When you have a home, creativity is key, and bringing in the best screened-in porches ideas can definitely pay off a lot.
While it can take a bit of time and effort, the results can be outstanding as long as you focus on finding some new and creative way to take things to the next level in no time.
What is the Difference Between A Sunroom and a Screened Porch?
When it comes to the difference between these two, the biggest difference comes down to the materials used and overall style.
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Sunroom
Sunrooms are designed to be used during the day, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on your preference.
They’re usually made from glass, which makes them a bit more expensive than screens made from metal.
Sunrooms often come with some heating, making them a bit more comfortable in colder months.
A roof usually covers them, and they’re usually larger than screened porches. Sunrooms are mainly used as an extra room to relax and unwind during the day.
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Screened Porch
Screened porches are usually made of wood and metal, and they’re designed to be used during the day just like a sunroom.
The main difference is that screened porches are usually smaller, but they’re also a bit cheaper compared to sunrooms.
A screen covers screened porches, so they allow the air to flow freely through and around them.
They’re usually smaller in size, and they’re usually more of a home accessory than a home addition.
Why Add Screened Porch to Your Home?
Adding a screened porch to your home is one of the best ways to add value and beauty to your property. It can also make your home more comfortable and inviting.
It’s a great way to add to your lifestyle, while you can also use it as a small office area or a home gym if you want.
For most homeowners, the benefits are numerous, and it can really work wonders for your home in no time.
Cost Comparison Between Sunrooms and Screened-In Porches
Although the costs can vary and depend on several factors, they tend to be a bit similar to costs.
Sunrooms Cost Homeowners More to Build and Maintain
Sunrooms are more expensive to build and maintain than screened-in porches. Sometimes sunroom owners may find that it’s a bit hard to take care of them, which can sometimes lead to leaking or cracking windows.
It cost between $5,000-$80,000 in total to build a sunroom.
With the costs, homeowners can usually get around $1,150-$2,000 for some initial expenses that may come along with building a sunroom. It can also be anywhere between $500-$3,900 to maintain your sunroom annually.
A Porch Screen Costs Less — Even When Built from Foundation to Finishes
How much does a screened-in porch cost?
Even when you include the costs for the materials, porch screens are not very expensive to build.
The costs for materials should be about half of what it would cost for a sunroom, and most homeowners can save several thousand dollars compared to sunrooms.
It cost just $5,000-$25,000 in total to build a screened-in porch while the materials will cost around $2,000.
The costs of building a porch screen can make you save around $3,000-$6,500 when compared to building a sunroom.
Ways to Make the Most of Your Screened-In Porch
Whether you’ve recently built a screened-in porch or you want to improve it, there are a lot of things that you can do to make it better. Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Upholster with Performance Fabrics to Protect Against Spills and Mildew on Your Screen Porch
When you choose for your screened porch to come with a protective roof, you’ve got to ensure that the materials used will be able to provide optimum protection against spills and mildew.
While most fabrics are not made to accommodate water, outdoor fabric leading supplier Sunbrella has performance fabrics that can help you protect your screen porch from mildew and spills. The fabric is waterproof, UV-protected, and fade resistant.
2. Invest in Quality Screens to Ensure Longevity and Protection from Bugs
If you want to get the most from your screen porch, it’s essential to invest in quality screens.
Quality screens are known for their durability and ability to provide excellent protection from insects such as gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks.
3. Work with a Design-Build Firm to Avoid Costly Mistakes
If you’re looking to get the most out of your screened-in porch, it’s highly recommended that you work with a design-build firm.
Design-build firms have the expertise needed to design and build your screened porches, making it less likely that you will make costly mistakes.
4. Opt for a Fireplace or Wood-Burning Stove to Stay Warm
If you want to stay warm on your screened porch, you can opt for a fireplace or wood-burning stove.
Both are very energy efficient and work to keep your entire weatherproof space toasty warm.
5. Prioritize the View When Designing the Floor Plan
Porches are known for many things, but one of the primary things that they’re known for is the stunning views that you get to experience from your porch.
There’s really nothing more beautiful than seeing the sunset or the moon rise as you look out from your porch.
6. Placing the Furniture on Your Porch
You must take into consideration your screen porch furniture when you’re designing your porch space.
