October 9, 2019

Back Porch Progress

So this is pretty much where we left off last time.


After Dan installed a solar attic fan for ventilation on the back porch, he insulated that bit of wall and covered it with a piece of paneling. Then he then trimmed out the window.

Kinda hard to get a good photo with the dryer in the middle of the room.

While the dryer was moved, I did a deep cleaning in it's spot and then painted.


You can see that we added a battery and charge controller to the fan so it can be run after the sun goes down.

I chose this particular charger because it was
economical and has a programmable timer.

Then, because these windows get the late afternoon summer sun, I wanted to try some of those thermal heat blocking curtains. Has anyone tried them? Do you think they help?

Hopefully, these will help keep some of
the afternoon heat out in summertime.

Now we're ready to move the freezer. It will go on the right-hand wall where the shelf units used to be.

23 comments:

Kathy said...

Yes, thermal curtains do help. Be sure to close them before the heat of the day and open after to allow any cool breeze to come through. Also having some type of outside window covering (either permanent wooden awning, metal awning, or even a roll-up bamboo shade) helps by cooling the window itself. Glass can be a good heat conductor (not in a good way!) if the summer sun shines on it. Having a fan or open window on opposite side of the room also helps pull cooler air through at night/early morning instead of just having the sun baking one end during heat of the day and never cooling off during the night. You'll figure out what works best for you, I'm sure!

Lady Locust said...

Looking good! Isn't it amazing how a good scrubbing and a coat of paint make it all so clean? Those curtains should help tremendously. They should also help hold heat in during winter if they are the little bit thick kind. Bet you are getting excited to have it all done and in use (I would be :-).

Katie Z. said...

We find the thermal curtains an enormous help. I would agree, however, that an outside cover of some kind will help even more,

Leigh said...

Kathy, thanks! I agree about keeping windows covered during summer sun. We've found that helps a lot, but the mini-blinds I used to have here didn't do much in that regard. What really doesn't help is that those windows are regular house windows, but recycled aluminum storm windows. Seems crazy anyone would want aluminum, but apparently that was common once-upon-a-time. At the time we had them, so we used them.

Lady Locust, yes! It's amazing how much a good scrubbing and fresh paint help. Not only visually, but psychologically! I'm really looking forward to the next steps - getting the freezer moved and on solar.

Katie, thanks! Actually, all the windows on that side of the house need afternoon protection and we've been thinking trellises and vines. Another thing to add to the to-do list. :)

J.L. Murphey said...

All squeaky clean and ready for the next step

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

It looks great.

Nancy In Boise said...

Looks great, and yes those curtains help a lot both winter and summer for us.

Unknown said...

We used this on the skylights in the sun room - it was unbearable in warm weather and I didn't want to cook my long arm quilting machine - and boy does it ever make a difference! Lets light in, but makes the room usable. https://www.affordablewindowscreens.com/suntex-90-solar-screen-material-by-the-foot?gclid=Cj0KCQjwivbsBRDsARIsADyISJ87RyfOOxFrx0VfJ3owEj3DZ01_Y-IBOcxYdzVLT0gNwSKNJM_7bzYaAqFxEALw_wcB

It's a light/heat blocking screen.

Leigh said...

Jo, yup! :)

Kristina, thanks!

Nancy, we need all the help we can get!

Unknown, thank you for that! I'd not heard of heat and light blocking screen, That's definitely something that would be useful for us.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Looks good Leigh!

wyomingheart said...

Good morning Leigh! That is a terrific project! Yes, those thermal curtains do work very well. We have found that they block heat, but also block light, so it keeps the room dark during the day. I guess, “pick your battles “...lol! We are finally getting into cooler temps, but my internal strength is non existent this morning. Guess I’ll have another cup of coffee and wait for my caffeine kick! Thanks for the post!

Leigh said...

TB, thanks!

Wyomingheart, I used to dislike dark rooms if I could have sunlight, but you're right, you have to pick your battles. When it gets hot like it does in the afternoon, coolness wins! I'm guessing the drapes will help keep warmth in when winter gets here.

