12 Rooms in 12 Months: My Back Porch Progress

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schlage. The opinions and text are all mine.

I’ve shown little snippets of my back porch here and there in the past, but today I have the full progress report for the 12 rooms in 12 months series in partnership with Schlage. I’m really excited to spend more time out on the back porch this fall, as the temperatures start to cool off, and couldn’t wait any longer to share the progress we’ve made so far. Click through for the before and after photos of our back porch makeover.

Before we get started, here is the one and only before photo I have of the space. Thought I had more, but this is all that turned up…

Very blank canvas happening here. Right? When we moved in, I was pretty excited about having a covered back porch that we could use for entertaining year round. And while it wasn’t a huge space to work with, it ended up being the perfect size for a big table and a few other essentials.

I’m still contemplating adding a couple of things – like outdoor curtains. The neighbors behind us just started a huge construction project to add an additional level to their house, and it’s a bit of an eyesore. So, it might be nice to have a way to block that from view and have more privacy when entertaining, etc. What do you think? Has anyone else used outdoor curtains on their porch? Do you like ’em or are they annoying?

In addition to the obvious decorative elements, I specifically wanted to work with Schlage on the back porch reveal because Jeff and I wanted something custom when it came to door hardware for our back entrance. The back door of our house actually gets a lot of foot traffic (at least from Jeff and I) because that’s where we park our car.

And since it’s pretty much the only entrance to the house that we use day to day, we ideally wanted our door hardware to be tech savvy. Not your standard lock scenario. We wanted a door system that we could unlock from our smartphones or type in a code to a keypad instead of having to fumble for our keys with groceries, etc. So, we went with the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt with Century trim and Century Front Entry Handle and Latitude Lever.

Just like our last hardware project in the master bedroom makeover, Jeff and I were able to switch out our existing door hardware and install the new locks and levers very easily. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow.

Naturally, it did take a little longer to install than the door hardware for the bedroom because it was more involved. BUT the full installation was still under 20 minutes from start to finish, which was honestly way less than I expected it to take. I realize replacing door hardware can be intimidating, but every Schlage install we’ve done so far has been extremely easy and quick. So, I highly recommend going the do-it-yourself route.

BTW – I also got the Schlage Sense™ Wi-Fi Adapter and installed the Schlage Sense app, so we could lock and unlock the back door with our iPhones from anywhere (works with iPhone, Android smartphones, iPad, and iPod touch).

This has been sooooo convenient – we can double check that the door is locked while we’re away, let someone in when we’re not home, or just unlock it from the driveway when we have a bunch of stuff to bring in. It’s been such a cool feature to be able to use!

Jeff is big on ‘technology stuff’ (official term – haha) for the house these days, so we also installed a Nest security camera in the back (just like what we installed for the front porch) and are working on some speaker options too, for playing music or listening to podcasts. And that’s pretty much it for now.

Source list: Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt with Century trim // Century Front Entry Handle and Latitude Lever // Schlage Sense™ Wi-Fi Adapter //  Article TEAKA table // Article TEAKA chairs // Outdoor Rug (no longer available) // Yield Spun Copper Planter // Ferm Living Box Planter in Rust // DWR Bullet Planter // Terrazzo Planter (no longer available – similar) // Areaware White Stacked Planter // Terra Cotta Citronella Candle // Moroccan Leather Floor Pouf // Bertoia Side Chairs

There may be a few other more tweaks here and there, but for the most part I think we’re good to go with this space. Just in time for all the company we will have once the baby arrives. Only about two weeks away from my due date now! Crazy how fast it is all flying by. Anyway…

Let me know what you think! I’d love your feedback on what we’ve done so far to the back porch. And if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer.