Quality Porches and Decks Improve Your Life at Home

Few areas of the home have such a huge natural potential for making lifelong memories through sheer relaxation and fun as do porches and decks. Fully capitalizing on their somewhat intangible characteristics and benefits, when brought to life by a qualified contractor who truly understands them, results in adding extra overall appeal and measurable value to your home. You will almost never go wrong by upgrading your home with a deck or porch. Design options are practically limited only to your budget, creativity and property limitations of space or local ordinances. Even repairing or replacing an old deck may be a wise option for giving an older home an attractive and lifestyle enhancing makeover.

Considerations between decks and porches

Deciding whether to build a deck or porch really comes down to determining which fits your intended usage best, along with the overall appearance you want to achieve. Decks are seldom found at the very entrance of the house. A deck is not covered and usually has an informal look to it. Decks are used for more “open air” fun rituals like BBQs and other family gatherings. On the other hand, a porch is roofed or covered which gives it more of a formal look. Additionally, they are typically Incorporated into the surrounding design of the home’s main entrance; whereas deck are located outside of more private areas like family or dining rooms.

Porch variations for extended pleasure and purpose

Screened: One of the complaints many people have with porches is that they sometimes become home to many unwanted bugs and pests. Subsequently this ruins the whole idea or purpose of a porch. With a little creativity this problem was solved by enclosing either the entire porch, or at least a portion of it, using a type of mesh material similarly found in removable window panels used in summertime. This allows refreshing breezes inside while keeping unwanted pesky critters out. Just a little twist to a standard home improvement and you can have the best of both worlds: the benefits of the outdoors without its usual detractions!

Enclosed: Ingeniously, the screen porch idea has been taken even further resulting in practically creating an additional room to the house functional in three, if not all four, of the year’s seasons. Incorporating low walls around the perimeter of the porch combined with windows the rest of the way to the ceiling (or variations based upon the homeowner’s preference) provides additional weather protection. Natural sunlight and fresh air are readily available during warmer months; yet the enjoyable use of the extra space doesn’t have to be forfeited when it’s chilly outside. Simply close the screens and make use of the glass in the windows. The insulating value of the short walls and windows (when done properly) affords the opportunity of enjoying extra sunlit time throughout the spring and fall. By adding a separate heat source these rooms can be enjoyed even in winter.

Feel free to call upon our experience when making a decision with your project…

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