I think I would rather see it screened in. I think it could look nice if done properly. It could look nice if it was fully enclosed too but again, needs to be done right. Heating and cooling it is always possible. You could either come through the brick (never my preference to mess with existing brick that old (I assume 2 wythe)) for the HVAC or you would need to install a separate unit, but that may not look the best.

I vote for a screen porch. I am in Columbus, Ohio so we are in similar areas in terms of weather.

Thanks for the reply, SBA. I'm like you -- I don't want to mess with the original brick if at all possible. What do you think are the top considerations in terms of making it look good? I know many colonial revivals had original sun rooms like this: http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/img/23sears-lexington.jpg . . . or this: http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/img/23morgan-24a.jpg . . . Should we try to mimic that look, whether with screens or windows? I guess there's not too much wiggle room here since there are already short walls bricked in.

One other wrinkle: the house for some reason has craftsman style woodwork and windows (you can see the four-over-one windows in the first pic). Would we want the new windows / screens to match the existing ones or would we just go with something different like big, unbroken panes?

Also, I just wanted to add that I cross-posted this in Remodeling!

Thanks for weighing in, kashka. What part of the country do you live in? What are the months when your porch with storms is comfortable? You make great points about the darkness, but I work from home so I could still use it in the winter with a space heater (maybe not every day, but some days). Still, I take your points about the ventilation. That's sort of why I posted this -- I worry that by going with the glass route I will get a lackluster experience for more months, whereas the screening would produce a great experience, albeit with a briefer window.

Kashka,

The images you posted are examples of "doing it right". Both of those looks really nice and fit the overall theme. The one with the wood paneling looks really good. I would avoid any kind of siding on your home and would go with wood where needed around the windows. That's if you go that route.

In terms of your window question, I would try to match the windows you have now if you went with the 4 seasons room. That's just one person's opinion though. ;)

Good advice on siding and windows, SBA.

I may be an idiot, but I can't see any pictures in Kashka's post? Am I looking at it wrong?

Hi Craig, I didn't post any pictures - I think he was referring to the links you posted in particular the 2nd one with the windows/wood framing set into the porch opening. Don't mess with your original porch/brick in other words - just set in those panels into the opening.

In answer to your question - I live in WI, a little colder/further north. My porch faces west / northwest so there is some sun in there afternoons and yeah, there can be a few days here and there in October/Nov. when the sun warms it up nicely and then again in March/April.

Without sun, its about the same temp as outside. Or maybe very slightly warmer because there is some insulation value in having the storm windows. But not much, because I just have regular glass and not e-glass. You can get them in eglass for another $100 ea so that could make a difference... especially with your longer springs/falls maybe youd get more mileage out of a three season porch than I do.

For me here in Wis I don't know if it was worth the expense - there wont be a next time, but if there was Id do screen.. Ive seen some nice screening systems where you attach thin rails to porch opening and attach screen panels to that. Looked very clean and neat. Or go the retro vintage route and have wood sashes/screens made.

Oh oneo ther good thing about glass - it does cut down on wind from the north and street noise slightly.

Ah -- makes sense about the photos, kashka. Thanks for your details about how you use your porch. That's exactly the sort of response I was hoping to get.

If anyone else has any experiences, please chime in!

We have a front porch similar to yours that was screened in when we bought the house. It is a 3 season porch and we do love it -- we start the morning here with coffee about 6 to 8 months of the year and then go out for afternoon tea when the weather is nice. Love to sit on that porch during a rain! I'll see what I can find for pictures.

Here are some pictures of our porch showing the screens.

Martha

We didn't screen it -- it came that way but it seems fairly simple the way they did it.

Martha

Thanks for the pictures, Martha -- that really helps us visualize the screen-brick combo!

Those openings look perfect... it seems to me that you could either use banks of regular screened windows to open or close as needed, or banks of screens with a custom 'storm window' that can go over them for the winter months. The 'storm windows' could even just be plastic sheeting on frames. It's your choice whether you add a door at the existing opening or close it off completely. My Dad used both ideas to create 3-season rooms from porches that he enclosed. He also had an electric heater in one and a pellet stove in the other. He could do amazing things.

