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Screen Porch:
A screen porch is a great place to
enjoy summer evenings. A screened porch will keep insects from ruining
the
evening. Discover some screen porch design tips you should include when
you
build a screen porch.
When you decide to
screen a porch,
there is much to consider. For starters, the type of screening material
is
important. Some newer screens allow for much greater visibility than
older,
thicker screening materials. Be sure to ask about resistance to
ultraviolet
(UV) light degradation. UV light can make some screens that are made
from
synthetic materials fall apart or get weak over time. Years ago, most
screen
were made from thin galvanized wire or even brass, so this was not an
issue
with them. But modern screens are rarely made from these two metals.
If your curiosity has
you wondering
just how to screen a porch, you're not alone. It's a popular topic as
each
spring and summer tens of thousands of people react to their
frustration of
sitting out on patios hoping that the bug repellant and special
machines will
protect them from pesky bugs of all sorts. When you're relaxing on a
screen
porch, you just sit back and forget about bugs. The best part of these
structures is that you can be outdoors in great weather or a rain
shower. The roofs
on screened porches keeps people dry while Mother Nature waters trees,
plants
and lawns.
You may be interested
in
screened-porch plans. If so, that's a great thing to focus on as poor
planning
will result in a porch that's too small, and will not allow you to
enjoy the
space with all your friends. Some of the best screened porches I've
been on and
built have these things in common:
- They have vaulted
ceilings
- They are at least 14
feet wide and 17 feet long
- They have generous
overhangs that minimize rain from entering
- They have indirect
lighting that washes the ceiling with a soft glow of light at night
- There are ample
electric outlets for floor lamps, computers and possibly a television
Be sure your
screen-porch plans have
lots of details with respect to how the screened panels are trimmed.
It's
important that you plan for these panels to be removed easily. This can
be
accomplished by making an interior stop molding that's screwed to the
frame
with stainless-steel screws that won't rust. Screws allow you to remove
the
stop molding easily. If you nail the large panels into the frame, you
will
likely damage them at some later date if you need to remove them.
Some of the best
screened-porch
designs are ones that really take into account the placement of the
porch in
its surroundings. I'll never forget the screen porch I built that was
an
octagon in the middle of a garden. This outdoor room was cozy and could
only
sit four people in soft chairs. The homeowner considered this porch a
hideaway
in the middle of the garden. There was a view from each of the eight
sides of
the porch. My only regret is that I never took screen-porch pictures of
this
project and many others I did. Idiot.....
Try to incorporate into your screen-porch design a flooring product
that's easy
to clean keeping in mind that the floor will get wet. Rain is going to
enter
your porch no matter how hard you try to keep it out. Be sure you plan
to
maximize your view. Don't allow the planner to place a post or vertical
screen-panel rail right where you have a view from a prime seating
location.
This is easier said than done, but talk about this with your architect
or
draftsperson. You want to know going in what is the maximum expanse of
screening you can have before an additional vertical rail is required.
A patio screen porch is a great project to consider. If you go this
direction
make sure the patio slab is crowned slightly. This means that the
center of the
porch slab is higher than the edges. This allows any rain water to flow
to the
edges and out instead of puddling in the porch. You also want to make
sure the concrete
slab has steel reinforcing rods in the middle of the slab. These need
to be
placed on 2-foot centers, and the steel should be at least
one-half-inch thick.
This steel will keep the slab in one piece in case you get common
shrinkage
cracks in the concrete.
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