MQP

MQP is an acronym for Michelle's Quest for Porch. There was an MQP designed into and then out of our first house. Michelle's idea of a porch involves good morning sun and screens, a place to sit as the sun comes up and drink coffee. My problem with porches is that they, more often than not, steal sun and heat from the rest of the house. They have to be placed perfectly; otherwise, in my opinion, cost outweighs benefit. (I don't drink coffee.) This house had to have a screened-in porch; it was not a matter for debate. In the first drawings it was on the southeast side and wrapped around on the south side where there'd be access from indoors. But there it was stealing a not insignificant amount of morning and southern exposure. So I moved it to opposite side of the house. The part of the porch that wraps around the south side and opens onto the deck will only block a small amount of low western sun. The MQP will be more than a screened-in porch. I'm framing in a series of wood combination doors. Panels of screen will swap out for panels of glass come November. It'll be an ideal place to start seedlings for the garden, and in the winter it should generate a decent amount of heat. The door opening out to the porch will be the typical exterior insulated door. Steal the heat during the day; close out the cold at night. By the end of tomorrow most of the MQP should be framed.

Next week someone should be stopping by to talk about installing a standing seam metal roof. I could be ready for this in two or three weeks. I also called a recommended concrete contractor about pouring the floor. I could be ready for this by the end of the month. I've been shovelling out an excess of material inside when the weather's not good for work outside. I originally thought I'd have a 4 inch concrete slab over 2 inches of rigid insulation, but thought 4 inches of insulation would be worth the expense and trouble of shovelling out two inches of dirt over about a thousand square feet. I'm almost done.