PEACHTREE PORCH   |   MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL   |   COMPLETED 2016

2017 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards Runner-up | Outdoor Living Category

This young Mountain Brook couple desired more everyday living space in their modest Crestline home to accommodate their growing family and love of entertaining. They came to us knowing the value an outdoor living space addition would bring to their daily life. The existing back deck was located on the North side of the house. Sunlight was blocked by two previous additions to the East and to the West resulting in a cold, damp deck that never seemed to dry out. It was green with mildew and beginning to deteriorate from the moisture. As a result, this was a completely underutilized space. In Crestline, where space is at a premium, this was unfortunate. The existing deck was removed to make way for a new 325 square foot screened-in, four-season, outdoor living and dining space. The design accommodated a large sectional couch, 70-inch TV, 6-person dining table with built-in banquette seating, and a bar area with built-in ice bin and outdoor refrigerator. An overhead gas heater and ceiling fan allow for near year-round use of this new space for this family. The existing back door and windows were replaced with a 12’-0” wide door system with double doors and sidelights to maximize the natural light in their current living room. Four skylights in the porch roof were positioned to bring even more natural light to the outdoor and indoor spaces. The round window creates a pause-worthy view to the outside while walking through the interior hallway towards the master suite. The blue beadboard ceiling and exposed cedar rafters add a welcome amount of warmth and sophistication to the space. The garapa decking provides a naturally rot-resistant and long-lasting floor system for the homeowners. Naturally a lighter yellow tone, the decision was made to stain it a deeper shade to complement the exposed rough-hewn cedar beams above. Care was taken to match the existing cedar shake siding on the house to ensure the modifications made to the existing spaces remained undetectable. A copper roof over the custom-built screened door provides shelter for those entering or exiting the back yard down the short run of steps. The homeowner’s dog, Louise, wasted no time utilizing the two dog doors positioned for her to move freely from inside the home, to the porch, to the back yard.

Carefully designed details can be found throughout the new space to complement the original 1940’s architecture. Since the homeowners love to entertain for both large and small groups of people, intentional design choices were made to enhance the overall experience. Behind the sectional couch and built-in banquette, a tapered extension to the top of the handrail doubles as an integrated drink ledge. The insect screen system is pushed to the exterior side of the handrail to maximize the depth of this drink ledge and allow for one large panel of screen material to go from floor to ceiling between each column. The built-in banquette seating allows the dining table to sit closer to the exterior walls and opens up floor space in the middle of the room for children to play. The dedicated bar area is situated conveniently close to the house to make entertaining and transporting items from the kitchen easy. With a durable stainless steel top, integrated ice storage bin, drink refrigerator and accent downlight, the bar area supports any size gathering of friends. This project was completed just in time for the homeowner’s son’s first birthday and football season kickoff party.