White Trash Porch

Last year our porch started falling off the house so we set house jacks to hold up the roof (of the porch) and tore it off. We spent many hours out on that porch. Yesterday, Bert & I started rebuilding it. We set the joists in place and now it is ready for the sub-flooring. We have decided to make it a 3-season porch because three season porches (also called sun porches) have evolved to solve the problems of the outdoors. Building a three season porch can give you the best of both worlds. They enable homeowners to enjoy their porch even with changing weather, seasonal issues and insects. The difference between a sun porch (or three season porch) and a 4-season porch is that a sun room is not insulated, or heated or cooled through mechanical means.

The whole purpose of adding a three seasons porch is to create a space that can be used in at least spring, summer, and fall, and in many areas it is not uncommon to have cold snaps far into the spring and early in the fall. Just like screen panels can be made to keep out the bugs, glass or Plexiglas panels can be used to keep out the cold. With a bit of skill and creativity it is even possible to construct screen and glass panels in such a way as to be interchangeable, making the three season porch adaptable to any circumstance. We are thinking about installing a small gas stove so it may evolve into a 4-season porch after all. Bert & I have built decks and porches before but this project will be our biggest yet.

Tonight, we picked up the plywood needed for the sub-flooring and laid it up on the joists. Then we drug the rocking chairs out of the garage and put them out on the porch so we could sit out there again! I'm sure the neighbors think we're a little nuts or a little "white trash". I actually looked up "white trash" on line and found this: "White trash" being a slang term for white people that usually live in a trailer park, with low incomes that spend their tax returns on things like big screen TV's instead of clothes for their kids. These people tend to be mouthy and fight frequently. Generally these people are uneducated and have little concern for personal hygiene. To see these people at their best watch Jerry Springer. Lets be clear, I would never appear on the Jerry Springer show!