We used to have a storm door that the screen always stayed in, but the plexiglass (or whatever it was -it wasnt heavy glass) was in a frame that we would mount on the door in winter and take off during the summer. It was easy to put on the door and had little hardware that turned to go over the frame and hold it. I am unaware of any ready made product on the market like that for porches, but I think it would be reasonably easy to make.

Thanks for the eze breeze tip, scrappy. I did some searching and they look like a promising option! Some people complained that the windows had no R value and thus didn't work great for keeping plants through the winter. (All we would do would be herbs, I think.) But it sounds like you and your company were able to stay very comfortable, regardless of the windows' lack of insulation. With the space heater, how long into the winter can you use the room? We've only lived here for a few months, littlebug and lavender_lass, so we're still figuring out traffic patterns. Right now this side door is our main avenue to the car / outside, but that might change to our back door once we redo our kitchen and mudroom. (Thanks again, lavender_lass, for your advice over on the kitchen forums!) I'd want to keep a pathway on this new porch, either way, so the most you could probably do would be a couple chairs OR a sofa and a table for herbs. There's not a ton of space, and I agree that that might mean it's not worth glassing in. I'm still stumped, I guess. Maybe the best option would be to frame the openings, staple on some cheap screens, and add a Habitat Restore screen door -- then we can see how we like it as a screened porch. But we could also frame the windows with the idea that we might add single-pane windows in the future. That way the conversion wouldn't create too much extra work. klem1, I appreciate your suggestions on how to make the glassing in work. I hadn't really thought about shades but you're right -- they could allay a lot of my worries about the summer heat.

If the contractor said that the "stain is not penetrating the wood" and if that's true, then he's right, and you'd most likely just end up with more streaking if you tried to apply anything further. Perhaps the real question is why didn't it penetrate the wood? In any event, if it's not penetrating, you're probably gonna want to listen to the contractor if your really particular about that finish. It's possible that he could apply another finish over top of it that will have less ill effects but isn't willing to take that risk because he knows the 2nd application wouldn't be perfect either. If sanding is gonna cost too much, then maybe ask him or another to do another coat, even though it might not be perfect and tell him you're willing to take the risk. It entirely depends on what you find acceptable and what you're willing to live with. Ask him and gauge your odds.

I have 4"×4" posts, front and back porches. Originally screened in, previous owner replaced screens with inexpensive vinyl sliding windows. Porch is covered by existing roof, has slanted plank floor over pier and beam. I'm planning on fully converting those porches to livable space, so I need to reframe most of the structure, add sill plates, level joists, build out walls 16" on center, etc. Most of the costs to convert would have been the foundation and roof, but since those are already done, and to code, I'm looking at mostly materials and a couple days of labor for framing. We will add sweat equity to finish interior. I haven't priced out windows yet, so those will be biggest cost, I think. Porches are 8 x 28. I ran electrical wiring already. So, long post but main issue for you *might* be foundation and roof. If those are up to code, then look at potential framing issues to support roof, insulation, etc.