Home & Garden Home Improvement

Why Build a Screen Porch?

In Architecture, a porch is a structure attached to a building to shelter an entrance or to serve as a semi-enclosed space.
It is usually roofed and typically open-sided.
It may be screened or glass enclosed.
Over the years, the term "porch" has evolved.
Its usage has been modified as screen porches have become extensions of living areas.
Why build a screened-in-porch? There are a few reasons why.
If you have the time and budget to spare, building a screen porch would afford you the luxury of enjoying the outdoors sans the insects and bugs.
Minneapolis and Saint Paul may be different from other US cities in terms of other aspects but when summer comes, these two cities are in the same league with all other US cities as bugs, flies, mosquitoes and other insects descend like plague to hassle mortals out in the open.
A screen porch will provide a welcomed respite from pesky insects during warm summer nights.
It will also be a great place to be when a cool summer breeze wafts in from the west or when a much-needed rain shower gently falls to the ground washing out the dust from Mother Nature.
A screened in porch is a great place to entertain friends and family.
It would be nice to have an option for outdoor dining without the hassles of "being outdoor".
A screen porch could serve as your own little nook for reading or resting, sleeping even.
If you have small children, the area would be a perfect space for quiet play.
A screen porch will add value to your home.
More in Minneapolis and Saint Paul homeowners now realize that extensions built on their properties will definitely add value to their homes should they decided to sell someday.
Constructing a screened porch will dramatically increase the size of your home and add value to your property and provide an outdoor extension to your home that you can enjoy.
There are a lot of DIY-ers today.
Most house extensions like decks, lanais, patios, garages and porches are becoming to be every DIY-er's weekend project.
There is nothing wrong in being an avid DIY-er.
However, it is best to know what a particular work entails before plunging head-on with a project.
Constructing a screen porch is not that easy.
In reality, building a screened porch is akin to constructing a typical room but with framed screens for walls instead of solid ones.
To build a screen porch, you have to know the basics in laying out foundations, posts, beams, and roofing system.
If your plan is to just screen-in a portion of an existing entrance porch, then there is more to just happily nailing screens on wooden battens and standing them up on existing posts and girths.
For you to end up with a beautiful and symmetrical screened porch, your carpentry skills should be at par with a master carpenter.


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