Breaking Through A Glass Ceiling – Ok, Maybe A Wood One

We’ve heard the saying a million times.  A homeowner’s work is never done.  Always a project to be done or something to fix.

Lord knows we’ve got that covered with our old gem along with a bag of quirks.  Some of those quirks we embrace and find a tad bit endearing to living in such an old farmhouse.  Our windows are propped open with paint sticks.  Some of our cabinets are held closed with a wooden spoon between the handles.  There’s no such thing as the word level.  Oh, and it’s drafty.  However, there is one oddity that I will not embrace and has become a battle I vow to win, and that is my war with unwanted little varmints with furry tales.

It’s like their whole clan comes in and hosts a rave in our ceiling.  We can’t see them, nor can we find the evidence, but we sure can hear them.  Drives me bonkers.  And, just when we think we’ve plugged a hole where we think they’re coming in, those unwanted pests prove otherwise.

So in my vengeance to find these squirrels, chipmunks or whatever is freeloading in our rafters, I decided to take down the ceiling on our back porch.  Seemed pretty logical to me – I heard them up there too and it undoubtedly was an entrance.  And, total aside, I had wanted to take the porch ceiling down for a long time because it was on the shorter side, and anyone taller than 6 feet almost felt like they needed to duck when they walked back there.  Between you and me, I did kinda used this varmint issue as an excuse to pretty things up back there.

I hauled out the ladder and gathered my pry bar, hammer and safety glasses.  Starting on the side flush with the house, I removed one board.  Originally thinking the ceiling was sheets of beadboard, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually boards.  Absolutely, I saved every single board I could and will use them on other projects I have planned down the pipeline.

Still, as I was taking down the boards, one by one, nasty stuff was spilling down.  Exactly what I had thought, tiny animal carcasses.  Utterly grossed out I did what any grossed out DIY wife would do, and went and got the husband to do the rest of the dirty work.  Not really what he signed up for, but he did help me get the ceiling down and the mess cleaned up.

Insulation has been added in the bare spots and new siding boards have been added.  I painted the beams white to lighten things up, and while I was at it, I decided that the brown floors were dreary and had to go.   A light grey porch paint was in order, and I paint rolled the floor. I sprayed a refresher coat of black paint on the furniture as well.

I don’t have any plans to add a new ceiling, and I’m even thinking of removing a few of the beams to open things up even more.  Right now though, even with the beams painted white and the light grey floor, the back porch is so much brighter and fresher looking.

I love all porches, we all know this, but with this update, the porch feels more like an additional room to our house and so much more inviting to enjoy.  The project was necessary as it did validate my concern for one of the places where the varmints were coming in.  And too, it opened things up and brought much needed light and airiness to our back porch.