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DEAR CAROLINE:
Screened porch designs, and I mean good ones, are often hard to find. Most of the ones I have seen seem to be mutations of decks that are just thrown onto the rear or side of a home. You have to keep many things in mind when you decide to build a screened porch.
The first thing you need to consider is the size. One really effective way to create the floor plan is to buy the furniture you intend to use on the porch before you build the structure. Set the furniture up in your yard spacing it exactly as you intend to place it on the finished porch. Be sure you have the spacing correct, so people can walk freely around the chairs, tables and any decorative items you may have.
Use string to create the outline of the porch so you can see the shape and get fairly accurate measurements. My guess is that, to seat at least eight or more people comfortably, you will discover that you need a screened porch that measures at least 15 feet by 15 feet.
The outside design should match the style and character of your home. This means you should copy the roof pitch as well as the exterior trim details. The overhang of the screened-in porch needs to match your existing one or be in scale if your home is a two-story.
Be very aware of interior hallways or pathways within the floor plan of the porch if you plan to have a door leading from the porch to your yard. A doorway will often consume 15 or 20 square feet of floor space inside the screened porch, especially if it is placed in a corner.
I urge you to consider a vaulted ceiling inside the screened porch. This design detail is magical, as it creates a feeling of immense spaciousness. A vaulted ceiling also helps keep the porch slightly cooler, as hot air can easily rise up to the highest point of the roof and exit through ventilation devices installed with the roofing.
Your outdoor screened-in porch design should include soft indirect lighting that bounces off the ceiling as well as task lighting over a table. You want to be able to see what you are eating or what cards you were dealt as that poker game extends into the night.
Be sure to plan for adequate electric outlets in key locations where you might place a television, sound system or any other appliance than needs electricity. You must avoid extension cords at all costs, as they can be very dangerous.
You are going to get many pleasant benefits from your new porch, but be aware there are undesirable secondary effects that catch people off guard. These structures are almost always added to a home. The natural light entering the finished room that abuts the screened porch is always significantly diminished. That room will be dark and gloomy, so it may need additional artificial lighting to compensate. You can add skylights in the screened porch to help get additional light into the house.
Be sure the walls of the screened porch are tall enough so that views are not blocked by the roof overhang, any beams that are supporting the roof and the actual finished framing around the screens. You may discover that you need a wall height of at least 9 feet to ensure the views from the porch are only obscured by the screening itself.
The flooring of the screened porch is important. It needs to be weatherproof and good looking at the same time. Be aware that tiny bugs can come up through any cracks or gaps in the flooring unless you have screening that extends all the way to the ground around the structure. The roof will protect the flooring from much of the sunlight, but driving rain will get the floor wet on many occasions.
Be sure to include a powerful ceiling fan in your design. You may need the air movement on evenings or days that are hot and devoid of wind or breezes. A high-quality ceiling fan will be whisper quiet or completely silent so you can hear nothing but the pleasant sounds of nature just the other side of the screening.
HOME DECORATING, INTERIOR DESIGN, HOME RENOVATION & HOME IMPROVEMENT
From Common to Customized – Add Value With Architectural Details
Architectural Details Increase your Home's 'Wow' Value & Selling Value
Architectural elements are the unique details that form the architectural style of houses and buildings.
Customizing your kitchen, baths, master bedroom or any other room with architectural details is a simple way
set your home apart and increase the "wow factor" of those particular rooms and in turn the selling value of your
home.
Interior Design for the Sports Lover
Interior Home Decorating Trend
With the trend of sports decor becoming a mainstream choice throughout homes, decorating options are endless. Sports themes can range from fun and over-the-top to subtle and tasteful integrations depending on what the homeowner likes. Here are some ideas about where to start.
Planning A Screened-In Porch: What to Consider
Home Renovation Tip & Advice from Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: The next project at my home is a screened porch. I have looked at many plans, but none of them really excite me. After looking at some pictures, I have some really good ideas about what I want in my design. What should I take into consideration in this planning phase so that I end up with the perfect screened-in porch?
Two Main Forces Working Against Your Retaining Wall: Gravity and Frost
Home Renovation Tip & Advice from Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: Can you tell me how to build a retaining wall? Are retaining wall blocks a good choice? What critical things do I need to know so that I don't have a collapse or other failure in the years to come? I have access to lots of large stones. Can I just stack them to make a retaining wall from stone?
When Installing a Patio, Build It to Last
Home Renovation Tip & Advice from Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: I have decided to use patio pavers to build a nice outdoor space. Installing patio pavers seems easy enough. I don't want to make a mistake, so can you tell me how to install patio pavers? What method would you use? What should I be concerned about if I want a patio that looks good and is as maintenance free as possible?
Power-Wash the Deck or Do a Green Clean? The Pros and Cons
Home Care Tip & Advice from Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: I am having a spirited debate with my husband about how to clean a deck. The job doesn't seem that hard, but my husband wants to use a pressure washer, as he thinks it will save time. I want to use a green cleaner that is non-toxic and environmentally safe. What is the proper way to clean a deck and keep it looking nice? --Lisa T., Burlington, N.C.
Island Innovations: Make the Most of Your Kitchen Space
Home Innovation Tip & Kitchen Islands
"The kitchen island has become the icon of the modern kitchen – the 21st century equivalent of the old-fashioned hearth," says architect Duo Dickinson for This Old House Magazine. "It’s easy to understand why - kitchen islands work."
