Ideas for your new screened in porch design
Whether you are considering adding a new porch to gain more space or to provide extra outdoor living opportunities, the process of designing that new space can be fun but also overwhelming. Often we have general ideas about certain aspects of the home improvement such as general size or a general feeling of the space. You may know you want a generously sized outdoor room that’s filled with light and has a very airy feel. We hear this from many homeowners. Below are a few design ideas and considerations to help you visualize your new porch.
Screened in porch ideas come in 2 forms – built-in features and decorative or accessorized features
Accessories and decor
Thumb through any home decor magazine and you’ll see that outdoor furniture and decor has come a long way. The aesthetics often rival that of indoor decor although the style of outdoor furnishings and accessories use materials that are more frequently used outside. For example, rattan and teak are very popular outdoor furniture materials. Outdoor throw rugs are generally less plush and often more vibrant.
Outdoor furniture considerations
Customers often ask us if it’s a good idea to consider or even purchase furniture before their porch is completed. It is absolutely a good idea to consider your porch furniture before you decide on the design and dimensions of your new space. In furniture planning, the most important questions to ask yourself are these. First, do you want to regularly eat on the porch, relax on the porch or both? Secondly, how many people are going to regularly eat or relax on the porch? If you want to accommodate both an eating area and a seating area, we will want to consider the layout of the table with chairs and the same for the seating area. You may want enough room for 3 – 4 people to share frequent meals outdoors but may want the seating area to regularly accommodate 6 – 8 because you entertain frequently. The last thing you want to do is build a new space and then not be able to use that space with the number of people and types of activities you choose.
Porch design amenities
In addition to furniture, you’ll want to consider other items you want to use on the porch. Do you want to watch TV out on the porch regularly? Do you have a sizable outdoor heater that you’ll want to make room for? If you have pets in the home, you may want to consider where their dog or cat bed will go.
Built-in design ideas for your porch
After deciding on what will go on the porch, another thing to consider is the amenities. One very popular built-in option is an outdoor fireplace. If you add an outdoor fireplace to your porch, you’ll absolutely want to consider which wall of your porch you want to spend the most time looking toward. A porch fireplace will be the focal element of the room and you will likely orient your furniture and other accessories around the outdoor fireplace. Other built-in design ideas include lighting, ceiling fans, fanlights and electrical amenities. Lighting is a key consideration. Do you want built-in lighting that’s substantial enough to accommodate a task such as eating or reading? Or, will subtle table top lamps do the trick? How about air flow? While there may be a nice breeze outside, you’ll likely want a ceiling fan or two to ensure air moves around your porch. Don’t forget electrical amenities. A very important electrical amenity is outlets. If you want to use your electronic devices on the porch, you’ll likely want to plug into a charger. Do you want to hang whimsical string lights or seasonal lights during the year? It will be important to have outlets in strategic places.
So many decisions
From reading the blog above, you’ll see that a great deal of thought needs to go into design considerations before you start determining things like square footage and roof shape. At Archadeck of Kansas City, we work with our clients throughout the design process to explore options and considerations. We’ve built porches in many different shapes and sizes with any number of different amenities. We enjoy helping our clients explore these important decisions during the design process.
If you are considering adding a screened porch, roofed structure, outdoor fireplace or deck to your Kansas City area home, give us a call for a free consultation at (913) 704-6240, drop us an email or fill out the form above. We look forward to connecting with you.
