Fall On The Screened Porch

Welcome friends!

Do you have a favorite spot in your house, but in the Summer it's a little warm in the late afternoon?
Well, that's our Screened Porch. 

Now that's the weather is cooler, it's a lovely space to sit and enjoy any time of day - it's even perfect in the late afternoon.

I ordered a few things and pulled some other things from here and there and decorated the Screened Porch for Fall. 

Our New Home- A Year Later

Has it been a year already? 

We moved into our house one year ago on July 15th. The house was 2 1/2 years old, but since it was the owners 2nd home, it was hardly lived in and no upgrades had been done.

Lets start at the beginning...Here's the MLS photo of our Carolina Cottage. I love how it looks small, unlike our last house, which was all brick and 3 floors!

MLS photo

How To Make A Cat House/Side Table

Our cat Buddy has been enjoying the cat house Mr. DIY made for him a couple of weeks ago. He took to it right away and spends a lot of time in it snoozing the day away. The side table really is nice to have on the days I spend outside on the porch. The days have been so beautiful lately that I've been out there a lot and it's so wonderful to have a table to set my drink or snacks on.

The cat house took Mr. DIY a whole day to build. The painting and staining took several days more.
First, the sides, front, back and bottom were cut out of 3/4" B/C plywood.

With the help of a Kreg Jig,  pocket holes were drilled to connect them all together with screws.  

Wood glue was applied to all joints.

The entrance doorway was cut with a saber saw before all the sides were put together...

Cleats were screwed around the sides for the shelf to rest on, but to also allow it to be removed for easy cleaning.

The legs were made with 1x3's -one side is cut one down so each leg would be symetrical, then nailed together.

The legs were attached with glue and 4 screws; 2 on each side.

The top was made from 2x3's attached together with a Kreg Jig, then sanded smooth. Simple hinges on the back allow access to the inside for storage and cleaning.

Cleats on the bottom side of the top were attached for rigidity and so it wouldn't warp.

The top was stainedwith Olympics Mountain Cedar and the bottom painted with Valspar "Blackstrap".

Buddy loves his new house! It's going to keep him warm on those chilly days coming up when he wants to be outside.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Pam

Dimensions are : Total: 19 1/4" wide, 24" deep and 21" high The box is 18" wide, 21" deep, 20 1/2" high The top is 19 1/4" wide, 22" deep and 1/2" high

*this is how we made our cat house/side table. . We don't take any responsibility for any errors or results obtained from you using this information. Using power tools can result in injury: be sure to wear safety equipment when using them.

Outdoor Side Table/Cat Cave

Hello Friends!

We are enjoying warm sunny days with lovely cool breezes here in the Carolinas and soon the weather will turn cold.

Our cat Buddy loves to spend his days out on the screened porch rather than being cooped up in the house. Knowing that cooler days are coming, I designed a "cat cave" for him so  he could keep warm on those cooler days. Mr. DIY loves building things and he got right to it. 

The screened porch also needed a side table to put our drinks on so it was designed it with more than one function.

As you can see, there's a hole in the back of the cat cave. The hole is for the cord to an outdoor heating mat made for this very purpose- to keep animals toasty warm outdoors during the winter. 

Here's Kitty checking out Buddy's new cat cave.

After Mr. DIY built the cat cave/side table, I finished the main part in Valspar's Blackstrap in a Satin Finish. The top is stained with Olympic Elite Mountain Cedar with some Polycrylic by MinWax on top of the stain. The Polycrylic helps seal the surface so things won't stick to it. 

Here, you can see that the top is hinged for easy cleaning. Mr. DIY made the cat cave/side table to fit the heating mat.

There's also a little place to store things. This photo was taken before the top was attached.

We'll be ready when the weather turns cold and Buddy will be able to stay warm in his new cat cave.

I'll share how Mr. DIY built the cat cave/side table next time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pam

You can see how Mr. DIY made Buddy's Cat Cave HERE.

This is the heating pad I purchased for Buddy's Cat Cave. It is a really soft heat and doesn't get too hot.

*this is an Amazon affiliate link. I will make a small commission if you purchase something from this link, but it doesn't change your price.