If there is one feature we get asked about more than any other, it is the screened porch. Here is why so many North Georgia homeowners are adding one.
You Get to Use the Space More Days a Year
An open deck is wonderful for half the year. The other half, you are dealing with bugs in summer, hard rain in spring and fall, and pollen all over everything in April. A screened porch solves all of those problems.
Customers tell us they go from using their outdoor space twenty or thirty days a year to using it almost every day from March through November.
The Bug Factor in North Georgia
Mosquitoes, gnats, and yellow jackets are all part of summer evenings in our area. Citronella candles and bug spray help, but they do not really solve the problem. A screened porch does.
You can sit out and enjoy dinner without slapping at your arms or worrying about a stinger landing in your drink. That single change is what sells most of our customers on the upgrade.
Rain Does Not End the Evening
Summer pop-up storms are part of life here. With an open deck, a sudden downpour ends the night. With a screened porch and a roof overhead, rain on the metal or shingles becomes part of the ambiance.
Some of the best evenings our customers describe are watching a thunderstorm roll through the mountains from the comfort of their screened porch.
Year-Round Use With the Right Features
Add a ceiling fan and you have summer comfort. Add an outdoor fireplace or a heater and you have a usable shoulder season into November and December. Add motorized screens that lift up and you have a covered porch on cool dry days.
We design screened porches to work with the seasons, not against them.
Furniture Lasts Longer
Outdoor furniture left fully exposed to sun, rain, and pollen takes a beating. Cushions fade, fabric mildews, and wood furniture cracks. Inside a screened porch, that same furniture lasts much longer because it is protected from direct weather.
You can also use indoor-style furniture in a screened porch, which gives the space a much more comfortable, finished feel.
Property Value Boost
Screened porches consistently rank among the highest return-on-investment outdoor improvements. Real estate agents in our area tell us that a quality screened porch is one of the features buyers actively look for.
When done right, the porch pays you back in usability while you live there and pays you back again when you sell.
Open or Convert an Existing Deck
If you already have a deck, we can often convert part of it into a screened porch. We add a roof, posts, screens, and a ceiling, and you get a new room without losing what you already have.
If you are starting from scratch, we design the porch and the deck together so they flow naturally.
Talk to Us About a Screened Porch
If you have ever sat on someone else's screened porch and wished you had one, we would love to come out and walk you through what is possible on your home. The change in how you use your backyard is hard to overstate.
Pro Tips From Our Crews
• Spec a quality screen mesh that resists pet damage if you have dogs or cats.
• Add a ceiling fan rated for outdoor use. It transforms summer comfort.
• Plan one wall with motorized screens that lift up. It lets the porch open to the deck on great days.
• Use indoor-style furniture inside a screened porch for a more finished living-room feel.
• Run dedicated electrical for lighting, fans, a TV, and a heater from the start.
If we had to pick the single feature that changes how customers use their backyard the most, it would be a screened porch. Customers who add one tell us they live differently. Morning coffee, dinner with the family, evening reading, weekend gatherings. The space becomes the everyday room they did not know they were missing.
Common Questions From North Georgia Homeowners
Can I convert part of an existing deck into a screened porch?
Yes, and we do these conversions regularly. We add a roof, posts, screens, and a ceiling to a section of an existing deck while preserving the open area. Most customers end up loving the combination of open and screened space.
What is the difference between standard screen and pet-resistant screen?
Standard screen is fine for most homes. Pet-resistant screen is heavier, more durable, and worth the upgrade if you have cats or large dogs that could damage standard mesh. The cost difference is modest given the longer life.
Serving North Georgia
We design and build custom decks, screened porches, covered decks, pergolas, and outdoor living spaces across North Georgia. That includes Pickens, Cherokee, Gilmer, Fannin, Dawson, Forsyth, Bartow, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, Union, and Gordon counties. If you are anywhere in our service area, we would love the chance to come walk your property and talk through what we can build for you.