Sherry and I were thrilled the first time we saw the sunroom on our new house. The sliding glass doors barely moved and the carpet was damp, but that only confirmed the seller’s “fixer-upper” pitch and put the room well within our budget. We saw potential in the roughness.
At first, I pictured a simple refresh—like our first sunroom makeover: new floor and ceiling paint, airy sheer curtains, and comfy furniture. That approach seemed like an easy way to make this space cozy and inviting.
So far we’d ripped out the carpet and dropped in a few pieces of furniture, but I could already imagine taking the easy route and finishing the room that way.
Sherry, however, had a different idea. She noticed a big difference between this sunroom and our last: this one is surrounded by a deck on all sides. The broken doors, especially two sets on the long wall that wouldn’t slide at all, blocked access to the deck and kept us from fully enjoying our outdoor space.
Her plan was to remove the doors and create something “open and glorious”—her words—more like a covered porch with an outdoor rug, a vaulted ceiling, and durable tile flooring. It would feel less like a sunbaked fishbowl stuck to the back of the house and more like an intentional outdoor room.
I worried about practical concerns at first. What about winter? Sherry reminded me the glass wasn’t keeping the room warm in colder months anyway. What about bugs? We’d left sliders open in our last sunroom with a fan running and rarely had issues because the moving air discouraged insects. And is converting a sunroom into a covered porch even a common idea?
Sherry settled my doubts by showing me an inspiring photo that made her vision feel not only possible but desirable.
We already use the deck more than any other outdoor space—we enjoy putting Clara’s baby pool and water table out there—so opening this wall would only improve how we live outside. We’d still have the shaded retreat of the former sunroom and the breeze of a ceiling fan, but without feeling closed off from the yard.
So we got to work. Removing the sliding screen and glass doors was easier than I expected. The glass panels were heavier and required more effort, but lifting and tilting them off the track did the trick.
The hardest part was hauling the glass out of the way. We stacked the panels near the garage for donation—Habitat for Humanity will pick them up since the sliders were the only damaged components and the doors themselves are still in good shape.
Next came the frame pieces that held the stationary glass panes in place. A few screws, a bit of prying, and some light hammer taps freed them. Once the inner frame was removed, the two fixed panes came out the same way: lift, tilt, and carry. Years of being stuck meant they required serious effort to budge.
Overall, removing all the doors—12 glass panels and 4 screens—took about two hours of actual work (not including photos). With each opening cleared, Sherry’s “open and glorious” concept started to come to life. I suddenly wanted to sit down with a tall glass of sweet tea and soak it in.
But we weren’t finished. Each doorway still had lower metal threshold pieces that were both unsightly and a tripping hazard. After removing several dozen screws and prying caulked metal free with a lot of twisting and tugging, those frames came out too.
That step took another couple of hours. I didn’t remove all the surrounding wood trim first—the “proper” way—because many frames were warped and likely wouldn’t have slid out easily even with full trim removal. Instead I worked around the trim and wrestled the metal free. The result left some twisted pieces, but since those frames were the worn, broken parts, they weren’t salvageable for donation anyway.
We’re only partway through the overall renovation, but the improvement already feels transformative. Being able to move freely between the sunroom and deck without wrestling stuck doors feels liberating. We’ve reclaimed a portion of the deck that was previously ignored because it was blocked by immobile glass.
We began joking about calling the space our “veranda” to reflect its shift from a typical sunroom into a proper covered porch. We’ll try to remember to say veranda—rather than Verdana, which is a typeface and not a porch.
This is shaping up to be our first major makeover at this house (aside from installing hardwood upstairs before we moved in). We’ll tackle the project in manageable phases and aim to complete the bulk of the work before colder weather sets in. Our current plan includes:
Rip up the old carpetingRemove the sliding doors and tracks to open things up- Add fresh casing around the openings and thoroughly caulk to restore weatherproofing lost with the door frames
- Possibly raise the ceiling and install painted beadboard if the structure allows
- Install one or two hanging ceiling fans and maybe recessed lighting
- Repaint columns and the sunroom interior with exterior-grade paint
- Install outdoor-safe tile flooring
- Bring in an outdoor rug, furniture, and possibly curtains for shade and privacy
- Consider adding an outdoor fireplace down the line
One small upgrade we completed right away was replacing all the outlets with covered outdoor-rated outlets. We don’t want rain or moisture to affect the electricals. Fortunately the walls are painted exterior wood—likely a sign the room was once a covered porch—so once we add trim and caulk the openings, the space will be sealed and weather-resistant again.
Psst — Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum interviewed Sherry with 20 questions, where she shares her quirks, her current cell phone ringtone, and her favorite Halloween candy.