Cozy Porch
This gorgeous screened-in porch started out its life as a small open deck, but like many others, the Greensboro, North Carolina homeowners wanted much more in their backyard. That’s exactly what they got after they added a 17×28 screened in porch with 12-foot ceilings, gothic-inspired columns and arches, and a herringbone-patterned wooden floor. The project took just a few months to complete and included wiring for electronics and sconces that made the outdoor room feel comfy and cozy.
Approximate cost: $85,000 including paint and electric
For more info: www.paradisedecking.com.
Photo courtesy of Larry Knight and Brendon Knight
Greek Revival
This screened in porch was a final special touch for an oversized 7000 square foot home in Greenboro, North Carolina. Instead of a traditional one-story screened-in porch, this mega-sized porch towers at 22×42. The builder, Larry Hughes of Paradise Decking, says he was inspired by several styles for this porch, including the Greek revival designs that he incorporated into the cast columns and decorative touches. The posts are 6×6, the screens are fiberglass and the gently pitched roof is made of rubber. The project took two months to complete and stretches to include a covering for the outdoor hot tub.
Approximate cost: $150,000 including paint and electric
For more info: www.paradisedecking.com.
Photo courtesy of Larry Knight and Brendon Knight
Contemporary and Rustic Porch
This beautiful 20×20 screened-in porch in Atlanta, Georgia was added onto the back of an existing contemporary home to take advantage of the tree-filled area and river views. The owner wanted a rustic but dramatic porch that exuded the feeling of being in the mountains. The final project incorporated an enlarged open deck area, a new cable railing system and transitional staircases. The project had several obstacles, including multiple roof angles and levels, an important Bald Cypress tree that needed to be saved and river views that needed to be captured. The back of the property was very steep and engineers worked to incorporate this feature of the property. The new porch allows for amazing river views and includes sitting and dining areas, a loft area, post and beam structure, rough sawn cedar materials and Tigerwood flooring.
Approximate cost: $90,000
For more info: www.mosaicgroupatlanta.com.
Photo courtesy of Mosaic Group Atlanta
Functional Porch
The owners of this Nashville screened-in porch once had what most homeowners do – a deck in its place. However, their deck wasn’t functional and these homeowners were eager for functional space outside. The result from The Porch Company is this 21×16 open air porch. It includes a ventless gas fireplace, Cyprus wood, white pine, pressure treated wood and manufactured stone. As a small practical touch, an electrical outlet was installed on the header so the homeowner would be able to keep lights up year-round and turn them off with the flick of a switch.
Approximate cost: $43,000 depending on materials used
For more info: www.porchco.com.
Photo courtesy of The Porch Company
Entertaining Outdoors
The homeowners wanted to extend their family room to the outdoors for additional year-round entertainment space, so they built this beautiful screened-in porch. Architect Karen Pitsley designed the space with Ipe (Brazilian Hardwood) decking for its beautiful hues, low maintenance and green features, not to mention its 100-year lifespan. The Connecticut Screenworks screening system allows for a screened-in summer porch and clip-in storm panels are installed to keep out the winter freeze. Tongue-and-groove knotty pine wood was used on the ceiling for its warmth and natural look. Stone was chosen for the fireplace for its timeless beauty and warmth. The furniture is from the Delmar Collection from Restoration Hardware.
Approximate cost: The cost for the entire project was $125,000.
For more info: www.TransformingArchitecture.com.
Photo courtesy of Transforming Architecture
New Heights
This new screened-in porch added 330 square feet of bug-free outdoor living space to the home of owners Kay and Tom Horst in Northwest DC. Remodeler Michael Sauri of TriVistaUSA creatively reused the framing of the existing deck and designed a larger, upper deck. Sauri also constructed a soaring butterfly roof and six oversized skylights which give the room an open feel. The angles of the new roof bring attention to the mid-century look of the home. The “cricket,” a saddle-shaped projection in the middle of the roof, shoots rain water into up-sized gutters on the sides. The ceiling is constructed of pressure treated wood, while a custom-made wooden screen door adds a creative antique element to the space. The Horsts chose modern furniture with a rustic edge constructed of teak wood, and a glass wood-burning fireplace for year-round grilling.
Approximate cost: Reusing wood from the old deck minimized construction costs, allowing the budget to stretch for some special features. Specialty items included a cedar ceiling ($8,000); six skylights ($4200); glass-enclosed fireplace and hooded grill ($14,000) and custom screen door ($450).
For more info: www.trivistausa.com.
Photo courtesy of Rajesh Nair
More Space and a Better View
As part of a whole house renovation on this 1934 traditional colonial, this screened-in porch added about 200 square feet to the home and gave the homeowners a shaded area from which to view the sun-kissed backyard. Although the walls, trim, columns and molding were made out of a light-colored Azec, an Ipe hardwood floor brings a touch of color to the room. A solar tube installed into the ceiling provides ambient light, while the overhead fan keeps the occupants comfortable even when a breeze isn’t blowing.
