You've probably heard already about the "fifth wall" which is designer slang for the ceiling. It's often overlooked, but as a custom builder we are always thinking about views, not only left, right and down- but up as well. Oftentimes, we will introduce a wood detail such as tongue and groove pine on the porch, patio and balcony soffets (ceilings) and then stain them. For a porch of average proportion, you are probably looking at a cost adder of about $2-3,000 for all materials and labor to install and custom stain. If you subtract what would have gone there in the first place, then the delta may very well be worth it. Before you install though, I would familiarize yourself with the different species of wood. The reason you should do that is because pine can have knots, where as cypress or fir will not show knots as much. There are cost differences, as well as inherent color differences between the species of wood, so do a quick lesson to become an expert before you try. I think what you'll find is for pure craftsmanship and detail, it's
relatively inexpensive to return a high visual impact for the money invested. You can turn a dining room, or living room or study very quickly into a focal point just by investing in the ceiling. There are numerous ways to make your home special and this is only one, so consider it next time you have the ability to do a project like this.
