As summer is coming to an end, you might be thinking of putting off your outdoor living project until spring. Why wait? Now is the perfect time to create a screened-in porch or three-season room for your home. Since starting the process now will result in an autumn or winter building schedule, you’ll be able to enjoy your new outdoor space at the first opportunity the weather allows. And we all love those occasional winter and early-spring days when the afternoons feel like full-on spring! There are many perks to building in the fall:
1. Cost Savings Before the 2019 Price Increases on Building Materials
We always recommend building an outdoor living project before the end of the year because you’ll benefit from the current year’s prices that way. Building materials historically increase in price just after the first of the year as a reflection of rising energy and labor costs. Currently, lumber prices are already up because of U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber. We can’t predict what will happen in the lumber market between now and December. It’s a safe bet that if you get on our calendar now to start your project in the fall, it will cost less than if you wait until spring.
2. Be Ready for Spring Weather
Wouldn’t it be great to have your new cedar porch or three-season room completely finished before spring weather arrives? While spring seems a long way off, we must consider the potential for construction delays from rainy weather, hold-ups with building permits or inspections and other factors beyond our control. In addition, Archadeck of Birmingham—like all reputable builders—usually has a bit of a lead time before we can start on a new project. The first step is to meet with us soon for a design consultation so we can put your project on our calendar for this fall or winter. If you wait to start the process in the spring, you may not be able to enjoy your new outdoor living space until late spring or early summer. Time’s a-wastin’!
3. Fall is a Great Time to use Your Screened-in Porch
The sooner we start designing and building your porch, the sooner you’ll be able to enjoy it. If all goes well—without those delays we cannot predict or control—you may have your project completed before fall turns into winter. Here in Birmingham, fall is one of the most comfortable seasons temperature-wise with lower humidity, cooler days and crisp nights. Autumn can be downright glorious around here—a great time to enjoy a porch whether it’s a screened porch or open (covered) porch.
4. Consider Eze-Breeze Windows for Winter Use & Pollen Protection
If you’re considering a 3-season room, you’ll have windows to close when it gets cold, so what are you waiting for? We love the Eze-Breeze convertible 4-track window system that turns a screened porch into a 3-season room. When the weather is nice, you can open 75% of the windows at once to reveal screens. When it’s rainy, cold or pollen season, you can close all of the windows to preserve indoor comfort and keep the pollen outside where it belongs. That means if you have your new outdoor room built before winter, you can let the fresh air in when you want it and keep it out when you don’t. With Eze-Breeze windows you’ll use your porch more days out of the year, not just this year but every year!
5. Outdoor Heaters & Fireplaces
There’s something extra cozy about using an outdoor heater or fireplace on a screened porch during our mild Alabama winters. That’s right, a fireplace! If you haven’t thought about including an outdoor fireplace on your screened porch, it’s something to consider—either a gas burning or wood burning fireplace. Outdoor heaters can create a cozy outdoor room, too. Today’s outdoor heaters are safer and more affordable than ever.
6. Landscape Replacement
Ask any landscaper … letting your lawn recover during its dormant season can help to give you a prettier yard when spring arrives. Why do we mention this? Because while we do our best to minimize the impact of our construction activity on your lawn, most outdoor home improvement projects do necessitate some amount of repair work there. If you choose to have your porch built in the fall, you can use the cooler seasons to get your landscape back in shape by spring.
What outdoor living project have you been planning for next spring? Archadeck of Birmingham would like to design and build your new screened porch, cedar porch, open porch or three-season room this fall so you can enjoy it by spring. Call for a free design consultation at (205) 576-5780.
— Derek & Carissa Crews, owners Archadeck of Birmingham
