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screened in porch - worth it??
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Anonymous
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We use ours constantly; it is a wonderful thing. We entertain there all the time in nice weather.
OTOH we rarely used our deck because of mosquitos. |
Anonymous
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I second the idea of getting a screened gazebo type thing and see if and how your family uses it. It will also help you gauge the size requirements and what kind of outdoor furniture you'll need.
we know a few people who have bought those screened gazebos from Costco and they are pretty nice. One has it on their patio (brick or cement) right outside their sliding glass door. Another has it on the deck with a short walk from the kitchen door (like 4-5 paces). They have an outdoor outlet, so strung lights and everything. Don't recall if they have a ceiling fan, but that would be ideal. |
Anonymous
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We spent that much on a screened in porch and do love it - like other posters we literally couldn't go outside for the mosquitos so the backyard was useless.
My one regret is that we didn't get one that has glass panels. Not just the extra use, but it turns out that living near the woods also means LOTS of tree pollen on everything, for months. I figure glass would have helped us limit the pollen and related cleaning. |
Anonymous
Okay, I'm apparently totally anal, but I'm not a huge fan of eating meals on our Screened-in porch. What do you do about clean up? Just sweep it all off the porch? Just wondering. Looking for logistical advice. |
Anonymous
Not the pp, but we also eat all the time on our screened in porch from spring on. We have a large outdoor rug that covers probably 75% of the porch and is under the table where we eat. So we either sweep the rug after dinner or vacuum it 1-2 times a week. There is some stuff that falls through the cracks of the porch, but it is not that bad. |
Anonymous
| I looked at porch but the cost was prohibitive. We ended going for a deck at less than 1/5 the price. We have a lot of trees around hanging over the deck even so its really nice to look up and enjoy them. The bugs don't seem that bad - maybe because we are up a level. We use the deck alot. Just a counterpoint to consider especially if you are significantly above ground. |
Anonymous
| Yes. We're thinking of turning the deck into one because the mosquitoes are so, so bad. We love the crappy old one we have. |
Anonymous
| We added one when we did a renovation to our house and we love it and use it often. We added a celing found and speakers connected to our whole house audio. Our kids love eating dinner out there and no bugs to worry about. |
Anonymous
| I'm thinking of doing this - any recommendations for screened-in porch contractors? |
Anonymous
| We had one on our last house and it was wonderful. Like others said, we lived in it from early Spring to late Fall. I agree with the poster who suggested that you have it large enough to have an eating area and a lounging area. In fact, we loved ours so much that we are currently saving to add one to our new house. |
Anonymous
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I've mentioned this before. We had a screen porch at one of our houses. We were closer in proximity to our neighbors than most non-area jurisdictions would ever allow. It never failed, our neighbor would mow his lawn (with seemingly the world's loudest mower) just as we sat down to dinner on our porch. Something to take into consideration. |
Anonymous
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Well, I find most screened in porches look unattractive -- but maybe I just haven't seen a "high(er) end" one! I don't like the look of screens from the outside, either.
I suppose if I were to do an addition and had a zillion bucks to spend -- yes, I'm fantasizing -- I'd like one that had insulated french doors/windows all around with removable screens should I desire summer breezes over heat/AC. This would make for a very comfortable and attractive all-season addition! |
Anonymous
| We love our screened porch -- on summer Sunday mornings I sit out there with my coffee and the newspaper and just chill, from May till Octber we have many long, lazy dinners on the porch, and it's a great spot for craft projects and Monopoly games -- all this with no bugs! My advice is to make it as big as you can and to build a little patio nearby for grilling. If you need to, you can screen your screened porch from the neighbors or street traffic with landscaping (crepe myrtle works really nicely). |
Anonymous
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We have the smallest screened in porch, and during the summer, my DH and I still use it a lot to hang out. We have a HUGE deck and I now wish I could magically change the size of them to small deck and large screened in porch. I would use it all the time, and would eat out there on a regular basis. My son loves to "eat outside," but between the mosquitoes and the bees, it's such a pain.
Are you replacing a deck with a screened in porch or grass? You would want to consider if you will miss the outdoor area if you were significantly losing space. But as my son get older, I find we rarely play out back. The mosquitoes chase us away. |
Anonymous
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I love mine, and reading all these posts makes me wish it weren't 27 freaking degrees outside. We don't have a family room so this serves as ours during the warmer months, and my house feels cramped without it now.
We sprung for one with a cathedral ceiling, which really makes it feel spacious. The rest is pretty basic. I got it constructed about seven years ago for just over $10,000, plus about $1,500 more for electricity. Not getting eaten alive by the mosquitos is so nice. It's also great to be able to be semi-outside while it's raining. |