Goatldi said...

There are some solar screens on my cabin. I am in the process of replacing them. Because they work but also cut down the amount of light. It is not a good addition in the lighting aspect in a cabin with low ceilings.

If it were in a room where ample lighting wasn’t a factor they would most certainly be a good addition. But I was told they are pretty pricey.

Leigh said...

Goatldi, that would be a disadvantage during mild weather. Curtains, of course, can be opened to let in light. The link given above lists 36" 90% solar screen at $3.49 per foot. For specific applications, at least the exact amount could be ordered rather than an entire roll. But one would have to be sure they could live not minding always using lightbulbs.

Goatldi said...

Last sentence spot on 😊

Leigh said...

Goatldi, I would mind that!

The Wykeham Observer said...

I'm all for keeping the rooms cool during hot daylight hours. I'm now accustomed to have no sun coming in the bedroom with the shades I have. It's worth having a cooler room at night, and I'm not in there all day anyway.

Chris said...

Yes, the thermal lined curtains work. One problem you may encounter though, is mildew/mould growing in the colder months. Glass isn't a very good insulator, and the space between the window and curtains, will condensate a lot. At least, that's what happens to mine. I have to clean the window to keep the mildew down.

Nice project otherwise. It will be great to see what results you get from the freezer. :)

Henny Penny said...

That is really putting a back porch to good use. It looks so nice and clean and neat. I love when something big gets moved so I can clean. I'm always shocked at the lint and dirt!

Leigh said...

Phil, I agree. I love light, but if the room isn't in use during the day anyway, it's just as well to keep it shaded.

Chris, thanks for the heads up. I'll have to keep an eye out for that. We have a lot of trouble with mildew in summer, anyway, because of our humidity. That's the primary reason for letting the ceiling fans run 24/7 that time of year. The air circulation really helps against mildew.

Henny, so true! It's amazing how zero-traffic parts of a room can get so dirty! It always feels good to get it scrubbed and polished. :)

Hill Top Post said...

When I saw "5 Acres & A Dream" over at "The Blessed Hearth," I hopped over for a little visit. When I read that the Ralph Moody books were some of your favorites, I decided to follow along. The Moody books were my husband's favorite books when he was a youngster. We still have those tattered old copies. Our children grew up on "Little Britches" and "Man of the Family." I'll be reading some of your past posts to kind of catch up to where you are now. It looks like you are making good progress on the back porch.

Renee Nefe said...

Like everyone else has said, the thermal curtains are a huge help. When we were in Korea our apartment had no window coverings. So I ordered a bunch from JCPenney. I covered up every window in the place...it made such a huge difference. The apartment was only cooled with 4 tiny window unit ACs and with no coverings (there were frosted glass doors) it was so hot, but after the curtains were hung up I was able to keep our place cool with only 2 of the units running. Funny, right after I got the curtains the Air Force wanted to come in and install vertical blinds. I told them to just store them in a closet that we weren't using and hang them for the next tenants. My neighbors who only had the blinds had a much hotter apartment.
Of course no place can use the same curtains...BUT I was able to use the bedroom curtains in our basement here and I took one of the patio door curtains and altered it into the curtain that I put on our office window. I made a semi-circle curtain! And more recently, I donated another one of the patio curtains to our church for a window that some genius put in the storage room.
The back porch is looking great!

Leigh said...

Hill Top Post, Hello! Forgive me for taking so long to welcome you; I sometimes get behind in comments and blog visits.

Ralph Moody's books continue to be favorites, even now that our kids are grown and on their own.

Just got back from a look-see at your blog. I love your old White sewing machine!

Renee, that's an excellent recommendation for thermal curtains. I just bought a set for the living room for this winter. Even though our bay window has energy star windows, I think covering the whole thing with thermals at night would help even more.

True about curtains and new places, but I keep a box of favorite old ones all the same. One never knows!