Green Building Options from the Ground Up
Going Green Environment Friendly Home Renovation Tips
More and more homes are being built and remodeled with the environment in mind. This green building movement is gaining momentum and options for homeowners continue to increase, making creating a green home easier than ever. Here are some tips to make your home greener, from the ground up.
Put the 'Eco' in Decorating
Eco-Friendly Home Decorating Tips & Trends
Just because you’re going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. There are many ways to easily incorporate eco-friendly ideas into your home decor without living the stereotypical "granola-and-Birkenstocks" lifestyle.
Add Warmth and Value with Easy Weekend Projects
Easy Home Decorating Tips that can be accomplished over a weekend
You’ve got a weekend to work with and the inspiration to do something to dress up your home. You don’t need to spend like a diva or wield a hammer like a home improvement show host to achieve a high-impact do-it-yourself project. Many value-enhancing, elegance-adding improvements can be accomplished in a weekend with minimal effort and expense.
A Good Excuse to Upgrade Your Home Entertainment System
Home Theater & Home Entertainment Systems
Television has come a long way since its introduction to the world in 1925, when Scottish inventor John Logie Baird successfully transmitted the first recognizable image -- the head of a ventriloquist’s dummy.
Hot Home Decorating Tips - Freshen Up Your Home and Brighten Your Mood
Home Decorating Tips & Advice
Could your home be putting you in a bad mood? If so, you’re not alone. A recent study shows that having a clean home in the winter makes 92 percent of adults feel happier. You don’t have to undertake a major cleaning overhaul; just a little polishing here and there can boost your mood as much as a sunny day.
Hot Home Decorating Tips - Walls Get In Step With Fashion
Home Decorating Tips & Advice
Fashion and home decor trends are so closely aligned now that we can add a favorite new look or color scheme to
both our wardrobes and our homes at the same time. One day you’re shopping for handbags in the hottest color
and the next day you find yourself reaching for pillows in a matching shade.
Hot Home Decorating Tips - Copy an Inspiration Room on a Budget
Home Decorating Tips & Advice
With a few easy tips, you can achieve a similar Inspiration Room look without the hefty price tag. The trick,
experts say, is to draw "inspiration" from these examples and emulate the look and style with more affordable
furnishings and decorations.
Hot Home Decorating, Color Trends and Tips - Interior Design and Decorating
Home Decorating Tips & Advice
Are you ready to get a jump start on discovering 2008’s hottest decorating and paint color trends?
Winter is an ideal time to start planning your interior decorating spruce ups. And one of the easiest, least
expensive ways to give a room a new look and feel is with paint.
Top 10 Home Decor Trends for 2008 - Interior Design and Architecture
Home Decorating Tips & Trends
Much like we can expect from the American people in next year’s election, the votes among the nation’s top interior designers and manufacturers are split when it comes to forecasting what will be "hot" in home decor in 2008.
Kitchen Color Trends and Tips - Interior Design and Decorating
Kitchen Decorating Tips & Advice
Every homeowner knows that the kitchen is the perfect place to please the palate. But it can also be the perfect place to add character with the color palette. When remodeling the hub of your home, choosing the right colors is an important part of the decision making process. But how do you choose colors that are compatible with your space and your taste?
The Art of Accent Colors: How to Use Color to Brighten a Room
Home Decorating Tips & Advice
Certain colors innately evoke different memories, thoughts or moods, according to a study conducted by Miami
University. If your home is laced with walls that are too white or overbearingly dark, details in your décor
can change everything. By recognizing this, it is easy to brighten up or give any room a little extra personality
with accent colors.
Architectural Digest's The New AD 100 Top Interior Designers and Architects
Top 100 List from AD (Architectural Digest)
Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
Expert home builder and renovation and remodeling contractor Tim Carter has 20 years of hands-on experience
in the home industry. His column ASK THE BUILDER is a how-to-get-it-done-right Q&A guide for all types of building projects. It offers important information on questions to ask and things to avoid while working with contractors of all varieties.
About Tim Carter
Tim Carter began his career as a renovation and remodeling contractor after college, first working on small jobs and gradually taking on bigger projects. Soon after he graduated from college, he and his wife bought their first house -- a "fixer-upper" -- and he renovated it and turned a profit. The construction bug had bitten him. He began rehabbing more houses and doing contract work for other homeowners, and eventually he began to build custom homes.
Carter is a licensed master plumber, master carpenter, master roof cutter and real estate broker. He is host
of the weekly two-hour live radio show "Ask the Builder" on WMOH in Cincinnati. Homeowners from around the nation
call Carter to get straight answers about difficult home building and remodeling dilemmas. Carter also serves as
TV expert for "House and Home" weekly news segments on WLWT-TV, Cincinnati (NBC affiliate). Carter is the
Editor-at-Large of the new magazine Extreme How-To. He is also the co-author of The Home Ranger Helps You Figure
it Out! a resource and instruction book for accomplishing common household repairs.
In his weekly column, Carter offers professional advice and walks readers through each project step by step,
offering instructions on how to hire the right professionals to do the work, what to expect from contractors,
questions to ask and tips on reading blueprints and job cost breakdowns.
Tim Carter holds a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Cincinnati. He was born and raised in Cincinnati and still lives there with his wife, Kathy. They have three children, Meghan, Tristan and Kelly.
(c) 2008 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
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