Avoid Porch Problems: Hire Screen Porch Installers Near Me
Building a new enclosed porch is not a good DIY project for most homeowners. Unless you have experience in this field, you could end up with an unsafe space susceptible to multiple problems including rot, flooding, leaking, and issues with your city or county. This is a job best left to screen porch installers near me, such as Structurally Speaking. We have decades of experience designing and building high-quality screened porches throughout the Raleigh area.
Common Screened-In Porch Mistakes
When building a new outdoor living space, the mistakes you could make fall into three main categories:
- Safety
- Function
- Design
Safety is obviously the most important here, although we do want your new porch to also be functional and beautiful. Most locations in North Carolina require permits for building projects such as screen porches. You may need additional city/county inspections if you are running electric, gas, or plumbing to your porch as well. When you work with professional porch builders like our team, you can rest assured that we will handle all permits, paperwork, and inspections.
It should be a huge red flag if a contractor doesn’t get the right permits or doesn’t have a license for this kind of work. Flying under the radar might save a little time and money in the short-term, but it’s extremely unsafe for your family.
Other common mistakes people make when trying to build a porch themselves or hiring an inexperienced team include the following:
- Adding screens to a porch that is not in good condition, rather than building a high-quality new porch
- Designing a porch that doesn’t take the best advantage of the available space
- Building a porch that looks “tacked on” to your house rather than adding a porch that looks like it was meant to be part of your home
By working with Structurally Speaking, you can avoid these common problems. We’ll build the perfect porch for your home.
How to Choose the Best Screen Porch Design for Your Home
When families don’t use their screen porch, it is typically because the space wasn’t designed to best fit their needs. Here at Structurally Speaking, we spend a lot of time during our initial meeting discussing exactly how you plan to use your new porch, so we can build a unique porch suited well for your family.
For example, some families are extremely active and want storage for outdoor items such as pool toys, yard games, and sports equipment. Other families crave a relaxing space to have coffee in the morning while watching the sun rise. Still other families want their porch to double as a playroom on rainy days or a cozy place to curl up by a fire.
Whatever you envision for your screened-in porch, we can create it. This includes the following:
- Figuring out where to place the door(s) leading into your home, so it is easily accessible
- Determining the perfect size for your new porch based on your backyard size and how you want to use the space
- Designing ramps or stairs leading from your house to the porch and from the porch to a deck or your backyard
- Choose the best screens for your needs
- Positioning the porch so it gets ample amounts of sun and shade, based on how you plan to use it
- Making recommendations for flooring material that will work best for your lifestyle
- Adding special features such as outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and built-in shelving or seating
Before we start building, we’ll show you several drawings of potential porch designs so you can make tweaks. We always make sure our clients are 100% happy with the design before construction begins.
Keep Your Screen Porch Looking Great with Proper Maintenance
One major mistake some homeowners make when building an outdoor living space is choosing the wrong materials. Like with decks, you have several options for your porch, including pressure-treated pine, exotic hardwoods, cedar, and composite planks. They all have pros and cons. We think it’s important that you consider not just the cost and look of the material but also the upkeep required.
Often, the tradeoff with less expensive materials, such as pine, is that you have to do more upkeep. Porches typically need less maintenance than decks, but you still will need to properly care for the material if you want your porch to last. When we meet with you to make material selections, we’ll go over all the maintenance needs for different products so you can make the best selection for your porch.
Hiring the Best Screen Porch Installers Near Me
We’d love to meet with you to answer any questions you have about working with our team. Any porch contractors worth their weight should be happy to answer questions before they start the work, and it should be a major red flag if they aren’t willing to help you understand your various design and material choices.
Here are a few frequently asked questions we hear regarding working with screen porch installers near me:
Does a screen porch add value to your home?
Yes. Any kind of outdoor living space adds value to your home. It’s one of the top features home buyers want. This article has more information on how much you can expect to spend and how to get the most value from your project.
How big should my screen porch be?
Bigger isn’t always better! Your screen porch should be proportionate to your home and your backyard. For example, if you have a small backyard, a large porch might be overwhelming. It also depends how you intend to use the space. We can help you decide the perfect size for your new porch.
Can I install screens on an existing porch?
In some cases, you can modify an existing porch. However, if your current porch isn’t in great condition, it may make more sense to build a new one. If you’re unsure, we can look at your current porch to see if it’s appropriate to turn into an enclosed porch with the help of screen porch installers near me. Contact us today to get started.