Avoid These Three Regrets When You Build Your Screened Porch
If you are considering building a screened porch, take some time to think about some of the important factors that will affect your use and enjoyment. The advantageous screened porch designs blend these three configuration principles into the overall structure. Many times folks don’t comprehend how influential each component influences the overall comfort and joy of their screened porch. From the very beginning, consider completely how each of these factors will affect your overall design. Will increase your overall satisfaction with the project.
Footprint – This is perhaps the most important and incorporates the physical layout and location. There are two points to consider on this item:
* Size – Avoid saying: “I should have built it larger”. Chances are that you will love your screened porch but many feel sorry for not making it larger. A few extra square feet can make a huge difference. Adding extra space is realtively cheap when you do your project but gets very expensive if not impossible to do later. You will use your screened porch very often and will soon realize a few extra feet would accommodate built-ins, more room for entertaining, or a nook for intimate dining. More room can make room for an outdoor fireplace or even a wet bar.
Your objective should be to build the largest porch you can afford based on how you will use it through the years. If you have kids consider how it will be when they grow. What will be your uses for the space when they get older? If you don’t have children or they are older, a small room could be appropriate for you.
* Location – Think over where the screened porch will be relative to the sun at certain parts of the day when you will want to use it. In Central Florida, we get a lot of sunshine so if you have the opportunity to locate it under the shade of trees, this will help keep your patio cooler. For the most part, Southern and Western facing windows get the most sun. If that is not an option, you can work with window treatments such as shades, shutters, and blinds to help decrease the heat from the sun. Also, think over the view that you will have when you complete the addition. You will probably want to lay out your screened porch for added privacy so consider which areas will do that best.
Another meaningful component in location is traffic flow. If you are planning to use your screened porch for entertaining then you might want to arrange it off of the kitchen. You might desire to augment the play area for the children so something with admittance off of the living room might be more appropriate. Access from the bedroom might be influential if you are considering leaving your doors and windows open on a nice night. It is difficult to add access subsequent and important to think of all the present-day and potential uses for your patio.
* Amenities – There are so many options presently accessible that you can add to your screened porch. Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, wet bars, fans, special lighting and built in shelving are just some possibilities. Determining what you want early and including these amenities during construction will be much cheaper and quicker than including subsequent. If you are interested in using your patio area as ‘spill over space’ intending that folks will use both spaces during an event then you might feel a need to allow for adding some of these features. You may also want to consider adding electrial outlets either in the floor or nearby if you desire to use the space for a workout room and need to plug in a TV or treadmill.
* Maintenance – A well constructed screened porch in most cases does not need much maintenance but you should make sure that you are using high quality material for construction. Ensure that you are getting quality screen and aluminum that will hold off the weather. In Central Florida you will want to make sure that your cage will bear the winds and storms we many times get. Touch base with the contractor you are working with or your product supplier to ensure you are getting something that will last. Be sure to build accurately to avoid water damage – a screen porch’s nemesis. Things like venting the trim, sloping the floor slightly, flashing ledgers, and protecting posts are all extremely crucial and will help make your screened porch addition last a long time.
The supplementary care you take to correctly design your screened porch investment will pay large rewards later in years of joy and added value to your home. We have wonderful weather in Orlando and screened porches can be a great addition to make the most of it. Carefully take into account all aspects of screened porch designs before you build or talk to a contractor. Contractors specializing in enclosed porches can also help you choose the best value for your buck. Take the time to analyze all of your options – then build knowing you will have the best of screened porch designs.
Kanon Builders
(407) 516-9067
Central Florida Screen Rooms and Sunrooms
Processing your request, Please wait....
