Make it wide enough to incorporate furniture and seating arrangements and flow of traffic. If it's just a narrow space (4-5 feet wide for example), then you'll just line up furniture against the wall and not create a space for conversation or dining that you might envision. Space at one end for a 2-3 person porch swing is always nice and attractive as well.

Don't think you will escape cleaning. Pollen and dirt will still find its way into the space. Keep that in mind if you decide on an outdoor rug and plan to remove it now and then for cleaning. Fans are also great as is recessed lighting. You can always use candlelight in hurricanes for setting the mood.

Skip the doggie/cat doors unless you can remember to lock them when you aren't there. You might attract critters you don't want to enter your porch. Where we live, raccoons have been known to tear up a screen to get to any food source.

when we build our screened in porch, i will plan on some type of heating source- most likely an outdoor gas fireplace- need to research other options besides propane heaters... we will definitely have a ceiling fan or 2 also!

We have a porch that was enclosed by sliders and screen doors by a PO. It's a nice combination, makes it more usable for more of the year...and makes a great place for the bar at holiday parties because the beverages stay cold! The sliders let us open or close according to the breeze.

I wish it had one of two things: a low wall around the bottom instead of being sliders to the stoop, or an overhang...or both. Here's why: when it rains, we have to be sure we close the sliders lest everything get wet (it bounces up from the stoop) and when it snows, it builds up agains the wood. The overhang would be nice against the elements but also so that we could pull the patio furniture or plants toward it in case of hail.

I've been known to pull the space-heater out there when it's chilly but I want to be out there, so I'm thinking of putting in an electric baseboard heater.

Robo, we are similar climate as I am mid-coast Maine. My next door neighbor has screen porch and she and I met there often for coffee after the school bus when our kids were young. Her porch is shaded on the south side so she would never need a fan. Heat- no.

Have the screening done in removable panels, so its easier to fix. That's how most Maine camps do it. Sometimes even repurposing old house screens.

If the floor of the porch will be elevated, put hardware cloth underneath and dig it into the ground a foot. This will prevent burrowing critters from deciding to live there. You don't want a skunk deciding that under your porch is home!

I love her porch floor its painted a glossy dusty blue and scattered with rag rugs.

Thanks so much for the feedback so far!

bpathome, I had never considered that VERY practical reason (snow and rain) for having walls at the bottom of a screen porch. That would definitely apply to us 100%!!

busybee, great idea on a heating source. Wouldn't a woodstove be a fabulous addition to a screen porch? (I will never have a porch this nice)

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OutsidePlaying, do you think 10 feet deep would be enough? I'm running into some constraints involving pitch of the roof if I do it with a shed roof. Thanks for your ideas on pet doors - raccoons would definitely be a danger here! And bears but they probably wouldn't need to use the door ;)

localeater, you're right, it would be very rare that we would need a fan in our climate! But if there is overhead lighting going in anyway I could picture springing for an extra couple of hundred for an outdoor fan. Overhead fans are so much more pleasant than the pillar variety and keeps the air moving for any buggies that manage to work their way in.

The place where I plan to put the porch is quite flat and I could almost get away with pouring a concrete pad...but wood is so much nicer.

We added on a tiny screen porch a few years ago and I had no idea how much we'd use it and love it. Because of our lot restrictions, we couldn't go bigger, so ours just has two loveseats at a 90 degree angle, with a table in the corner and a round coffee table in the center. Great for DH and I and the two kids who are at home, or if DH and I have one couple over. We can fit a total of 6 people comfortably with a couple of chairs pulled in from elsewhere. Ours is in a shady spot, so I am glad we have a skylight for added light. We have recessed lighting as well as an indoor/outdoor table lamp for reading. We also have storm windows to replace the screens, so we can use it longer in the season. The screens/windows don't go all the way to the floor -- there is a wall about 2' around the perimeter so our dogs can't push on the screens.

In our summer house, we have a bigger screen porch and we pretty much live on that porch when we're there. We have the type of doors that open and fold back so that the kitchen is totally open to the porch so it feels like one big space.