It’s best to use various types of seats and stands that are made from different materials to create comfort and a unique look to your porch.
For example, you can use benches made from cushioned wood or metal, as well as wooden seats attached to your porch.
This will add a little bit of variety to the look of your porch, and it will make your screen porch more enjoyable to use.
7. Use a Stencil or Painting to Add More Style to Your Screened Porch
Many homeowners tend to come up with their own designs for their screened porches, which can be really cool and fun.
You can pattern your screens using your favorite colors or patterns, or you can even design your own screen porch stencil.
If you want to add more splashes of color and style to your screen porch, you should paint it instead.
Screened Porch Design Ideas
It really is a unique and fun way to decorate your home, and it can pay off immensely in the long run for sure! With that in mind, we created a list with some of the best-screened porches ideas!
Modern design
With these great screened-in porches ideas, you will have no problem getting the unique decorating experience you always wanted.
The best part about all of this is that the porch looks great, and the overall design is visually distinct and incredibly fun. Just consider giving it a shot, and you are bound to like it quite a lot in the end. It’s certainly one of the better options, and you will not be disappointed in the end.
Traditional porch
You don’t need to opt for the very complex screened-in porches ideas. There are some simpler options to consider too, and this one works really well in particular.
The color combination is nice, and at the same time, you do have some extra space in front of your home. It’s not the ultimate porch, but it does work extremely well for this type of home, and that’s what really matters the most in the end. It’s certainly worth a shot if you like high-quality builds and nice homes in particular.
Lots of glass
Maybe the nicest thing about this one is that it combines multiple screened-in porches ideas. It really works the way you want, and it looks astonishing too.
It delivers the type of visuals and attention to detail that you always needed, and the value is quite great because of that reason alone.
Adding so much glass and bringing in that darker tone does seem to work very well, and it just makes everything look better and cooler as a whole. If you are a fan of adding glass to your screened-in porch, this really works!
Upper decker
Sometimes, the screened-in porches ideas can be a bit more complex. This one is located above the stairs, and it’s actually looking more than ok.
It’s a nice and definitely a more distinct approach, much unlike anything else out there. But it looks nice, it’s straightforward to clean up, and the visuals on their own are more than ok. It’s the type of thing that everyone will like because it’s designed to bring quality and value in a single package.
Great interior
The screened-in porches ideas don’t have to be just simple and without value. This one, in particular, allows you to enjoy some time with your loved ones in front of the fireplace.
It definitely makes it easier for you to have fun and enjoy your life, which matters the most in the end. It’s a fun approach towards having a screened-in porch, and yes, it does work more than ok for this type of experience. It looks astonishing too, and there’s a lot of attention to detail to be had in all of this, which is nice.
Simplicity is key
As we mentioned earlier, you don’t have to be too focused on large screened-in porches ideas. A smaller screened-in porch works just as well.
This one, in particular, looks very nice, and it delivers the type of experience that you can rarely find anywhere else. It’s crucial to take your time with decorating here, but the visuals are nice. The experience on its own is unique, so that’s definitely going to matter quite a lot for the entire experience in the end.
Large screened-in porch
This one, in particular, is focused too much on offering a rather distinct and unique quality. The features integrated here are perfect, and you will be pretty impressed with the attention to detail and the host of other features that you can find here.
The experience is outstanding, and there’s just a whole lot of stuff to be found with this particular idea. You will realize here that everything works just as expected, and the integrated fireplace does wonders from a visual perspective.
Transparency
Seeing everything through a transparent porch may not be the ultimate idea, but it really is a cool idea as a whole. It’s just a fun approach to be had, and it brings you one of the coolest ways to have a porch area while also making it look cool.
It’s the type of investment that works and sounds really nice, and you are definitely going to enjoy this one quite a lot because of it. The attention to detail is fascinating, and you surely appreciate the value and quality delivered via this approach.
Over the top porch
If you want to take things to the next level, this can be a perfect idea for you. It really delivers a wonderful new perspective towards the entire experience, and it’s just a pleasure to explore most of the time.
If you like screened-in porches ideas, you may want to give this one a shot. It’s exciting and distinct, but it also delivers a lot of attention to detail and features that you rarely have on the market.
So, overall, you won’t have to worry about anything here, and the visuals are great. Adding in such a huge porch area works for a large home, but it does take quite a lot of work to make everything deliver the value that you expect in the end!
