Inside Out
Four-season porches make a comeback
Image courtesy istockphoto
The moment is sketched in Brian and Sandy Emery's minds. They sat on their deck enjoying a quiet crab dinner with their daughter, Meghan, and one of her suitors when the young man suddenly ripped his shirt off and started swatting the no-see-ums that swarmed all over him. He pulled himself together long enough to apologize and bid the Emerys goodbye before he darted out to his car and drove off, never to be seen again.
"I swore that would never happen again," says Brian Emery of Clarksville, Del. "The next year we screened in the porch."
That simple act started them on what has been on ongoing project to turn what was once a simple deck into a modern, well-appointed screened porch. They're not alone. Across the nation, homeowners are converting decks and screened porches into places that they can spend at least three seasons enjoying the call of nature with the comforts of home.
Converting a deck or an old-fashioned screened porch into a more modern one serves another function as well. As people become more energy conscious, they are realizing that porches are a sensible and economical way to enjoy more natural light.
Jake Schloegel, owner of Schloegel Design Remodel in Kansas City, Mo., says that four-season rooms attract individuals who want to enjoy the outdoors but not some of the related hassles.
The task of converting an open porch or a simple screened porch into something that can be enjoyed throughout the year is often more expensive than it appears initially.
"Particularly in areas of extreme conditions, you've got to make sure to insulate properly or the heat and cold will seep in," he says. A mid-range estimate for building a new sunroom run at around $69,817, according to "Remodeling Magazine." That includes a 200-square-foot slab-on-grade foundation, post-and-beam framing, vinyl or aluminum clad awning, casement windows with low-E, laminated or tempered glazing, screens, venting skylights with screens, ceiling fan, insulation of all non-glass areas and quarry tile or equal on floor. The cost drops if you already have a foundation in place and framing.
The Emerys started small by adding a 15-foot tall ceiling that closely follows the pitched roof lines of their home and then screening their decks in. They then replaced their wooden crab table with a dining table from inside the home and surrounded it with green wicker chairs and a matching tiki bar. They also rewired the electrical to allow for a hanging light.
They invested so much time and effort into their small back porch oasis, in fact, that when a Nor'easter blew in over one Labor Day weekend and drenched it, the Emerys took it hard. They quickly decided to protect it with glass panels.
Now they're enjoying their room practically all year.
"We wouldn't have it any other way," Brian Emery says.
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