Screened Porches

It is one of the most pleasant and relaxing ways to spend a summer afternoon or evening; sitting out on the porch with family or friends, having refreshments and perhaps a game of cards or an old-fashioned board game. Then the mosquitoes come, and everybody is driven indoors by the annoying pests. The best way to avoid this problem is to have a screened porch. Screened porches are protected, with the people enjoying themselves inside, and the clouds of troublesome mosquitoes – and all the other bothersome bugs – outside. Some screened in porch designs also provide some privacy.

There are other good reasons to have a screened in porch. Your screen porch provides protection from the sun and those harmful ultra-violet rays. Screen porches are also great, safe, play areas for children. The doors can be locked, and some screen porch designs even have door handles that are out of the reach of small children. The children can be playing “outside”, yet still be in a secure area. Pet doors can easily be installed in the doors of screen porches. There are contractors who specialize in building screened in porches. A contractor can screen the porch that is already on your house, or custom build a screened porch that will perfectly fit your house. You can also hire a contractor to put a pre-fabricated lanai screened porch on your house. The lanai can also be assembled over a barbeque-patio area, or over a swimming pool for child safety purposes. You can also have a tent screen porch, which is inexpensive, and effective as long as the netting is properly installed.

Or perhaps you are interested in building a screen porch yourself. If so, your local building supply centre will have all the materials you need. The centre will also provide you with instructions on how to screen a porch. The staff can show you screened in porch designs. When you have selected a suitable screened porch design, the centre can provide you with screened porch plans. If you are buying materials, the centre might even give you the screened porch plans free.

Before you begin building anything on your house, it is always a good idea to check with the municipality to see if your project is in accordance with community building by-laws. If you are screening in an old porch, it is also wise to ensure that everything about the older structure is sound. You might encounter wood-rot, etc. when you begin to work, and might have to replace some parts before you can actually get started on your screening.