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We had a screened in porch in our old (new) house and hardly used it, when we factored cleaning time versus usage time, on straight graph paper, passed on the logarithmic paper the line spacing was confusing, we decided we did not want one in our new (older) home. April to May it got yellow with the pine pollen and had to be pressure washed off. June/July/August it was to hot to use. September/October was good. November/December/January/February it was used to store the outdoor furniture and swing and yard ornaments. March/April it was OK to use.
The usable months brought its share of spiders and critters. Spiders have like 8 eyes each and with just 10 spiders and doing the math 10 x8 = 80 eyes watching you eat. Freaked me out abit. Then once somehow we got a mouse in the screened in porch that found its way into the water can and drowned. How it got there is a mystery but as they say in M.I.B., they check in but they don't check out!
So we passed on the screened in porch in our new (older) house. We went for more trees and land and greenway than for the screened in porch.
The most important thing you could do when building your deck is to set your posts in poured concrete, rather than using those pre-formed post supports that have become so popular.
Can't. The deck would sit above an existing concrete slab patio, so the posts would have to be bolted on, I think.
I love our screened-in porch. We custom built our home based on another design the builder had built before. One of the thing I changed was to vault the porch and add skylights. It made a world of difference. I just wish I'd gotten a fireplace out there (although something as fancy as NRG's pic would have been out of the question/budget). A neighbor just retrofitted a fireplace on his and it looks nice. Now I have fireplace envy.
We spend a good deal of time out there. Have a comfy wicker lounge (with pad) and (my favorite) a hammock. Added a doggy door to the outside and that works well for the dog. Now she can get onto the porch and get some shade without me having to leave the door open and deal with bugs (the whole point of the porch to begin with).
Wolf I wish I had a fireplace on mine also but suspect they are quite costly so I doubt I'll have one anytime soon. I have been pondering adding a copper fire pit that's elevated, my one concern is smoke however or even heat transferring to the decking? This is my second home with a SIP and I could never live without one. I do think having a vaulted ceiling helps to give a more spacious feeling too, I did not have that in my previous one.
I had a sunroom in my home prior to that, I also never used it nearly as much as I do my SIP. Sunrooms just don't give you that fresh air I crave so much, if you have a good ceiling fan then except for our hottest days during the midday, you can be comfortable.
For the poster with spiders? Yes they do like to build webs and such, but if you just take a quick swipe with your broom every few days - they get the message and move on.
We move into our new house next Thursday and the SIP is one of the biggest perks. At our current house, we put a deck on this Spring(before we decided to move). But due to flies and the heat of summer, we have only used the deck a handful of times. I can gaurantee that we will be using our porch all the time at the next house. Perfect timing too since we will be heading into the Fall.
Screened-in porch was something we liked but it was not a must have in our list. We looked at plenty of other houses without one too. Finally, we found a house (with an open floor plan) we really liked and guess what, it came with a screened porch! :-) The previous owner added a screened porch in 2007. It is a 16x14 space and we use it all the time. With the fan, skylights, cool air vents and piped in music, it is the best room in the house.
We're getting a screened porch built in the fall or spring. We are using a guy who has done some great work on our house already. He's charging us $6500 for a 12 x 24 foot porch, I think that's a fair price? I can't wait - I hate the little bugs that hover around my eyes every time i'm outside.
We're getting a screened porch built in the fall or spring. We are using a guy who has done some great work on our house already. He's charging us $6500 for a 12 x 24 foot porch, I think that's a fair price? I can't wait - I hate the little bugs that hover around my eyes every time i'm outside.
That's a really good price! We just added on a couple months ago and we love it!
How do SIP's do as far as adding resale value to your home? $6500 sounds pretty reasonable - would be interested in what other people have spent and what they've gotten for their money.
Btw NRG - that pic was amazing. Now I know what I want for my dream home
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