Anyone have a screened porch?

Lovely screened in porches, people! I got one myself in this 1950's gem. The living room and dining room were made into one some time ago and is ~ 40 feet in length with an old fashioned wood burning fireplace. One wall in the living/dining combo is all glass, floor to ceiling with 2 sets of pocket doors that slide on an iron rail. Both open up to the porch which is nearly the same size as the living room. The porch floor is concrete and on top is an old 1960's wool commercial carpet which still looks fab. The screens reach down to the floor and the carpenter amazingly made 2 lift-up trap doors so dirt can be swept out. Got a fan out there, love it, need it here in SC though I live in the foothills of the Appalachians.

In spring, I rise early before the fellas, Mike and his 11 year old, and me and the 3 dogs wander out to listen to the songbirds who are busily preparing nests, courting, and staking out territories. In fall, the tree lined back yard lights up in colors of red, yellow, green, and orange. The morning sun pours through them as it moves from east to west. You are going to love your porch, my soaping friend. I'll post a picture whenever my antique cell phone gets around to sending it to my email acct. Stay tuned.

Here is what I would do on a screened porch:

1) Knee wall
2) Ceiling Fan w/or w/o light kit. If you have a long porch, get two. This is not optional. You will thank us later.
3) Decide now if you want a table w/chairs, rocking chairs, or swing. Small porches make you decide. Longer porches let you have all.
4) Get the cat proof screen, or get smaller screen panels to make it easier to change the screens later.
5) Tin roofs are optional(very noisy if you are trying to talk on the phone or have a Skype conversation), but if you get a shed roof, be sure to get a high enough pitch.

Good advice, Suse. The ceiling fan/s, there are a number of reasons the good ones are more expensive, but one of the most impt ones for me was the sound, cheap ones are more likely to be squeaky/noisy, which will drive you crazy over time. Make sure the one/s you get are whisper quiet, it's worth it.

not_ally said:

Good advice, Suse. The ceiling fan/s, there are a number of reasons the good ones are more expensive, but one of the most impt ones for me was the sound, cheap ones are more likely to be squeaky/noisy, which will drive you crazy over time. Make sure the one/s you get are whisper quiet, it's worth it.

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Good call.....all the better to hear those birds!

lenarenee.....I agree 100%, I remember porches as being a vital part of everyday life in my childhood. Of course, back then, no one had air conditioning. So that's where you went to sit with your ice cream, to cool off. That's where you'd sit when company came over, to enjoy a cool drink and sit and talk. That's where my dad would go after dinner to read the newspaper. My best friend and I would sit on the floor and play jacks. You'd be sitting there and see your neighbors on their porch and someone would wave and say, "C'mon over!" That's back when you knew your neighbors. Even later, when I moved to the city, in summer people would sit on their stoops. It did foster a sense of community. Lately, I notice people are building porches on new houses again, but sadly, I never see anyone sitting on them. I guess it's a design thing. I think they need some porch lessons. lol

nsmar.....I don't know if this would be an option for you, but just so you know that it exists. It's a whole house fan, mounted on the roof, that sucks all the hot air out of the attic, and out of your house. Just FYI, http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/cooling-whole-house-fan It's a shame to have a porch and not be able to use it.

not_ally.....it must be wonderful to be able to make all of those design decisions, even if you're not living in the house. I love my house, but.....I often wonder why they put the built in bookcase in a spot that requires a chair to be in front of it, why is there no light switch where you come in the front door, or the door from the attached garage, and a few others. I often find myself wondering, "What were they thinking?"

TeresaT.....Oh yes, the sound of rain is one of my favorites, too. That, and rolling thunder. Not that loud, crashing thunder, but the rolling, rumbling kind that you can hear far off in the distance. When you're lying in bed (or your porch) with the window open, listening to the rain and thunder...one of my favorite things ever!

tbeck.....I'm so jealous, those old farmhouses are amazing. And I agree about the sound of the screen door. First, the squeak of that spring stretching as you open it, then the smack as it slammed shut. And the hook to latch it. Yep, that's what I want for my porch.

julieanne.....Sounds like you have a gem there! Love the sound of those trap doors.