In both porches, we splurged for good quality upholstered/faux wicker furniture that is very comfortable. Totally worth it. In both, we also have stone floors, which IMO are impossible to clean (or to determine if they're clean) but I am not sure what we would have used instead. We don't use an area rug at the summer place, but we do have one that covers almost the whole floor of the porch at home, and I just vacuum it the same way I vacuum any other rug.

Yes, 10 feet should be deep enough. I do like the idea of at least a small wall at the bottom, especially if you are building at grade.

Great idea about a wood stove or fireplace at one end. Campfires any time of the year, although not a deal breaker for me, I could live without it, but it would be nice. A must have for me is space for a hammock, day bed or swing that folds into a bed. We use our porch a lot for naps and even in the evenings as a sleeping porch. To me, a futon is the perfect kind of thing for a porch. We have ceiling fans on ours, another great addition.

We just built ours last year.

We had them put reinforced areas on the roof so we could hang a porch swing from the ceiling, which we love.

We also put in a pull down movie screen (inspired by KSWL) and got a projector so we can watch movies out there at night (this wasn't hugely expensive but is very fun to have)

Be sure to have power out there so you can plug in speakers, computers, etc.

We put a fireplace in there but didn't use it as much as I thought we did. By the time it got cold enough for fires, it was time to move inside to the indoor fireplace. We probably used it 4-5 times when I expected we'd use it 40 or 50 times! It looks beautiful though and we used the mantle for plants.

In all our porches, we have puny love seat sized seating. In my dream porch, there is a some sort of seating that would allow me to lie down fully with a good book (and eventually doze off comfortably). Ideally, one of those hanging beds with a twin mattress (so reinforce the ceiling). And lots of pillows. And the sun shining in to warm me. Sorry - it's been a crazy few weeks at work and the temps here have been -20 Celsius. The thought of curling up and sleeping in the sun kind of seems like heaven.

If you have central vac, put an outlet on the porch for easier cleaning.

We have have always had wonderful screened porches in our homes (yes, we live in the south) and with each one, we add something different.

I agree with most all suggestions. But we have to have a doggy door so that I can let the dog out the back door without having to go out to the porch and opening the screened door, too. Yes, we have had opossums, birds, snakes and other neighbors pets get in, but that's part of living outdoors.

We have had both wood decked floors and a scored and stained concrete floor (current porch). Our latest has a patio connected that has a fireplace at one end. We use ours in the spring and summer. The porch has a fan that we rarely use. We have pull down shades for the very hot afternoons before the sun goes down. All and all, the porch stays fairly cool.

I'd be glad to post some photos of a couple of our porches.

Here is a photo of an idea for an all weather porch that might work for your porch in the North. I've saved this idea for some reason.

beaglesdoitbetter - I'd love to get a projector for movies. We could use one of the pull down shades for viewing. Where would I find a projector?

Our screened porches have had vaulted ceilings with exposed rafters. There is screen in the gable which allows views up into the trees. Our porch is in the woods so we get a lot of sights and sounds. We have a cable connection out there for a TV. We have a 60 inch round table for dining and comfortable seating for lounging.

I no longer take my plants out there in the summer because the birds continuously fly into the screen in an attempt to get at the plants. Their beaks make small holes in the screen. I do not even use any kind of faux plants because the birds cannot tell the difference!

nhb22 I got my projector from Epson. You can get a projector anywhere. Amazon has them.

They range wildly in price. I got the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD refurbished for $349 because I wanted the built-in speaker, the HD picture, and the iPad / iPod docking station. It is still this price on the Epson website, although it is like $729 on Amazon.

However, you can get projectors for much less (including many under $100).

I really do like my Epson and if you think you'll be watching a lot and want to use an iPad and not have a separate speaker, it is a good buy IMO.

One of my good friends shows movies on his patio every summer. It's like having his own drive in movie theater. I guess one of the reasons I'm so enamored of doing things like campfires and movies out on the porch, is that were I live in MI, there is no way I can sit outside after 8 PM and not get eaten alive by mosquitoes. When I pull into the driveway at "M" hour in the summer, I can see them swarming around the car before I even open the doors. Spring and fall maybe outside the screen, but in summer forget it!

