At Rural Ways we agreed on a small home renovation budget for this year. The need for a new roof and a new sewer connection had become dire: We had reached the point where we were achieving a good flow through the shingles but none through the pipes. So we tackled those two projects first. Afterwards, we found that we would have enough left in our budget to build a small studio by enclosing the sleeping porch.
Since both Valerie and I work out of The Homestead, we need both office and studio space under one roof. For the past couple of years we have been sharing a windowless 200 square foot room. It has worked out OK, but it could be better. For one thing, Valerie drives me crazy with her sudden loud laughter when someone sends her a funny email. She has disrupted my concentration so badly that, for two years, I still haven't been able to decide why I like brown ale so much. She, on the other hand, is probably tired of me constantly telling her how and what to paint (as though I know anything about it). As a result, we have both felt that we could each do better with our own space.
We decided that the most cost effective way to build an addition without building an addition was to enclose and winterize the existing screen porch. The work, as you can see from the picture, is in progress. When complete, the new room will have five largish windows on both the north and the west sides. This will provide WAY more light than what we currently have in the area where Valerie paints. It will also provide her with a place where laughter is allowed. As for me, I will have a quiet space where I can focus on the things that really matter: Like whether Brett Favre and Randy Moss are really retired?
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