Cool design
Bringing in this nice and distinct door color can really help you stand out from the entire experience. Plus, the screened-in porch ideas shown here are great because you can create a nice relaxing area from your porch.
As long as you make the most from the entire experience, the results can be more than ok. It’s all about finding the right way to handle something like this, and it will be more than interesting in the end.
While it does require a bit of focus and commitment, this is one of the better screened-in porch ideas that can be modified and customized according to your needs. You should consider checking it out!
Simple yet very beautiful
Yes, it really shows that you don’t have to go over the top with things like these. A simpler and nice approach can still do wonders here, and the outcome will be more than interesting because of it.
While it can be tricky at first, as long as you avoid rushing and don’t focus too much on details, you will be more than ok for sure. The screened-in porch ideas listed here are great, and they do work very well in this context, which matters the most.
High-quality enclosure
Putting in this screened-in porch does have its own perks. Aside from the fact that it looks quite interesting, it offers you that sense of quality and value that you can rarely find from something like this.
People like to use this enclose, and in this case, it does tend to work extremely well. It would help if you considered double thinking about this when you live in a region with extreme weather, but in a regular situation, the results can be more than interesting and distinct, which you will like the most.
Large and comprehensive
You don’t really need to work as hard as this one here, but the screened-in porch ideas can be adapted to a good living space. As long as you have all the ideas ready, this can actually look and feel really nice. You have to know how to adapt and enjoy everything, which is definitely worth your time. It does look outstanding as a whole, and you will not be disappointed because of that!
Impressive visuals
If you really want to go over the top here, you can, as the results are actually more than interesting. While this one is a bit too complex for some people, it does have some great ideas, and the exciting thing is that it does work well with the house design.
That’s what you need from screened-in porch ideas, something that really works and which does deliver that sense of value and quality pragmatically and distinctly.
Beautiful meeting area
Some of the screened-in porch ideas can be used as a meeting area if you want. This one is actually a cool example in this regard, and it shows that with enough nice ideas, you can easily create some cool living spaces that you will enjoy a lot. It’s a nice approach towards this sort of idea, and yes, it’s well worth your time because of that. It’s cool; it’s distinct and certainly among some of the best models out there.
FAQs
Pergola or screened porch?
If you are not familiar with a pergola, let’s remind you what it is: A pergola is a structure that is usually wooden or made from stone that is used to provide shade, and it’s usually connected to a home. As the name implies, it’s designed to provide shade.
How long does a screened-in porch last?
Screened-in porches can last for several decades if you take care of them properly. You can expect a screen porch to last about 60-70 years if you take proper care of it.
It may start to look worn and faded after some time, but you’ll be able to prevent that from happening by following some simple for maintaining your screen porch.
What is a good size screened porch?
The length of your screen porch should depend on the size of your home.
Most homes are usually built to accommodate a 12-by-12-foot screen porch attached to the house with a foundation. This size would most likely be enough for most homes.
After my screen porch shingles are in place, what type of siding can I put on them?
The siding you choose will depend on the budget that you have.
If your budget is tiny, you can choose for screen porch siding to be made from aluminum instead of wood.
There are many amazing aluminum siding options available today, and it’s not hard to find one that fits your style.
How can you keep your screened-in porch in good shape all winter long?
One of the best things that you can do to ensure that your screened-in porch in good shape all winter long is to clear any snow from the roof. Clear any snow right before it melts.
Is the screened-in porch worth the money?
A screened-in porch offers you a lot more than just a space for entertaining. It is one of the most convenient spaces that you can have in your house.
This means that it saves you a lot of time and effort not to walk up into the main part of the house to get things.
A screened-in porch is also good for guarding against heat in the summer, providing you with a great space where you can relax.
How much does it cost to enclose an existing porch?
The average price of enclosing an existing porch is around $8,000. That represents a fairly small amount of money, which is affordable for most families.
Those who want to improve the indoor space in their home can choose a screen porch enclosure to be added to their existing porch.
Overall, you will find these screened-in porch ideas to work great and offer you the value and quality you may need. If you are a fan of bringing something distinct to the table, these screened-in porch ideas can actually work for you. Just focus on value and creativity; the result will be amazing!