And we don't want to be near any mosquitoes until they get the Zika under control.

beaglesdoitbetter - That all sounds too technical for me. We have built-in speakers and a cable connection on our porch. I have an iPad and an external speaker for that. But don't know what to do with these things to manage playing a movie. Are there projectors that you just slip a DVD into and play?

nhb22 they do have some projectors w/ built in DVD players. But a regular projector is actually VERY easy to use.

The projector has inputs, just like your TV does. It has an HDMI input, and other inputs as well (some have the red, yellow & white cables, for example). You just plug whatever source you want into the projector (so, your cable box or your DVD player or your Roku or whatever you want). Turn the projector on, point it at the screen, and control your source (cable box, etc.) with the remote.

The only "challenging" part is getting your projector set up in the right place so the image projects correctly. We measured the distance from our screen according to manufacturer instructions, set the projector on a table at that spot, and that was it. So not too challenging. We actually keep ours set up at all times (but not plugged in) and I had a custom-designed birdhouse made on Etsy w/ a hollow bottom to cover it. So, it just looks like a decorative bird house on a table but you lift it up and there's a projector under it ready to watch movies. The little house also protects the projector. See below. The screen pulls down on the right.

Hi Robo, always love your posts. If at all possible, recommend 12 feet wide, vs 10. Widened our brick paver patio from 10 to 12 feet and the difference in movability was noticeable.

You are all giving me great ideas!! Also I spend an hour last night googling Porch Beds. I talked it over with the husband and given the constraints (fitting it in between a pitched roof and a 2nd story window, but still having enough slope for rain/snow runoff) I think I could still get it to 12 feet wide, especially if I accepted a 7 foot height on the wall farthest from the house.

I'm a Southerner and screened porches are almost a requirement. :-)

As others mentioned -- wide enough for conversational arrangement of furniture. If dining is important, include the space. I love to nap on a porch, so an outdoor sofa that's long enough, or a daybed, are wonderful. Rocking chairs are nice, too. Ceiling fans to cool the space.

If privacy is an issue, think about portions to either hang outdoor curtains or install Bermuda shutters.

At my previous home, we also had skylights in the cathedral ceiling. Consider sunlight -- if west-facing, it may be harsh and hot in the afternoon. East-facing is nice for mornings. North-facing for shade in hot climates.

Here in my 1939 house, what was once a porch was enclosed and conditioned for year-round use, making it a sunroom. There are nine windows, double-hung to be opened either top or bottom, with screens. There's a heavy-duty slider with a pull-screen. So, although I don't have a screened porch, I can open up these windows and have one. I do prefer the sunroom to a screened porch because mine is heated and air-conditioned, too. I've a mix of indoor and outdoor furniture in my sunroom. Tiled the floor with porcelain tiles.

Good luck with your project!

My previous porch, all cleaned out of extra furniture (a rocking chair and a loveseat) and other plants, as this was a realtor's photo. House sold quickly.

Your porch is so pretty, beagles :)

Yes I love all these pictures of beautiful porches!! Thanks for sharing :)

My primary reasons for screen porch are - blazing sun from about 10am to 2pm every day -- last summer my family came over on a hot day and I had ten people huddled in my living room! That's not where you should be at a cottage in July! And of course voracious mosquitos at night and blackflies in spring. I think I went through ten cans of Off last year.

beaglesdoitbetter - Thank you for the information. And what a cute birdhouse/projector hider that is! How far is it from the screen? Trying to decided if I even have enough room from my wall table (where cable and electrical is) to the pull down shade in the middle. It's 14' from wall to screen.

Sorry for the change of subject Robo. Can't wait to see what you plan.

Just realized that I never took photos last summer of my new decor. :( I'll have to do that this coming spring. My green tea cart and chairs have been painted or replaced and I have new accent pillows.

Perhaps it might be more fun to show the movies out here, though I'd have to use an extension cord and set up a table for the projector.

thanks Errant_gw.

nhb22 I am not 100 percent sure and I can't measure b/c I'm in my FL house and that house is in PA. My porch is 18 long by 16 wide, and I think it's probably about 1/2 way across the porch so maybe 8-9 feet. It is actually at an angle because my screen is on the side of the porch due to furniture placement. Here is a picture of it pulled down (you can't tell it is there normally when it is pulled up):

(This is an old picture before the table was in place with the projector on it.... the table is directly behind the couch and the projector is closer to the left side of the couch opposite the screen. )

Most projectors (including mine) have flexible throw distances (i.e. you can set them up at different distances away from the screen) and you just adjust the picture with a little knob depending upon how far away from the screen it is. (If you have a very small space, you could search for a "short throw" projector. )

You can adjust both the zoom and the angle on my projector. You can even hang the projector from the ceiling if you want.

