'F' for Freebies Elsewhere

Go Boost Their Roost!

I’ve been working with HouseLogic to offer homeowners a chance to win a $20,000 home renovation to “Boost Your Roost.” I received hundreds of entries and had to choose just one to move on to the next stage of the contest. Narrowing them down was a long process, but I’m so excited about the family I’ve named as finalists!

Clara and Brantley in San Antonio, TX would like to add a screened porch to replace the falling apart covered porch they have now. I hear it gets crazy hot there, and they have a little girl who could use a shaded, breezy, bug-free spot to play outside.

Exterior (Before): It makes their daughter sad.

Their submission to the contest is below.

Located north of downtown San Antonio, our home sits in a small neighborhood of mid-century modern houses. The 1600 three bedroom / two bathroom house is incredibly efficient – the kitchen, living and dining room are one contiguous space. While we love our little home our only complaint is its lack of a usable outdoor living space. While Texas is known to be incredibly hot, with shade and a cooling breeze, spending time out of doors can be quite pleasant throughout the year. While a previous owner added a covered porch, its condition is deteriorating and the slab over which it was built slopes in a way that makes it difficult to use. More critically, swarms of mosquitoes make the space uninhabitable for most of the year.

Our daughter loves to play outside and the addition of a covered screen porch would provide a space for her to do that. Such an outdoor living space would also serve as an amazing venue for the entertaining of friends and family as well as a quiet place to enjoy the outdoors while being protected from the fierce sun and mosquitoes.

Screened on three sides, the porch would be open to the prevailing southeast breezes. Because of the sloping nature of our site, the porch would be a few feet lower than the finished floor of the house, creating a higher volume in which a large fan would further encourage the circulation of air through the space. A thin landscaped courtyard would separate the screened porch from the bedroom wing of the house, allowing all existing windows to open into the courtyard. To the west, a custom outdoor curtain would protect the space from the late afternoon sun.

A sweet family, a concise but detailed entry, and a thought-out plan… they had my attention. Then I watched the video, and yep: finalists. (The scene with the calendars makes me laugh every time.)

Bonus points, right? I want them to get their porch. This is what it would look like (note the now happy daughter).

Exterior (After): Ceiling fans would circulate air, along with their child's constant motion.

But they need some help. They are now one of six finalists, and only the project with the most votes will actually win the $20,000 prize. So head over to HouseLogic to check out the competition and cast a vote for your favorite project (*ahem* Clara and Brantley). You can vote once a day until voting ends on August 13th.

This post is sponsored by HouseLogic, a website for homeowners from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

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  • Jules
    July 30, 2012 at 11:14 am

    Haha! I like his trembling chin at the end.

  • Clara
    July 30, 2012 at 11:20 am

    Thank you so much for your support and for nominating us, Nicole!
    We’re really excited and happy to be among the 6 finalists…

  • Catherine
    July 30, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    Yay! San Antonio is my hometown, and I’d love to see them get a new porch to stay cool!

  • Barb
    July 30, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    I tried to vote but there was no indication that it was recorded. Am I doing something wrong or is that the way it is?

    Love your blog. I used to live in OP and now live one sub north. Your a regular on my morning blog round-up. Thanks for such entertaining reading!!

  • Brianne Joy
    July 30, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    That video is awesome. I can see why you chose this family. Thanks for sharing!

  • Sarah W
    July 30, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    They are such an adorable family! They did an awesome job on the video too!

  • Ashly
    July 31, 2012 at 7:08 am

    I desperately want to see the rest of their house!

  • Connie
    July 31, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Omygosh, what an adorable family! And a lovely house! They deserve to win after such a great video.

  • Ang.
    July 31, 2012 at 11:31 am

    Yes, the video is way cute. And Texas is very hot and full of mosquitoes – I live in Houston, I KNOW from mosquitoes, y’all. But be sure to read all of the nominees’ stories, because I really felt that some of the other families were more deserving.

    • Clara
      July 31, 2012 at 3:32 pm

      Ang,
      Agreed! We are extremely fortunate to have our good health and the good health of our child. By all means, throw your support toward one of the families who have had tough hardships and need this more than we do. We’re definitely not suggesting that mosquitoes are on par with the challenges that are faced by some of the other families in the contest. We entered the contest thinking that it would be a cool opportunity to finish a project we had always talked about but could never afford. We had a great time designing it and have enjoyed the experience!

  • Evelyn
    July 31, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    Oh wow…hahaha (laughing about my own effort), you guys put A LOT of work into your entry. You got my vote on House Logic!

  • Catherine
    July 31, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I went back to vote for Clara again today, and the “Vote” button is kind of sticky. I had to hit it several times to make sure it went through, and then it confirmed my vote.

  • kate
    July 31, 2012 at 11:32 pm

    Cute video- love the last scene with the trembling lip- they get my vote:)

  • Carla
    August 18, 2012 at 12:18 am

    They already have such a nice home, and the videography/editing/design skills to gradually earn the money. Such a cute entry, but … I guess I kind of hoped for a less polished home.