Approximate cost: $50,000
For more info: www.ngidevelopment.com.
Photo courtesy of Rick Miller of MRES Photography
Bringing the Outdoors In
Although they spent most of the warmer months on their old screened-in porch, this Midlothian, Virginia couple wanted to add a Florida room to their custom home as a way to enjoy the outdoors year-round. They replaced the original screened porch with a Florida room and built this new screened-in porch where the deck had been. They used James Hardie HardiPlank siding and cornice materials, Benjamin Moore paints, locally-sourced framed lumber, Owens Corning insulation, custom-made, insulated glass windows, Therma-Tru out swing door from the new screened porch to the house and Bose speakers. They decorated the room with deep-seated, cushion furniture from Winston’s Metropolitan line with Retro Rumba fabric (www.winstonfurniture.com) and dining room furniture from Meadowcraft’s Bordeaux line (www.meadowcraft.com).
Approximate cost: The screened porch and Florida Room conversion totaled $60,020 for design, materials and labor. The Florida Room conversion required about $10,000 of the total project budget.
For more info: www.napiersignaturerenovations.com.
Photo courtesy of Napier Signature Renovations
Bonito Porch
The goal of this do-it-yourself project was to create extra relaxation and recreational space with an indoor/outdoor feel that enhanced the home’s Mexican themed décor. The owner obtained some materials for this for free–including seven 10-pane doors–and completed the project in approximately four weeks. The wicker love seat and easy chair both boast bright, tropically-patterned pillows, while the Mexican Teravella ceramic light sconces and Terra Cotta tile highlight the Mexican theme.
Approximate cost: $1100. This included extending an existing concrete slab. Estimated material costs: Bead board for interior of half-wall – $80; framing materials, some re-used lumber $150; tile $120; Lucite roof panels – $120; concrete and rebar – $80; electrical $50; new, replacement door hardware – $100; wicker furniture (used) – $120; fabric for recovering pillows $90. Paint and incidentals $100.
Photo courtesy of Ford Kanzler
An Inspirational Porch
The InSync Home in Baldwin Park, Florida was produced by Builder and HOME magazines and is a 6,500-sq.-ft house inspired by the feedback of American homeowners and consumers. Like most screened in porches, one of the main goals of the InSync Home porch was to blend indoor and outdoor living. A key feature of the home that brings this together is the lanai that opens to the inner courtyard and pool. It allows the family to enjoy the outdoors without having to suffer from heat or insects. The Executive Screens are integrated into the lanai’s design, retracting into the arches when not used.
Approximate cost: Phantom Screens portion of the project: $8,000
For more info: www.phantomscreens.com.
Photo courtesy of Phantom Screens
A Room for a View
Ships ahoy! This 1950 house is a replica of a typical 1780s era sea captain’s home. After years of neglect, the home was purchased in 1996 and painstakingly restored to its former 18th century ambiance. The homeowners added a back porch to enjoy the wooded views and wildlife in their yard and included an authentic fieldstone fireplace with stones that were dug out and collected by the owners. The red brick floor came from an old chimney that was being dismantled in a local home. The room includes classic molding and blue pine board ceiling and a wrought-iron table from a local outdoor furniture store. A custom made rocking chair rounds out the décor.
Approximate cost: The total cost of the screens including installation was $10,000 (price of the entire porch installation was not available)
For more info: www.phantomscreens.com.
Photo courtesy of Phantom Screens
A Porch for Privacy
The owner of this Nashville home wanted a screened in porch, but wanted privacy too. The property butted up against the home behind it, so The Porch Company provided a unique solution. They tore down the brick wall and installed another room with shutters that jutted out. The shutters allowed for ventilation and lighting while keeping the privacy element intact. The 11×19 room included slate tile and architectural details like columns and arches.
Approximate cost: $40,000 depending on materials used
For more info: www.porchco.com.
Photo courtesy of The Porch Company
Home Away from Home
This 15×36 greenhouse-style sunroom was built for additional holiday entertaining space and casual family get-togethers. The owner also wanted to view their Koi pond and now calls this room the “home away from home.” The room is decorated with ceramic tile, glass with a heat reflecting barrier, a heat-and-glow ceramic tile fireplace with Roman Column accents, two steps on either side to a landing with a custom railing and a unique door that’s hinged together to form a tri-fold entrance to the sunroom. Lighting is provided by four track lights attached to the sunroom frames. The dining room furniture is from Ethan Allen, a game table from Fortunoff’s, and the living room set from Siegerman’s furniture store. The furniture consists of a love seat, sofa, 2 wing chairs and ottomans, two pie crust end tables and an old time design phonograph.
Approximate cost: The total cost of the sunroom was approximately $50000 including the heat and glow gas fireplace ($2500); tile and columns ($1500); Italian marble top ($1500); sliding glass doors ($1200); lighting ($2000); glass block work ($800); furniture ($9000); the railing ($800); and steps ($400).
Photo courtesy of Patty Stange