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| 2001-10-29_01_SunroomLeft.jpg |
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The sunroom is one of the nicest rooms in our house.
We installed a tile floor for the summer, added a piece of carpet
for the winter, and decorated with plants and typical sunroom
furniture.
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| 2001-10-29_01_SunroomRight.jpg |
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Big windows fill most of 3 walls
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| 2004-10-22_01_HingedSunroomDoors.jpg |
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One problem.
The swinging French doors require a lot of free floor space.
Can't put anything in either corner on that side of the room.
Also, the sliding glass door opens from the right, so we
can't put anything in front of its right half.
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| 2004-10-22_02_LotsOfRoomOnLeftSide.jpg |
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There's lots of room on the left side.
But if it opened there, we'd have the same problem.
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| 2004-10-22_03_SlidingGlassDoors.jpg |
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What if we replace the 2-pane slider with 3 panes, and open in the
middle?
We already have a large back door just to the left.
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| 2004-10-22_04_SlidingGlassDoors_Closeup.jpg |
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These panes are 4 feet wide each.
Could afford to be narrower.
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| 2004-10-22_05_TileFloorLeft.jpg |
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But can we do it w/o damaging the tile floor we already installed?
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| 2004-10-22_06_TileFloorRight.jpg |
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Screen for slider is old and rusty anyhow...
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| 2005-01-12_01_SlidingGlassDoors_Outside.jpg |
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Yeah, that's better!
Three 2.5-feet panes look just as good as two 4-foot panes.
The contractor added extra trim on the sides to consume the remaining
6 inches.
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| 2005-01-12_02_SlidingGlassDoors_Inside.jpg |
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Looks good inside too
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| 2005-01-12_03_TileFloorUnharmed.jpg |
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The tile floor is unharmed.
What the heck...
Let's have them add skylights too, and re-roof the whole house.
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| 2005-02-05_01_SlidingDoorsLeftWall.jpg |
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OK.
Now the real fun begins.
We replaced the swinging doors with sliding doors to conserve space.
The wall had once been an exterior wall, so we couldn't hollow it out
to create a pocket.
Instead, Brita thought of building bookcases for the doors to slide behind.
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| 2005-02-05_02_SlidingDoorsLeftWallBottom.jpg |
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Support for bottom of the left bookcase.
Brita also installed a new electrical outlet.
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| 2005-02-05_03_SlidingDoorsTop.jpg |
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The track we hung the doors from.
We used the same doors, just removed the hinges and doorknobs.
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| 2005-02-05_04_SlidingDoorsRightWall.jpg |
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Right bookcase partly built.
Note the holes every inch for pegs to support shelves at any height.
Brita also installed another new electrical outlet.
The switches for the lights, ceiling fan, and the switched halves of
the new outlets over the shelves, will all be on the side of the bookcase.
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| 2005-02-05_05_BritaDrillingHolesForShelfSupports.jpg |
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Brita, aka "Woody Woodpecker", drilling all the holes for shelf support pegs
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| 2005-02-11_BritaOnShelfOverSlidingDoors.jpg |
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The shelf is sturdy enough to sit on.
Hole in wall to install an electric outlet above the shelf.
Hole in ceiling to run wire across the room to do the same there.
Each outlet is split with top unswitched and bottom switched.
Both outlets share the same wall switch, so we can put lighting
on both shelves.
Note the new skylights.
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| 2005-03-04_01_HoleForLeftShelfSupport.jpg |
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Starting on a 2nd matching shelf on the opposite wall.
This hole exposes the studs so we can mount the left side of the shelf.
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| 2005-03-04_02_HoleForRightShelfSupport.jpg |
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Hole to mount the right side of the shelf.
While we're trashing the wallboard, Brita put in a cat door too.
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| 2005-03-04_03_Some2x4sInstalledForShelf.jpg |
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Long span above the windows.
How to make it strong enough to not sag?
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| 2005-03-04_04_Some2x4sInstalledForShelf_Left.jpg |
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Put a mini-header in the wall, and use a pair of 2x4s for the leading
edge of the shelf
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| 2005-03-04_05_Some2x4sInstalledForShelf_Right.jpg |
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Same for the right side.
Is two 2x4s enough to prevent sag?
Don't want the clunky look of 2x6 or 2x8.
Want to match the shelf over the new pocket doors, which can be thin
and elegant because it's supported by the 2 bookcases.
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| 2005-03-04_06_Some2x4sInstalledForShelf_Closeup.jpg |
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Fred contemplating the problem...
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| 2005-03-04_07_More2x4sInstalledForShelf_Left.jpg |
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How about adding a bunch more 2x4s, all screwed tightly together,
so the shelf is basically solid wood?
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| 2005-03-04_08_More2x4sInstalledForShelf_Right.jpg |
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And tie the back of the shelf into the existing header above the windows
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| 2005-03-04_09_FinishWallboardAroundCatDoor.jpg |
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Finish up the wallboard around the new cat door
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| 2005-03-04_10_ElectricOutletAboveShelf.jpg |
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Add an electrical outlet above this shelf too
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| 2005-03-04_11_WallboardAroundElectricOutletAboveShelf.jpg |
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With precision wallboard cuts like this, we almost don't need spackle
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| 2009-01-11_01_AngelsOnSunroomShelf.jpg |
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Final shelf looks great!
The oak trim was a last minute touch.
You can see it on the shelf over the pocket doors too.
And in all four skylights.
Brita added track lighting to highlight the stuff on the new shelves.
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| 2019-12-17_01_SunroomShelf.jpg |
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Since there's power up there, may as well put Christmas lights, not just
angels, wreath, etc.
Plugged into the switched half of the new outlet, so the new wall switch
turns them on/off.
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| 2020-01-12_01_LeftBookcase.jpg |
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Here's the completed bookcase left of the pocket doors
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| 2020-01-12_02_ShelfOverSlidingDoors.jpg |
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And the completed shelf over the pocket doors.
Note the speakers on the shelf, using the unswitched half of the
new outlet.
And the new wall switches on the side of the bookcase.
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| 2020-01-12_03_RightSideBookcaseAndFredsOffice.jpg |
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Makes a great home office for Fred!
Recliner, laptop, lapdesk, phone, books, natural light, oxygen from all the plants, sliding doors for quiet when concentrating.
What more could I ask for?
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