Anonymous wrote:Do people who live screened porches have small houses and need extra living space? We have a 6k sq ft house and can afford to build a screened porch but don’t understand the point. If you are going to add vinyl windows, fan, AC, heater then it is basically another interior room so why not use your living room or basement instead…?

I built my 6k sq ft house a few years ago and a screened-in porch was an absolute must. So no, we don’t need extra living space, and It’s still our favorite room in the house. We do not have vinyl windows but we do have all the other bells/whistles. We love being “outside,” free of bugs to do all the following: read/watch tv/play board games/eat/nap/work etc. I have denied DCs requests to practice clarinet out here for the sake of the neighbors.

We use ours the most Sept-December and March-early June. Sometimes January & Feb can be too cold but the past few years we've used it quite a bit during those months with a heater.

Honestly, the only months we don't use it are July & August because it's too hot even with large ceiling fans.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assume no vinyl windows, just heaters. Then how much can you comfortably use it?

Tell me why I should assume that. Because we went 10 years without them, then added them. And they’re not very expensive.

PP is absolutely right about pollen.

I'm curious-- how much of the year did you use the screened porch before the vinyl windows, and how much more are you using it now?

As compared to before…Halloween night hosting a few families pre-ToT. Porch is open for Thanksgiving dinner. That’s guaranteed.

Dec, Jan., Feb, it’s available as long as the sun is out (because that will do a lot of the heating for you, just like when your car is parked on a cold, but sunny day.)

May pollen, you can slide open some panels when you want to use it, and close it off to the pollen so it doesn’t build up to be an inch thick.

End of May, the come down.

Anonymous wrote:Do people who live screened porches have small houses and need extra living space? We have a 6k sq ft house and can afford to build a screened porch but don’t understand the point. If you are going to add vinyl windows, fan, AC, heater then it is basically another interior room so why not use your living room or basement instead…?

The vinyl is only temporary, and you still get much more of that outdoors feeling, plus a lot of sunlight, as compared to being cooped up inside.

Our house is 4k sf.