6 Questions to Consider Before You Build That Screened-In Porch

If you are wanting to build a screened-in porch, there will be many things that you must consider. You can't just begin building without planning and knowing exactly what you are wanting to do. Here are 6 questions that you need to consider before you build the screened-in porch that you have been thinking about.

Question 1 - Is There Enough Room? Before you go any further, you need to determine if there is enough room to build the porch that you want to build. Do you have ultimate permission to build, such as being the owner of the property? If you are planning to put in a doorway, do you have the right of way to walk through the land that the exit would lead to?

Question 2 - Do You Have a Building Permit? In almost any civilized area of the world, any plans that you may have to alter the exterior appearance of your home will require you to purchase a building permit from the local government. Many people don't bother with this step, but it is legally required that the exterior plans of your home match the plans on government file before you can sell it. If you try to sell the home at some later point, or if someone should get injured on the addition, you will have to pay large fines if you didn't bother to get the proper permit when you were building.

Question 3 - Do You Have a Plan? Before you cut the first board, you should have every aspect of your screened-in porch planned out. This includes the length and width of the porch, the height and pitch of the ceiling, and where the door and stairs would ultimately be. Having every detail ready before you begin work will keep you from having to redo things later on.

Question 4 - Will Your Eaves Keep Out the Rain? You need to plan the roof to hang over the screened-in walls to a certain point. This will help keep the rain out when the weather turns bad. You are going to all this trouble to put a roof on the porch and screen it in so that you can use it in any weather situation, so you should take steps to make sure the rain won't ruin your plans by getting everything wet.

Question 5 - Will You Be Running Electricity To Your Porch? If you are wanting to make additions to your porch, such as lighting or a ceiling fan for air circulation, you will need to run electricity in proper ways. This means that you may need to hire an electrician, if you don't have the knowledge yourself. Be prepared to deal with this additional cost.

Question 6 - What Are Your Intentions? If you intend to turn your porch into a breezy family-style room, with plans to put couches and a television or other expensive items in it, will your porch be secure enough? You may want to rethink these ideas if you aren't prepared to make your porch as secure as your house would be.