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7 Unique Screen Porch Ideas Your Family Will Love

Are you looking for screen porch ideas your whole family will love? Here at Structurally Speaking, we love building custom outdoor living spaces in the Raleigh area. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite porch features and ideas to help you design a space your family will love to use. Call us today to discuss any of these ideas for your new screened porch.

Host Dinner Parties with Counter Space

One of the reasons homeowners love our porches is that we focus on making them as functional as possible. If you love to host dinner parties or even just enjoy dinner outside with your family, we recommend adding some counter space to your new screened porch. Counter space makes entertaining easier. As premier porch builders in the Raleigh area, this is one feature we definitely recommend since counters are so convenient.

Get Cozy with an Outdoor Fireplace

Adding an outdoor fireplace to your new porch is one of the fastest ways to give the space a cozy feel. You can add a simple free-standing fireplace or a more elaborate built-in fireplace. In both cases, an outdoor fireplace allows you to use your screened porch even on chilly nights or as the weather gets cooler in the fall.

Add Built-In Storage to Save Space

Your screened porch is a great place to store items that you don’t want in your home, including the following:

Sports equipment
Tools
Outdoor toys
Bikes
Pool or hot tub items/chemicals
Yard equipment (clippers, shovels, weed eaters, etc)
Outdoor holiday decorations

When you build a porch, you can include storage solutions. Screen porch ideas include built-in storage benches, cabinets, and shelving. Additionally, you can add open built-in shelves for plants and items you don’t want to hide away.

Use Outdoor Textiles to Add Color

When we help you create a screen porch design, we’ll show you several options for flooring, screens, roofing, and more so you can choose the colors that flow best with your home’s existing style. In many cases, it makes sense to choose somewhat neutral colors. This allows you to switch out the style of your enclosed porch using textiles such as curtains, outdoor rugs, and furniture complete with cushions and pillows. As your tastes change, you can easily change the look of your outdoor living space without renovating. This article has more information about choosing fun colors for your outdoor living space.

Install Shutters to Make Your Porch More Usable

Shutters can close off your porch, making it more protected from the elements. Typically, screened porches are usable during late spring through early fall, but with shutters, you can extend this time. In addition, shutters give you the option to close off your porch during storms or especially windy days.

Enjoy Your Favorite Music with a Surround Sound System

We love helping home you create an outdoor space that is perfect for entertaining. Adding a sound system to your outdoor porch can make your next barbecue a blast. You can also use a sound system along with a projector and screen to have an at-home “drive in” movie night.

Build an Attached Deck to Create a More Versatile Space

Last but not least, one of our favorite screen porch ideas is to build a porch-deck combination space. Instead of a porch alone, you can have it lead out onto a deck. This gives you a more versatile space for grilling, using a fire pit, growing plants that need a lot of sun, and just generally enjoying your outdoor living space. We would love to help you design a deck and screened porch that seamlessly flow with your existing home and backyard.

Call Us Today to Discuss Your Screen Porch Ideas

We’d love to talk to you about any screen porch ideas you may have for your backyard. An initial meeting is free with no obligations, as we want you to feel completely confident that we’re the right porch contractor for your job. Here are a few frequently asked questions we get about building screened porches:

Will a screened porch add value to my home?

Yes! The average return on investment for a screened porch is 75%, but it depends on the size, the materials you choose, and the quality of the porch. If your goal is to add as much value to your home as possible, we can help guide you to make the best decisions for the design and materials.

What size should my porch be?

There’s no one right answer to how big your porch should be. It depends on the size of your backyard and how much you want to devote to an enclosed space. Some families love having a smaller porch with more yard space while others value a bigger enclosed porch more.

Can I enclose an existing porch?

Many homeowners can enclose their porch rather than just building a new one. If you have a porch you love, we can talk to you about this option. However, if your existing porch is not structurally sound, it may make more sense to demo and build a new porch.

What makes Structurally Speaking the best porch contractor in the NC Triangle?

You don’t have to take our word for it! Here’s what some of our happy customers are saying:

“We had a wonderful experience with Structurally Speaking and use our screened-in porch all the time!! Jim has a great eye for design and included touches that make the space unique and extremely usable.” – Steve McIlwain

“Jim and his crew from Structurally Speaking turned our back deck into a screened in porch (with Eze-Breeze windows). Jim’s design was great, making the most efficient use of our space. The crew was really efficient, the product is amazing.” – Wolfgang Bergmeier

“We used Structurally Speaking for our screened-in-porch, and we couldn’t have been more pleased! Jim and his crew were professional, knowledgeable, courteous and timely.” – Denise H.

How can I set up a free initial meeting about my project?

When you’re ready to learn more about working with our team, click here to schedule a consultation. We’d love to learn more about what you want from a new outdoor living space so we can make your dreams a reality.