and, I'm going to put some more pics. Here's the cat in the catio

This post was edited by Violet.West on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 14:08

Here's the exterior. The paint color isn't an exact match to the existing stucco color . . . but it's much better than the first try which was a fairly repulsive peach color.

Violet-first off my cat is totally jealous that your cat has a catio. Now he is asking me for one too. I love the idea of a hanging bed. Check out some of them on houzz. I don't know what kind of roof structure you would need for that. Love the idea of some rope lights, twinkle lights or even something like super kitschy (sp) patio lights. You probably could find any kind of theme i.e. cactus, lanterns etc. Maybe a small table and chair set to sit and enjoy a casual meal. What a fun room to decorate...I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Ha! I never thought to call our front screened in porch/sun porch a catio, but our four cats use it much more often than we do. Last weekend we moved some chairs from the basement to the porch and when I opened the door to the porch all the cats got super exciting thinking it was warm enough to "go outside".

Will you be staining or painting the wood paneling? Since it's rustic I think staining would look the best but... Minwax has a variety of colored water-based stains if you want to add color to the walls. You'd still have the rustic look of the wood grain, but also a pretty color. That would be my choice.

Will you be tiling the floor? A pretty indoor/outdoor area rug would look nice and they are kitty friendly. I've recently changed all our indoor rugs to woven indoor/outdoor rugs because of that. Another good reason is if you spill red wine on them, just lift them up toss a plastic drop cloth under them (or shower curtain liner) pour water over them and suck it up with the shop vac. No sign whatsoever that red wine had ever touched it.
As for the kitty little I'd make or use one of the furniture pieces made for a little box.
LitterboxFurnitureIdeas

Here is a link that might be useful: Minwax water-based stain colors

I will definitely be putting: string lights, an outdoor rug, some curtains, etc. I already have that mosaic table, and a colorful banner.

Now, they already put a clear sealant on the wood. The color isn't my favorite but I may leave it that color for now and see if I can live with it. I do like the red color of the wood they used for the trim. I may paint the roof blue. And possibly stain the concrete.

Am also thinking of a gel pad under the rug (the kind sold for where people stand a lot) for an exercise/aerobics area. Concrete by itself is a bit too hard on my knees. And maybe a small water garden or feature.

This post was edited by Violet.West on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 15:47

After I wrote about the colored stain I wondered if they'd already sealed it. I personally like it natural. I also loved stained concrete.
It's an awesome room. I really need to use ours more.

I think I'll get a lot of use out of it. One of my goals in purchasing a house after living in apts. for so many years was to have usable outdoor spaces, both for me and my cats. It's been a year since I bought it, so I think I've accomplished a lot.

My yard is so open -- with a low wall and frontage on a highway and a walking path, that I knew I wanted to create intimate spaces close to the house -- more than the teeny little open porch already provided. The inbetween space is also critical -- will be doing a lot of thinking on how to define that as a outdoor room.

I'd say you have a great start Violet. Good for you reaching your goals. It's not always an easy thing to do.

--can I still paint it after it's been sealed?

--can I hang a roller shade and curtains at the same time?

Do you know the product they used on the walls to seal it Violet? Without knowing my best guess would be you'd have to sand and prime before you could paint.

And yes, you can use roller shades and curtains on the same window. If you are worried about the shade showing you could always add a cornice.

What finish? Satin, gloss? Water or oil based?
You'll need to take all of these into consideration before you paint. Check with the paint department as L's as they sell Valspar products. Take a picture with your cell phone of the can if you have it so the paint clerk will know exactly what was used.

Very charming.
Our last house had a nice porch. We had a futon in it and liked that a lot. Much better for actual sleeping than just about anything else except a bed.

We had a fan but no light in the ceiling. Used a floor lamp and liked that along with candles.

Porch is done, guys! so happy! Here's a view from inside at dusk--my favorite time.

I did put a light kit in the ceiling fan. Am planning to buy a futon. Kitties are ecstatic -- can't get them out of there, haha!