Before you can begin screen porch construction you must first plan carefully. Homeowners who are seeking to install a screened porch have a lot to think about and with all of the various materials and products that are available, getting that new addition might take a lot longer than expected.

To learn more about what you need to consider as you plan your screened porch, consider some of the following hints and tips to ensure this extension of your living space truly reflects your personal taste and matches the home.

The Door of Your Porch

For starters, you want to decide where you plan to put the door of your screened porch and the material you plan to select. As to the former, you need to ensure that your door doesn’t impede any passageways in the home. The doorway to the porch should be convenient to access without blocking normal traffic flow.

As to the latter, wood is often preferred by homeowners for the aesthetic value. But aluminum makes a whole lot more sense functionality wise, because wood can start to sag which prevents you from having a tight seal on the doorway when it’s shut. This can make your home less energy efficient and allow precipitation to leak in and bugs to slip inside.

Your Screen Choice

Again, it comes down to the material you select because that can affect the lifespan of the screen as well as the ease of maintenance and replacement should you need to do that down the line. In this case, fiberglass is recommended because it is resistant to creases and much easier to handle. Aluminum is another popular choice but it’s tougher to work with and creases easily.

You should also consider the color of screen you decide to have installed. Gray or charcoal tinted options work best for reducing the effects of the sun. This will be useful for those bright summer days where you want to hang out and enjoy the outdoors without the harsh glare of direct sunlight.

Electrical Concerns

You may want to use your porch at night, so you’re going to want to think about having it wired for electricity. This allows for you to have lighting installed as well as outlets to plug in appliances that you may want to enjoy while you’re using the porch. So, think about where you want to place fixtures in the porch and where they will work best.

What about a ceiling fan with lighting fixtures attached to it? This way you can get some air flow going on those hot and humid days and evenings. Of course, natural light is important and so you may want to think about having at least one skylight placed overhead so your porch roof doesn’t block out the sun entirely.

Consider what appliances you might wish to place on your porch. A refrigerator? Perhaps a TV? These will need electrical outlets in order to operate and you should decide where you wish these furnishings to reside so you can have outlets installed for easy access.