After living in our 1970's home for 5 years, we've been planning multiple exterior refresh projects, including screening in our expansive covered back patio--one of our favorite spaces. We've had three quotes from contractors: a weekend warrior, a carpentry firm, and a design & build firm. The design & build firm was the only one that refused the project and the only one that pointed out structural issues--the patio slab doesn't have footers and wasn't designed to support a roof, which is leading to subtle structural issues. And, the roof pitch is insufficient for its shingled roof. We were as impressed by this professional's expertise as we were disappointed--he said we were looking at a starting cost of $70K (just under 1/3 of what we paid for the house) to tear down the existing structure and build it right.

We're not sure what to do, given that $70K is way outside our budget for many years, but screening the porch would enable us to enjoy our favorite space even more. Do we have any options beyond simply abandoning hope of a screened porch in the near future?