Susie.....Great tips. As for the furniture, I already bought it. I know, crazy right? But I was looking online, just to get an idea, and the prices were crazy high, but that was a while back, and as I kept looking, and summer is waning, the prices started going down, and now everything is on clearance, and I had a coupon code, and I just had to grab stuff, because several sets that I wanted went out of stock, because I guess I'm not the only one grabbing end of season bargains. First off, I got a chaise. It came the other day, and I put it together out in the garage in the 90 plus degree heat, because I just had to try it out. It's amazing. I see myself sitting there in the morning with my coffee, or wrapped in a blanket when it gets cooler. And it was a bargain, because it was a floor model and has a couple of tiny scratches. The chairs haven't come yet, but they're a style I fondly remember from my childhood. My aunt had them in her yard, and we'd sit there after we played tag or croquet...remember croquet? I swear, this is the exact set she had, same color even! http://i5.walmartimages.com/dfw/dce07b8c-9017/k2-_4b9c5ecb-89f6-46ad-bef0-56e710b98cd7.v1.jpg If you recognize these chairs, you know the wonderful thing about them is that they, "bounce", it's almost like rocking, but better even, so relaxing. The ones I bought are a bit of a different design, and they have cushions, but they are bouncy chairs! I'm thinking about building some little side tables, because I need to save money for that fan! lol

The contractor is coming today to bring me some shingle samples for the roof, and I just may twist his arm and tell him I need him to get started on the porch....NOW!!! lol

Nav, how long have you been waiting for the contractor on this? It seems like I remember you mentioned wanting to get started on this a while ago?

ETA, also Susie's mention of size made me think about the height. I admit, there could be somewhat of bump here in cost b/c of the extra work (eg; if you want a 11 ft ceiling instead of 8, they have to individually cut all the extra pieces of 3 ft 2 x 4's for framing instead of just using 8 fters as bought.) But the difference a taller space makes in terms of a feeling of expansiveness is pretty substantial. And depending on the height you want, those could be standard lengths, too, so there really wouldn't be a lot of extra work, just the additional cost of the longer beams. Worth thinking about/asking.

not_ally, yes I've been waiting a while because the general contractor didn't like the estimate the original roofer gave him, he thought he could find someone to do it for less, and he was right, and I'm glad that he's watching out for me. This roofer is on vacation this week, so when I talk to the GC later today, I'm going to ask him when this guy will start, because he said the roof will get done first.

And ceiling height wise, that's one reason why I wanted to go with a gable roof, because I'd like to leave it open, not have an actual ceiling, like in this pic, if you can see it OK, I know it's kind of small, but the peak is just left open, so the roof is the ceiling. But it will all depend on how much all of these things will cost. I have to keep reminding myself of the difference between want and need. I need a porch. The other stuff is just "wants". It would be nice to have some of the wants, but I'll have to see how it all shakes out. Thanks for your advice.

Nav, my dad and I have discussed those attic fans. Problem is, a) I live in hurricane area and b)I have vaulted ceilings and scissor trusses-95% of my attic you can't stand up in and 80% of it you can't get to, so the fan wouldn't get to suck the whole attic .

Been considering building a screen room under one of the oak trees LOL

nsmar4211 said:

Nav, my dad and I have discussed those attic fans. Problem is, a) I live in hurricane area and b)I have vaulted ceilings and scissor trusses-95% of my attic you can't stand up in and 80% of it you can't get to, so the fan wouldn't get to suck the whole attic .

Been considering building a screen room under one of the oak trees LOL

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That's a shame. Although a screen room under the oak tree sounds nice too. With a hammock....yeah!

Navigator, I just remembered this thread now. Any updates? Did you get a quote from the contractor? Hope everything works out for you and you could get this done so you are able to enjoy it this summer/fall.