You love your home, the location works fine, but there’s just something about it that has you feeling perhaps a move might be worth considering, even if just to get rid of those "same old, same old" thoughts.
I’ve been there and felt that.
I’ve also fixed that feeling twice at my home sweet home of 30-some-odd years. First fix was having a 12-by-24 foot screen room built off the back of the house, which allowed for mosquito-free outdoor relaxation — without having to actually go outside.
It’s a fabulous place to be in a wild thunderstorm!
The next fix, a few years ago, was having that same screen room converted to a three-season room, which, because it was so well-built, turned out to be warm enough to be a four-season room and is now the most used space in the house.
And for summer, the windows all open so you’re right back in the screen room — mosquito free — but totally able to be one with nature from within the luxury of a very comfy, homey escape. I just love it.
Three years or so ago, Dan and Lisa Manary faced that same "gotta change something here, but what?" challenge with their bungalow, which is about 1,100 square feet. The back of their country home looked out on seven acres of beautiful green, but from inside the rather closed up house, they really didn’t get to see much of their gorgeous yard without going outside with no shelter or protection from the elements.
What to do, then?
They put their creative, adventurous brains together and thought, "Hey, what if we put patio doors here in the back kitchen wall that open onto a glorious three-season sunroom?"
And that’s exactly what they did.
Bottom line: they connected with Sunco, and a little over $30,000 later, they could walk through the patio doors where a solid kitchen wall once stood, step out into a classy, airy, sunny and — most importantly — mosquito-free space and chill to their hearts content.
They even move their television out there for three beautiful seasons to have the best of all worlds. They sit and watch the deer and assorted other wildlife passing through the yard, enjoy the birds flitting about, but most of all, just appreciate this great escape that they don’t even have to leave home to enjoy.
I ask them how it feels when it comes time to close it up for winter, to which Dan immediately replies, "Oh it’s painful. VERY painful."
Many of us homeowners have taken on the "escape in your own yard" challenge by erecting a gazebo out back somewhere, but find that although it does provide some shelter from the weather and bugs, because it’s not attached to your home, the constant opening and closing of the door allows the dreaded mosquitoes in, resulting in severe blood loss and — even worse — many spilled drinks from trying to swat them before they go vampire on us.
Still an excellent option, but just can’t touch the sunroom-off-the-house level of convenience and comfort.
Truly, there is nothing more pleasurable than mid-June, during peak growing season on a hot humid summer day, sitting back in your sun room sipping on a cool one, while watching your spouse/partner driving by on the lawn tractor, flailing like a windmill in a hurricane at the mosquitoes, the mower spewing out kids’ toys, dog toys, etc., while comforting him or herself with some very bad words the neighbour can hear! Oops.
At least poor spousie can be comforted by the knowledge they have a perfect escape to retreat to when the madness is over. Thanks Dan and Lisa, for inviting me into your home. Such nice people. Happy summer.
Comments or feedback, love to hear from you!
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