Creating A Screened-in Porch Addition

This young, engaged couple wanted to create a private outdoor space where they could enjoy time together and with their dog, a large German Shepherd named Zuko. 

Screened Porch Addition

• Goals and Challenges

• • There was an existing, poorly built deck that the couple did not use. 
  • The couple wanted a space that gave them privacy and a space where they could watch TV and spend time with their dog. 

• Solutions

• • We demolished the existing deck to make room for a safer and more functional space.  
  • We designed a new screened porch and built it from the ground up to be practical and beautiful.
  • The new screened porch is sturdy and well-designed, with enough room for the couple to relax. A solid side wall blocks the neighbors’ home and is the perfect spot for a television. It is surrounded by walls of floor to ceiling screens that preserve the open view to the backyard. 
  • To guard the couple’s privacy, we opted for a darker screening material that makes it difficult to see in, yet easy to see out. 
  • We beefed up the framing of the ceiling joists to create a secure place to anchor a ceiling-suspended swing bed. We envisioned this as a place where the couple could watch TV and unwind, but the dog had other plans. Zuko has since claimed this space as his own, much to the couple’s delight.  
  • A stained tongue and V-groove ceiling tops off the space. 
  • Since the couple liked to barbeque, we left an adjoining portion of the screened porch open to create a grilling porch. The homeowner converted his grill to natural gas, and we ran a hookup to it to make it more convenient. 
  • We recommended a vendor who installed some patio stones to create a patio with a place for a firepit in the backyard. The resulting area lends itself to parties and outdoor entertaining when weather permits. 
  • We finished off the space by underpinning this new screen porch so the dog would not get up underneath the porch and get into the mud.

The couple – and their dog – love the new space. A neighbor who is a Realtor mentioned that the addition is exactly what that the space needed to feel like home.