I've thought about making some kind of removable window, party_music50, like the old fashioned storm windows. My dad's pretty handy, as well, so maybe he could help us pull that off. In the Remodeling forum they suggested I look at EZE Breeze windows, which are interesting but about $1400 for our small porch. I think the handmade version would be much cheaper and perhaps more aeshetically appropriate.

I will vote the other way, just to mix things up a bit ;-) Actually, I have a south-facing porch (or I guess, sunroom now?) that the previous owners built onto the back of the house - closed in with 9 or so windows and a glass door to the backyard. I say 3/4 because they added baseboard heat but didn't pipe in the A/C from the HVAC (I'm assuming that gets you somewhere between 3 and 4 season?). While it sometimes got a little warm in the summer, I actually have the door to the kitchen open all the time, and the little bit of A/C that it got from kitchen kept it cool enough to be comfortable (actually it stayed a lot cooler than the upstairs of my 1930s tudor revival, which does have central air pumped in). Opening the windows (which cover 3 of 4 walls in the porch / sunroom) in the mornings and evenings made for awesome cross-breezes, perfect for reading or doing a crossword. And the baseboard heat (along with heat from the kitchen) keeps it really toasty in the winter. I live in Minnesota, so this arrangement has gotten me through 90 degrees and humid in the summer and -20 in the winter. Alternatively, my parents have an un-insulated, 3 season porch with storm windows, but you'd never know it's not heated because they keep one of those electric fireplaces out there - my mom reads out there every night, summer or winter :) Good luck!

I hear you on the frustrations of cooling an old house's upstairs, lissyanna! Thanks for all the details about how and when you use your porch. It's really helpful to get all this info to consider.

We've been researching ways to close in our back deck to make it a little more useful. We have found a product called Weatherwall which consists of four panels over screen and which can be telescoped into each other for ventilation when needed. Have seen them on one sunroom belonging to a friend and thought they were great. No idea of price or availability but if you google that product you may find this to be a good alternative. We're in Ontario Canada.

Thanks for the tip, jak4! I did Google it and it looks like Weatherwall and EZE Breeze Windows are the same product. So if you're thinking about getting them you might find even more reviews, etc., by searching EZE Breeze.

Anyway, I agree that it's an intriguing product. We're definitely considering it.

If you want to turn your porch into a sunroom and make it useable all year, you would have to insulate above, insulate below, install framing and insulation, get very good windows, AND have some form of heating for the space. OR... you could screen it in fairly easily and use it what it is meant to be (a porch).

Those are fair points, Vith. Insulating the floor would be difficult since it's some kind of concrete (not a slab since it's elevated a couple feet).

I love discussions like this. If you don't learn anything about old houses you will certainly learn people's wants and needs are vastly different. On one end are those investing in exotic high end window systems,on the other are those that tack up some screen and call it done. Then there's old tight wads like me wanting Baked Alaska and Cheese Cake on a snow cone and Twinkie budget. Maybe we should hear where you come down Craig,then drill down within those parameters.

Regarding the screened porch above with the nice looking fabrics and furniture,do you have blowing rains? I do,and find closing windows quicker than moving things into house or tarping. Even weather resistant fabric and furniture milldew worse than on open deck. Besides,when it's passed the floor isn't flooded so I can go back out without dogs getting wet on the floor. Shoot,if it doesn't get realy rough I might just lower windward side windows and stay out there. Have you ever tried rode out a blowing rain on a 3 side screened porch?

Thanks for the smart points about rain, klem. And I agree -- there are just so many options, and people are so opinionated about those options, that it's hard to know what to do. My biggest concern remains the weather and how that will affect things, but I know that's a local issue. Maybe I should walk around the neighborhood and survey some people with porches about the sun and the temp, etc.

Without adding any new information, my wife and I are divided on what to do -- she thinks just screening it is fine, but I think it would be really nice to have glass for the late fall / winter. If we had to decide today, I think we would either do simple / cheap modern storm windows (which could be opened to the screen on the bottom half during the summer) or do something a bit more adventurous.

