lawn. I always call it that, because sod can transform bare ground into a lush lawn in just a matter of hours. But in this heat that’s challenging for these guys, it’s also challenging for the grass.
Although the sod was only cut out of the field this morning, it can wilt really quickly in this heat, so they are watering the ground first, and peppering it with composted cow manure to jump start growth. This variety of grass is suited to this climate, but it will need lots of water in the first few weeks. While these guys green up this yard, let’s try Thinking Green.
In an effort to promote green living, we are emphasizing how important it is to completely seal the envelope of your home to prevent the escape of conditioned air and as a result the escape of energy dollars. The problem that causes, though, is the increase in poor indoor air quality. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your bath fans, stove vents, heating and cooling systems are all working properly to help rid your house of airborne contaminants.
Hey, a good way to visualize that is to think of your house as a fish tank and the water in the tank as your breathable air. And unless that water is circulating or changed, you know how nasty and cloudy that water can get. By making sure your fans are operating efficiently, and by regularly changing the air filters in your heating and cooling system, your home will be healthier and more comfortable.
Our room with a view is finally complete. We’ve maximized the waterfront view, but this addition has improved the view looking back at the house as well. The screened enclosure will make the pool and the surrounding deck of great spot to spend time relaxing outside. And the pool house couldn’t be more convenient. As the pool meets the house, it gives way to the spa, at a peaceful little waterfall. And the newly stained deck around it offers plenty of space to entertain.
Inside the addition the custom in laid floor adds lots of warmth to the new sunroom, and the tall ceilings make the space seem enormous for 500 square feet. But the windows are the real stars, since they offer access and a wonderful view. And the quiet little tiled porch on the west side of the project offers more of the same.
In addition to that we now have a beautiful new lawn that leads right down to the water. You know you’d be hard-pressed to find any area around here that would be real enjoyable to hang out on a day like today. Now, we gave the homeowners the room with a view they wanted, and we made it safe from all the tropical storms that hit this area.
Hey we had a lot of fun bringing you this project, and hope you enjoy this well. We’ll see you next week on Today’s Homeowner. I’m Danny Lipford.