You can also move your projector around pretty easily, so you could watch in your porch and out on your deck - you aren't stuck w/ only one or the other. My DH takes our projector sometimes when he gives presentations as part of his lecture series. I just mark the spot on the table where it goes with a little bit of tape so I can put it back when he returns it w/o having to measure again.

(Sorry robo, hope you don't mind this quasi off-topic projector talk!)

Don't mind at all, busy taking notes!

beaglesdoitbetter - My spacing should be perfect! Thank you again.

No problem. Hope you decide to do it and enjoy :)

One more thing I wanted to point out- as I noted, the Epson I have has a speaker and it is loud enough that I don't need anything supplementary for good sound.

So, if you don't get the Epson and get something different, be sure to look for a projector WITH a good speaker... that way it will be plug and play since when you hook up your source to the speaker it will produce the sound and picture for you. Not all projectors have speakers and while you can use external speakers, this is another step you likely don't want to deal w/ if you want to keep the process as easy as possible.

Here's mine. Sorry it's a dull and dreary day and not a very good picture. The porch is about 15 x 15 or so, but you can see it's almost an octagon shape with the front corners cut off. The overhangs are about 2' and are great at helping keep out the sun and perfect places to hang bird feeders from. I bought outdoor sheer curtains to hang during the summer to provide a bit of privacy (our yard borders the golf course). We have a ceiling fan, and I strung clear Christmas-type lights around the inside just above the windows. I leave them up year-round.

One thing I was surprised about - we live in snow country, and one winter when we had a heavy rain/ice/snow event, the screens on the north side of the porch were coated in ice and snow and the weight dragged the screen down from its frame. I had to have that side re-screened. Since then, when it's snowing heavily, I watch carefully and sweep the screens down with a broom if necessary.

I'd love to have a swing for swinging and a daybed for napping, or maybe a swing bed for both. A comfortable seating area and little table for coffee or cocktails with DH and friends would also be nice.

Use steel screens, not cloth. They will hold up to strong winds and snow and ice and bird strikes. Cloth looks nicer, but you will forever be making repairs. Ask me how I know.

get a big swing! when i planned my furniture, i got a 2 person swing and a 3 person couch and a 2 person glider. I thought the 2 person swing would be plenty big and i wanted it to be the same size as the love seat glider. Now I wish I had a three person swing and it is too late b/c the ceiling is reinforced at the spacing for the 2 person swing!

We put in a sun porch at our last house. It was not much more expensive than a screened porch. Adding the heating ducts and basement is what would cost more (for a four seasons room). The drywall and windows were not that expensive and more durable in winter.

It was a lovely room we could use for about 10 months of the year on the end of a field in cold, snowy WI. So many things happened in that room. I started seeds in that room, built puzzles, used it as an office and an escape to watch tv. What was a must was the patio door, which originally went to the backyard. We left it with the remodel, so I could close off the room. I also put in drapes to close off that door and we used it as extra sleeping quarters when guests came to visit and we kicked our son out of his bedroom. He didn't mind. There was a tv in there.

It was a good place to go and relax to get away from the household bustle and watch the weather, so a comfortable couch, loveseat, or futon is paramount! We also installed speakers, plenty of outlets, a spot for hooks for dirty things that come in from the back garden, and a ceiling fan. That room was pure heaven!

Our patio isn't enclosed yet, but we've been kicking around the idea and have already considered bricking the bottom (2 ft maybe) to help keep the patio cleaner. It's about 12x24. We have two ceiling fans and 3 recessed lights on dimmers that make the Texas summers (almost) bearable and nice lighting ambiance while having dinner outside.

One other thing I would add if you are building a screen porch on top of wooden decking (up off the ground). Be sure to install screening underneath the the decking so that mosquitoes and other bugs cannot fly in from underneath in between the floor boards.