The Versatile Screened-in Porch

A Most Versatile Space:  The Screened-in Porch

If you ask my wife what would be the one thing that she would like me to design for our house, I guarantee she would answer, “A really nice screened-in porch.” If you allow her to, she may go on to tell you about some of her great childhood memories playing in the screened-in-porch at her friend Liz’s house. In fact, her musings have been so beguiling that she has actually convinced me that indeed a screened-in porch should be a higher priority on our list of things we want for our house. Higher, in fact, than turning our backyard and beautiful garden (that she has worked hard on cultivating) into a basketball court with lights… and I assure you that I am not a push over when it comes to sports-related home activities.

The truth is, for roughly eight months of the year, there really isn’t a better feature to a home than a screened-in porch. They offer openness to the outdoors, engagement with neighbors and community, and a restful space away from the commotion of the internet and television that dominate our living areas. A screened-in porch can at times be a reading space, a sleeping space, an eating space, a party space, a coffee-in-the-morning space and a wine-in-the-evening space.

I had the great pleasure of incorporating a screened-in porch into a recently completed Old West Side remodel that also included a redesigned kitchen and a remodeled sunroom and deck. After seeing it completed, I could not be happier with how it turned out. The screened-in porch serves both as room and deck, interior space and exterior space, public space and private space. It is the perfect transition from the sunroom to the rear deck and backyard beyond. 

I am confident that the homeowner will get an amazing amount of use and enjoyment out of the space. I am waiting with great anticipation for my invitation to the next big party that she hosts, so that once again we’ll confirm that my wife is usually right about these things everything!

If you’re dreaming about adding a sunroom or screened-in porch to your home, let’s talk!

By Jimmy Bevilacqua