What I'm thinking on the adventurous front is to screen it in, but do it in a way where there's space to add the old-style wooden storm windows later -- just simple single-pane units that slide into the windo frames and attach with this: http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/screen-hooks-storm-sash-window-hanger?sc=12&category=91 . The main thing would be attaching the screen on the inside of the frames, or at least creating an outside sill deep enough for the storm windows to nestle within it and still be flush on the outside. Then we could remove the storm windows and store them in the garage during the summer (though that wouldn't help with rainstorms you mention).

Does that make any sense? If we did that, we could see how we like the screen in the spring and summer, but add the glass later in an affordable and removable fashion. I haven't seen many people try this, but I think we could build the storm frames and get the glass cut by a local shop. Basically we would recreate something like this company's product: http://chicagogreenwindows.com/storm-window-primer/

Addressing your last post,cheap storm windows are bad about clouding between panes. The custom wood storms look good but storing them is a hassle,not to mention timing when to install or remove. Frankly,I don't see the need for ceiling insulation,air tightness and storm windows. Single pane windows are cheap compared to double pane and imo quite adiquate for this application. Morning sun will heat the porch on clear days then a blanket and small personal heater will keep you comfortable on all but extreamly cold days. High E glass and double panes would prevent heat gain through the windows in cold months. Shades and/or awnings block summer sun. In the interest of cost effeciency,look for windows "close but smaller than correct fit" on clearance or at habitate. Look for a squirell cage vent fan (much quiter than propeller blade) while shopping the clearance isle. You can frame to the window size and only gain a couple of square feet of solid inclosure overall. You can make a big difference by glueing faux dividers on new window to match those on house. Economy windows are normally mill finish aluminum sashes but modern primers alow painting to match.

craig -- I was on a house tour and although it was not an old house, they sort of did what you are thinking of. They screened their porch and then they had plexiglass cut to fit and put it over the screens for the winter. I live in zone 6 -- it can get below here but on milder winter days with the sun, I'm sure it is warm and comfortable out there.

Thanks for info, Martha -- it's good to know others have tried this.

klem1, when you're suggesting a single-pane window, do you mean one that also has a screen on the lower half? Are there any advantages between using a storm window (which is also, I assume, single pane) versus a "regular" single-pane window?

Yes,I'm referring to movable sash with screen. "Storm window" is often used interchangibly to mean double pane,permanately installed,single pane retro-fit permanatly mounted over existing window and temporary storms like you are thinking of useing. All have their place,all increase effeciency at varing rates. The only advantage which come's to mind is the ability to expose more screened opening while storms are in storage. I'm in Texas and my experience has been that a room with 25% of total wall area screened alow's adiquate ventilation if there is a breeze. Increasing screened area to 50% helps but not perportionally. For us,trees shading the room make's it more comfortable. Awnings replicate tree shading to a degree but awnings only look good on certain types architecture. In the absense of breeze a fan is is nessary regardless how much screen. Your movable storms will maximize summer comfort at the expense of other seasons and limited weather conditions we have already discussed. This sounds like a good excuse to get aquainted with a few people within 100 miles with various type porches. To get an idea of how much heat collects inside a room with glass exposed to morning sun try this. During chilly weather,park you car to allow sun shining through windshield.

Great tips, klem -- I especially appreciate the specifics about screening and ventilation. Nice idea on the car, too!

Even a quality screen job is not going to be easy. You have those white bricks taking away the square.

I've thought about that, Tim -- only thing I know to do is just fill that gap with extra vertical 2x4s on the sides. It will take some careful cutting, but I think it can still work. Any thoughts on how you'd tackle it?

I live in south central PA and four years ago bought an 1880’s traditional brick Colonial with a mostly south and partially west facing upstairs porch that measures about 9’ x 18’, as most homes have around here. It’s been screened in, but over time before my ownership the screens got ratty looking and so I removed them.

After thorough contemplation, comparing other properties and some budget crunching, I decided to convert the space into a three season porch I’ve seen others do in the area. Consequently I purchased very economical, custom made, single hung storm windows with built-in screens. Inside I installed a nicer/better ceiling fan light, thin drapes and eventually plan to repaint the room.

When needed for seasonal comfort, I’ll use either a portable or window AC unit for hotter days and in cooler ones use a space heater or perhaps install some baseboard heat later. It’ll be a nice additional living space to enjoy in years to come, that’ll also add value to the house overall.