Do you yearn to spend time with friends and family on your screened porch this winter? Too often it is assumed screened porches can’t be used into the winter months…not so! Imagine coming home from an afternoon of shopping, a long day of work or an evening tour of the Nashville holiday lights to a cozy outdoor room. With the incorporation of a custom outdoor fire feature, your screened porch or 3-season room can magically morph into your own cozy lodge.
As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, Nashville homeowner’s need to be able to enjoy their outdoor living spaces year-round. When it comes to a screened porch or an Eze-Breeze porch, incorporating an outdoor fireplace into the design turns your porch into a true outdoor room that is an extension of your indoor space. This combination will also add lots of value to your home.
A fireplace brings instant atmosphere to a porch and is the perfect spot to enjoy marshmallows and hot chocolate with the kids or a romantic outdoor dinner for two. Adding a fireplace as part of your porch build is also a terrific way to inject ambiance and real warmth into your porch. Whether it’s wood burning or gas, you can enjoy the cooler months with the allure of the flicker of flames and the warmth it provides.
Do you want a gas fireplace or wood burning for your Nashville outdoor fireplace?
One important consideration when integrating an outdoor fireplace into your screened porch design is whether you want a gas fireplace or a wood burning fireplace. Both are available in a wide range of designs, styles, and shapes, and both can be customized to fit your needs. Each has some benefits and drawbacks.
Classic wood burning fireplaces have a distinct charm that cannot be replicated by modern technology, but gas burning fireplaces are clean-burning making them much easier to maintain and can be just as beautiful to look at. Taking the gas fireplace a step farther is the ventless gas fireplace. Ventless offers the perfect combination of easy installation, warmth, and ambiance. Since they don’t require a flue or chimney stack they more economical than wood burning. There is no need to chop wood to start a fire. You can light it with the flick of a switch– or even by touching a button on your remote control. Almost instantly you can turn a chilly porch into a warm and welcoming outdoor retreat!
When planning the inclusion of an outdoor fireplace in your screened porch or Eze-Breeze porch design there are a few considerations to keep in mind. A traditional masonry fireplace built from scratch is stunning but can be quite pricey. The basis behind the expense comes in the need to add a full foundation to your porch. And, depending on how high off grade it is can really dip into your wallet. Another factor is the chimney stack. In order to comply with wood fireplace building codes and for the sake of safety, the chimney stack must exceed the height of the roof. Expenses can add up quickly based on the individual characteristics of your roof line. Not only does the chimney stack have to be a specific distance from the roof itself, it must also be a specific distance from each side of your structure.
Whether you choose a wood-burning or gas fireplace, the rest of the design options are up to you. You can choose your veneer, whether you have a hearth, and choose if you want a TV mounted above the fireplace. The great thing about working with a custom builder like Archadeck of Nashville is we will design each component of your new outdoor space to suit your taste and budget.
With a myriad of outdoor fireplace choices, the key to getting the fireplace you really want in the location you desire is to build it when you start your outdoor structure. Waiting until your space is completed will make the addition quite prohibitive. If you feel like adding a fireplace at the time of your structure’s construction would be biting off more than you can chew then we can phase your project for you. Talk with us about where the fireplace is going and this way we can take some steps in advance such as reinforced foundation, running of gas lines, etc. for a future addition. Archadeck of Nashville can build the framing and foundation in anticipation of the addition of your fireplace at a later date so we are not ripping out framing to install your fireplace as an afterthought. This way the stage is set when your lifestyle and budget allows the addition.
Regardless of whether a fireplace is a feature that you enjoy alone, with a partner or among a group of friends, you will never regret incorporating one into your porch. When you make the investment in building a screened porch or convertible outdoor room you owe it to yourself to create a retreat you can use and enjoy year round!
To learn more, contact us today at (615) 640-3628, or contact us online.
Archadeck of Nashville and Archadeck of Chattanooga are owned by Russell & Magan Henderson. After successfully building thousands of projects for Nashville homeowners, the homeowner-beloved outdoor building team is bringing the Archadeck magic to Chattanooga! For the best experience in outdoor building, choose Archadeck of Nashville and Chattanooga!
