Avoid These Three Regrets When You Build Your Screened Porch}

Avoid These Three Regrets When You Build Your Screened Porch

by

Marvin Lee

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 best screened porch layouts blend these three design principles into the overall cage. Many times people don’t comprehend how crucial each element influences the total comfort and joy of their screened porch. Before you move any dirt, consider completely how each of these factors will touch your overall design. Spending a little time on this will pay big benefits down the road.

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 the regret of not getting all space you want. Most people love their screened porch but many regret not making it bigger. 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 rapidly become aware that a few extra feet would allow bookshelves, additional entertainment space, or a nook for quietly reading. Supplementary area can make room for a summer kitchen or a place to put the band for your outdoor parties.Your aim should be to get the largest porch you can afford based on how you will use it through the years. If you have small children take into account how it will be when they become larger. How will you use the space when they get older? If you don’t have kids or they are grown, a small room might be satisfactory for you.* Location – Consider where the screened porch will be in regard to to the sun at specific 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 chance to locate it under shade, this will help keep your patio cooler. Most of the time, Southern and Western facing windows get the most sun. If you can’t do that, you can use window treatments such as shades, shutters, and blinds to help cut the heat from the sun. Also, think over the view that you will have once you complete the addition. You will most likely want to lay out your screened porch for more privacy so think of which areas will do that best. Another influential component in location is traffic flow. If you are planning to use your screened porch for entertaining then you might want to locate it off of the kitchen. You might desire to augment the play area for the children so something with access off of the living room might be more appropriate. Access from the bedroom might be important if you are considering leaving your doors and windows open on a nice night. It is complicated to add access subsequent and crucial to think of all the present and future uses for your patio. * Amenities – There are so many possibilities now available that you can augment to your screened porch. Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, wet bars, fans, special lighting and built in shelving are just some possibilities. Selecting what you want early and adding these features at the time of construction will be much cheaper and quicker than including subsequent. If you are thinking about using your outside area as ‘spill over space’ meaning that guests will use both spaces during a get together then you might choose to think over adding some of these conveniences. You may also want to consider adding electrial outlets either in the floor or nearby if you desire to use the room for a workout area 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 good quality material for construction. Ensure that you are getting good screen and aluminum that will ride out the elements. In Central Florida you will want to make sure that your structure will resist the winds and storms we commonly get. Confer with the contractor you are working with or your product supplier to establish you are getting a product that will last. Be sure to build suitably to circumvent water damage – a screen porch’s adversary. Building in things like venting the trim, pitching the floor slightly, flashing ledgers, and protecting posts are all extremely important and will help make your screened porch space last a long time.The added time you take to accurately design your screened porch investment will pay large rewards later in years of enjoyment and greater value to your home. We have beautiful weather in Orlando and screened porches can be a wonderful addition to make the most of it. Carefully consider 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 dollar. 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

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Avoid These Three Regrets When You Build Your Screened Porch}