Don't forget, when you cut out a section of the chain link you will need to install an end bar into the remaining sections and fasten them to the steel post. (You may need to put in an end post set up to give your fence enough strength to carry the tension, but this can easily be done.) Otherwise, I think your idea is neat! Oh, by the way, don't forget to recycle whatever fencing you take out. You can either use it to make portable panels, for concrete reinforcement or sell it along with any other scrap steel/metal you have.

I didn't read all the responses and don't have kids so I can only talk from being one. I don't think I would force him. Your sister's comment caught my eye with "if we don't get them in early than they will never really be as good as those who have played for years." I completely disagree. My parents were athletic and involved with sports. Dad since he was wee little and Mom in high school. We weren't allowed to play sports and be in all kinds of activities as kids. We were told once we hit high school, and sports were offered through the school, we could (which was 7th grade). My Dad worked long hours and Mom worked on and off through the years. She wasn't going to run all the time dragging us from sport to Girl Scouts, piano lessons, etc. As a kid I was a little disappointed but I also want to point out there wasn't much around where we live besides girl scouts or softball. I only ever wanted to try softball because of my one friend. ( BTW, never again had a desire to play.) Anyhow, as an adult I don't blame my parents one bit for that decision. I see parents running their kids every night to something and they don't have time to be a breathe. In 4th grade band was offered and I wanted to play the trumpet. Two weeks into it I wanted to quite and wasn't allowed. I'm glad they had me stay with it. I played all the way up until I graduated. Once I hit high school I played sports. I played on the varsity team as a freshman. I was very good at everything I was involved in and it was rare for Mom to miss a game, meet, etc. Dad was there when he could be. Schedules were very crazy. There's always room for improvement but I think a kid is generally either athletic or not. If you're not quite as good and you actually like the sport, most times you'll practice and practice even on your own time until you get better. DH thinks like your sister. (Yes, even though I'm a first hand example proving him wrong.) His parents were athletic and involved in sports as well. DH and his brothers all played sports as kids. He's passionate about having our future kids in activities when they're super little all the way up through the years. I've seen kids get burn out on sports. Kids that started when they were 2 wrestling and hated it by high school. A big difference from back then to now was we were made to go outside and play. When we did get a Nintendo and Super Nintendo our time was limited. So that being said, I think it's better for a kid to be involved with something vs. sitting on the couch in front of the tv, video games, or computer. I have no idea what we'll end up doing when the time comes. If they want to, I'm sure we'll give the ok but it's very important to me that we keep a balance. I know all this depends on a bunch of different factors but that's my story.

When I did a hang out room for the kids years ago I did it with the thoughts that all tops needed to be nearly bullet proof, the sofa had to be leather so I could clean it, I would revamp used things so I would not worry about things getting destroyed and the room had to be suitable for adults as well. I do not have a picture of the sofa area on the other side because that area is now an office but the sofa was leather and matched the drapes (and hit dirt). Those bar tables on each back corner were rusty and used so I painted the base stalk to match the used bar stool bases and added glass mosaics to the bottom and painted the tops adding several coats of poly. The picture frame came from a thrift store and I added my own mixed media art on top of an old painting I also painted the other picture. The room would only take a small pool table, I bought it used for $150 and had it re-felted. The coffee table near the sofa came from a garage sale and I added a bullet proof granite top. On top of the coffee table was a very cool antique brass chess set (from a garage sale). I also had two ottomans near the sofa and coffee table in reds, raisin , purple and teal tapestry fabric for extra seating and also because it would not hamper the pool playing in limited space. From that area (sofa) you could view a wall mounted TV for sports. So, even though the room was not large I still had areas, areas for game playing and TV watching, areas for snacks, and the center for pool playing.

Colbey, I realize there is economic benefit "down the road" when you wish to sell, if the house is larger than 2/1. But a house like that does not benefit from a split personality look. What I would do is to build that big back porch you want. But do it all the way across the back, and if you can do so, put in the second bath in that space so you could create a master suite from one of the bedrooms. You would possibly put the bath in the original part of the house, and the master bedroom at one end of the porch space. LOTS of French style windows and maybe repeat the arched windows of the house front. The front porch has such a sheltered look. And, I also think it would be another good spot to consider as a study with access from the living room through a window turned into an open doorway. Lexan panels which are fixed do allow heat gain. But if you have the porch windows already fixed, and they do not open, the Lexan panels permanently mounted outside them will not make it hotter than it normally is. Please, also tell me the direction of the front of your house. Does it face N/S/E/W or some other orientation? You will better judge the nature of the light in your house. One thing I did as I became familiar with my old MoccasinLanding cottage, was to take seasonal photos outside which showed the shadows cast by the sun around the house. And, I took pictures from inside the house looking out every window. Make sure you get the details of what you see in the image, don't let it "white" out with over exposure. That way, I would see in the photo what my eyes were ignoring. And I could then begin to control what the view would become. If you saw a neighbor's old junky cars, then plant something to obstruct the view. Or if you could not do that, then put something on your property that would stop the longer view of the neighbor, and make the eye focus on YOUR interest point. Like offering a crying baby a rattle to take its focus away from what displeased it. I have a little cottage now which began as a 2/1 built in 1950. We are adding a really small bath, and converting the original bath into a master suite with a new walkin closet. It will then be a 2 bedroom 2 bath, with one being a full true master suite. We also have added a small deck, and enclosed the side porch to make a Lexan-covered sun porch; and are now including the back porch into a kitchen redo. I see that you have a really lovely older home too, with lots of potential. There are a/c units which are not window units, but which have only the exhaust vented through the window. Or even through a hole the size of a kitchen range hood vent. We have one in our Massachusetts home, where it is only used a few weeks during the summer. Our daughter has one in her media room, built over her garage, so she did not have to expand the home heating system. Frigidaire has a small window a/c with 8000 BTU capacity runs on 110 power, and that is what we installed on our sun porch in a specially built frame as a permanent part of the Lexan walls. The window unit you have in your dining room is fairly old, and it will draw much more electricity than a newer model. I'd recommend a unit which is on wheels and can be slid out of the way and only have a tube venting through the window. BUT, if there is already full house ducting, is there some way to add a heat pump a/c to your house? A few calls to local heat/ac guys would answer that, and then you figure out the payback. Like Cearbhaill says, this can be a very exciting redo, and worth documenting. You've already shown your willingness to take beginning photos, so we hope this continues as your work progresses. Good beginnings!