From TheLakeChannel.com
Think about quiet and relaxing summer evenings at the lake, and the chances are that you will also be thinking about the screened porches you experienced them in. If you don’t have a screened porch on your lake home, you have probably considered adding one. Proper planning can ensure that you create a great screened in porch which is used frequently for years to come.
Why Do We Love Screened Porches So Much? The answer is simple. Screened porches allow for the flow of the breeze and the sounds of nature, giving us all the natural feel of an outdoor setting while protecting their occupants from insects, rain and hot sun. A screened porch can be a separate, free-standing structure or it can be attached to your house. It can be a custom-built addition to the house, or an enclosure that is purchased as a kit.
Designing a Screened Porch Creating the porch of your dreams requires thorough understanding of all the elements involved, including usage, construction type and climate. Take time to think about what the purpose of the screened area is before you do anything. This will help you prioritize and make choices. Are you simply screening in an existing patio or deck, or do you need to create the space from scratch? In either case, a good rule of thumb is that it should take at least as long to plan the project as it does to build it.
Planning Guidelines One way to get some great ideas is to visit other screened porches and note what details you like and don’t like. Then start asking yourself a lot of questions. Think about how many people will join you there to enjoy breezy mornings and evenings. Are you going to have a table and chairs for outdoor dining, or will it be more of an outdoor living room with a coffee table and comfortable lounging chairs? Do you need both? Will it be more of an entertaining area, or more of a quiet napping corner?
Whatever you decide, you can use your existing living room or dining room as a guideline for sizing this new living space. To get a quick idea of the space you will need, set out existing furniture that would fit your needs where the structure will be. Make sure you have room to move things around, and room to maneuver around the furniture. Decide where the doorways are going to be needed. Next, get out a sheet of paper, measure, and sketch your ideas to see if they make sense with the design of the house.
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Posted by Scott Freerksen “The lake Guy”