Sunday, November 24, 2013

Southern Exposure: New Patio Door!

In our never ending quest to improve the energy efficiency of our century-plus old house we try to focus on things that increase the transmission of sunlight (and warmth) through our south-facing walls.

Here is our latest adventure in solar gain: patio door!

We hired some help for the rough install:




We then took over with the weather-proofing, entry steps and trim:


Jennifer stained/varnished the entry steps with a mix of supplies left from the prior owners:


Steve used reclaimed boards to create new trim that matches the old trim:



We finished this just in time for winter and bird-feeding season but we are already looking forward to...


...all the time we will be spending next summer having meals, coffee/treats and the like just outside to the south on the edge of our first small prairie planting (seen hear in dormancy but it will be alive with color and life before we know it. Actually, even today, it's still full of life - birds gleaning seeds, beneficial insects over-wintering and many more lives being lived than we even know about). 


We like to think that our indoor-only cats get a bit of enjoyment basking in this new sunny spot and observing our feeder birds. Flora can be seen here looking out the left door panel:


3 comments:

  1. Hi J&S... It looks wonderful, I am trying to picture in my mind where it is inside your home!!
    I love my patio doors on the south side of the house too with plenty of warm sun on a winter day, and so does my cat Mandy!! : )

    Grace

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    Replies
    1. Hey Grace! This looks into our dining room which we've made into our library. We will show that room once we finish the inside trim work. Steve's got some cool ideas for that project. :) Alvin and Flora are both loving the bird feeders this a.m.

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  2. I'm glad you posted a link back to this post I guess I missed this one--the opening is a grand idea!!

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