Screen porch query (fit in, big home, calculation)

[kmalone4]

Yep, thinking about getting one.

I've got a guy coming to give me a quote next week.

This will be my first big homeowner's project, so I'd love any advice you have to give. I plan to get several estimates before I decide, so recommendations and pics are welcome.

I moved down here for many reasons, one of which was to spend more time outdoors. I can deal with the heat~ no problem. It's those bloody skeeters that I can't stand!

Also, does anyone know what the return on a screen porch is roughly? I heard somewhere maybe eighty-five percent.

Thanks guys!

[cheryjohns]

Tell me the quote he gives you and I will guessitimate the return. (PM me witht the subdivision).

[lhafer]

Do you have a covered patio already? Are you just screening it in?

My husband and I built our house and added a covered back porch as one of the upgrades when they built it. It was just a covered porch and had 3 columns along the back, holding up the roof of the porch (they are the thicker columns - one on each corner, and one in the middle). We went to Lowe's and got the materials to screen it in ourselve. Took about 2 weeks of doing it afterwork and weekends. Cost us about $500 or so for all the materials.

We ended up selling that house - and the screened-in backporch is what sold it (so they said when we met them at closing).

[tdhg566]

A few things come to mind, both from personal experience and from neighbors near a house we just sold. After removing an aluminum screened porch that had the top ripped off by a hurricane (and then replacing it with a custom built wooden patio), a few things come to mind. If you do aluminum, be wary of using plastic panels to transmit light. The UV rays WILL make them brittle after a few years, and the occasional odd hailstorm we get will punch holes in them. Happened to me. They didn't make my panels anymore, and had to rig something up until I replaced whole patio. Never did seal properly until it was replaced. Whatever plastic is in the roof, make sure it can be replaced without dismantling all the roof pieces (e.g. a skylight is fine as it can be popped out and replaced). Make sure the pitch is enough to drain the occasional deluge we get without the water backing up under the roof where the patio attaches to the house. Get the biggest gutters you can. If the patio must also block sun and not insects, use the highest blocking factor screen you can get. If you do aluminum, when they're constructing it, examine the gutter carefully. I didn't put in the aluminum patio I removed, and the idiots who installed it put the drain connection UNDER the roof flashing, so it was impossible to remove debris (read lots of pine needles that clogged up the gutter) without cutting your hand on the sharp aluminum edges or removing the downspout and cleaning it out from underneath. You didn't say whether you're covering a concrete patio or pavers or what. Whatever it is, don't use indoor/outdoor carpet. I know people who tried that and it was always wet and never dry and they had to constantly soak it in JOMAX to kill mildew. Eventually they pulled up the carpet and scrapped up the glue. Ugly job. Whatever you do, make sure you can hose off the patio and the water drains out properly.

Oh, and give up the ROI calculation on your patio. You don't know what the market will be if/when you sell the house. Do the patio for yourself, not the next guy. If you're trying to make money by investing money, do it somewhere else other than your house. The last few years should have taught people that truth.

[kmalone4]

Thanks Cheryjohns, I will.

lhafer, I currently have a covered patio. It is an ugly, very industrial looking thing made out of aluminum. I think it was a diy by the previous owner. (Nothing against them; they did lots of work on the house and I love everything else). I'll try to post a pic later. The whole thing needs to come down. Your porch is beautiful! I can see why the new owner was impressed. That was a diy? Wow! Unfortunately, I'm not very handy. Do you think that is the way I should go? Have a good covered patio built and pay someone to screen it in? That would save thousands of dollars. I get my quote next week; I'll post the results. Also, did you have a problem with bugs getting in?

tdhg566, thanks for all the info! There is currently concrete down; I would like to see it replaced with pavers. My boys and myself are plagued with allergies, so we try to keep floor coverings to a minimum. So far as ROI, I'm just kinda curious. I'd like to pay off this house and keep it as a family home. I moved down here because I love being outdoors and was frustrated with the long, cold winters back home. It is frustrating that although the heat doesn't bother me much (my 5 y/o could do without it~ he loves the cold) the mosquitoes are awful. My childhood home had a sunporch and that is where I spent much of my time, especially rainy days. You've given me so much good info. Thanks so much.

[cheryjohns]

Forgot to mention - do not pay for the whole job upfront.

tdhg566 mentioned the pitch - very important.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by kmalone4

lhafer, I currently have a covered patio. It is an ugly, very industrial looking thing made out of aluminum. I think it was a diy by the previous owner. (Nothing against them; they did lots of work on the house and I love everything else). I'll try to post a pic later. The whole thing needs to come down. Your porch is beautiful! I can see why the new owner was impressed. That was a diy? Wow! Unfortunately, I'm not very handy. Do you think that is the way I should go? Have a good covered patio built and pay someone to screen it in? That would save thousands of dollars. I get my quote next week; I'll post the results. Also, did you have a problem with bugs getting in?

My inlaws had something like that on the house they bought. They spent a lot of money to have it removed and a proper patio built - a HUGE patio that covered the entire back of the house, ceiling fans, etc. It was a big expense, but they live to be outside in their pool, so it was worth it to them.

Yes, that was a diy project for us. It was our first one actually!! Hubby is more handy with electronics, gadgets, etc, and I do more of the painting, caulking, etc. But it worked out very nicely. We had drainage so we could power wash it and the water escaped out so no standing water. We made it where it was basically a large square that we measured to fit inside the existing posts, then bisected the squares with 2x4s (or whatever we used). So if there was ever a need in the future, all we had to do was remove the outer frame, and the whole section would come down. The hardest part was putting in the door. That's because the patio had a slight grade to it for water runoff. It was difficult to get the frame for the door angled just right without having the door scrape the floor, or have a huge gap. But after a few trial and errror attempts, we got it!

We had a huge mosquito and spider problem. After putting in the screens, the bug problem went down by 98% easy. SO much better!! We could actually sit outside in the evenings and not be eaten alive!