This is what our front porch entry looked like last fall.

Our house was built in 1948 and this area was originally an open porch. At some point previous home owners closed in the front porch using jalousie windows on the front door and to each side of the door.

Jalousie windows have their pros and cons…

They are more suited for southern or warm-winter climates because it’s impossible to get a tight seal between the panes. Ohio is not exactly a warmer climate – just in case you didn’t know. So in the winter the porch was unbearably cold and didn’t keep the cold air from coming into the house when someone came or went through the interior front door. Brrr!

The upside to jalousie windows is that you can leave them wide open during heavy rains. Because the windows tip out – very little rain comes in the windows.

More downsides? The track they are on break fairly easily, if you lose the crank for the crank mechanism you are out of luck and the panes are very easily and quietly removed making them burglar friendly. Add the fact that they are a pain in the butt to clean and they make me feel like I live in a 1960’s trailer park and I wasn’t feeling much love for them.

Time for some changes.

We purchased a new door at Building 9 (I wrote about our visit here Thrifting Thursday: Building 9) for $99 and two windows from our local Habitat for Humanity for $98 each.

And now that portion of the front porch looks like this.

I traded out the tile house number for this vintage oval house number that I picked up from a recent visit to Ginny’s Small Studio.

The door paint color is Orange Ochre (2010-1) from Valspar. It’s a bit brighter than we thought it was going to be but we like it. It makes me think of Marigolds. Besides, this door faces west so it’ll be faded to a much calmer yellow in a year or two.

All of the lumber used came from my husbands stash. And he says MY stash(es) are out of control?!?! 🙂

Next up, we’ll be replacing the old tile. Even though I kind of like the old tile, he hates it and it’s chipped in a few places. I’ll let you know in later updates which of the three tiles above we chose for the inside flooring.

We’re also re-doing the walls which are cinder block at the moment. I’m thinking board and batten but I’m not sure just yet.

I love our tiny, old house and I’m looking forward to more changes. I’m just a HOME body at heart. I love creating a comforting, relaxing space for my family and friends. It’s probably been my very favorite thing all through my life. Even when I was a kid my room was neat and cozy. It’s just something I NEED.