I need to see your house and also the plans for the porch. I think the porch needs to be in proportion to the house and what all screened at all. Do you have experience doing electrical usually this i best left to the pros and honestly how much electrical will you need? I think what you want and wht can be done might not be the same . How many guests will this serve on a normal basis ? Where do you live since the use of screened porches are limited unless you live where winter never happens . Screened porches really need to be designed just like any outdoor space since rain gets in there for sure . I think we need pics please and a to scale plan for the porch and how it connects to the house .

Thank you for replying

I’ll take pictures

I’m in charleston, SC.

I have experience with electrical work. I worked in the trade for 11 years. I will add approx 4 outlets 1 of those will be near ceiling for string lights. 2 fan boxes with double switch, flood lights on corners which will tie into existing house floods.

I expect the normal guest number to be 2-6.

Louis, I appreciate you taking the time to comment but what I described it very common in the Charleston area. That’s how I got the idea.

However, my builder does recommend continuous footings which did add to the price.

It’s up to the individual. My neighbors use theirs most months except August, though we have used it multiple times when there is a light rain. Id like to have my own space. Early morning coffee in the porch with the fans blowing is relaxing.

I posted asking for suggestions on size, layout, etc… but I appreciate you taking the time to tell me when you can use screen porches in a place I live.

You can figure out exactly how your furniture will work in a 14x18 room with a bit of work and some graph paper.

Use one sheet of graph paper to draw your room EXACTLY to scale. Maybe allow one square to equal 6”. Draw in your doors exactly where they are.

Use another sheet to draw your furniture using the same scale. Don’t have the furniture you want to use? No worries. Look up similar pieces on-line to find their measurements. Simple rectangles or squares are fine. Cut out each piece of furniture you have drawn. Play with their placement on your room sketch.

This can be an eye-opening exercise. You may have more (or less) space than you are thinking. Be sure to allow plenty of empty space for moving around the room. 3’ is a minimum for walking room but 4’ is much better.

We did a screen porch a few yeaes ago. sounds similar to what you are looking to do love it. we did electrical but no tv not tv people. here a few pics of mine for you to see this is inside of it

And here is outside of it. small uncovered grill area and steps that go

down to our yard

I have a 14x15 screened porch with EZ Breeze windows, a 3 seat sofa, two lounge chairs, coffee table, and a round gateleg dining table with 4 stacking chairs. I keep one leaf of the table down and use it as a console table. The sofa and chairs have aluminum frames so they're easy to move if I want to seat 4 for dining. Another 3' would allow me to keep the table set up at all times, so you might be okay. The EZ Breeze windows keep the pollen out (I live in Williamsburg VA) in the spring, and keep the heat in on sunny fall days.

It's just DH and me with a 23 foot but narrow wrap around porch we use a lot.

I posted to encourage you to include the swinging chair from the start so it's support is planned. When I die, they'll probably find my body in my swinging chair, I love that thing so much.

Lots of points of view here..but not everyone understands how you can adjust to the weather extremes over time…if you have the ability and need to rotate glass and screens for this outdoor area ….it is worth it to be able to enjoy being out…more months of the year…we live outdoors in our summer home everyday…no screens..just roof cover…we can be outside in the shade comfortably up to 85- 90 degrees…….during the day…and in the evening hours ….we watch tv outdoors…going in for a snack or meal if or when the bugs get active….we do have three different seating areas …and just move around for a breeze or shade as needed….we also have a sizeable water feature …as our summer climate is dry….so that adds a pleasant cooling effect to the air…

@gtdj519 my DD and SIL have a deck and stairs and under porch area similar to yours but nothing is screened and your design is stunning and would look perfect when they decide to remodel What is the measurement of the screened area ? the grill area ? and can you take a pic standing underneath looking out at the area where the umbrellas are ? Thank you !! Beautiful remodel . c

Thankyou i will measure and let you know measurements

im sorry, i dont understand the pic you want me to take. you want me to go stand by yard umbrellas and take a pic looking out into the yard, or take a pic of the underdeck area?

gtdj519, I’d love to know the measurements too. I love it!

Why is it so hard to take some pics to show us the house .

I agree with barncatz about the swinging chair. If you think you might want one, plan in the support in the building. Even if you don't get a chair for it for a while, it will be nice to already have the support there for if you do get one. There are also freestanding swing chairs, but the frames for them tend to take up a pretty big footprint for what it is. But there are for sure some nice ones out there.

Is the area just yard now? You could set up some stakes and twine to mark off the space to get a feel for the size of it.

I also agree with barncatz suggestion, I’ll definitely include the supports. That’s a great idea to stake off the dimensions to see what works. Thanks!

I have in-laws in Charleston that LIVE on their screened-in porch all year round. They have a TV and a ceiling fan for the hotter days. It is truly heavenly.

I have a daughter who recently moved away from Charleston (Mount Pleasant) and they used their patio year round. Yes, some days were hotter and more humid than others, and of course they could not use the patio in the rain, but they most certainly enjoyed sitting there in the early mornings and in the evenings...whenever they had the chance! DH and I are heading that way next week. Temps will be no higher than 85 during the daytime and around 72 at night for our week. We will have a balcony overlooking the water and plan to enjoy the ocean breezes that the area is so famous for. Being from South Carolina, we have always had a screened porch no matter where we have lived. I guess heat doesn't bother us southerners!

jkm6712 - I'd love to see your EZ Breeze porch. We have talked about using something to close in our porch during the pollen season. Currently looking at a vinyl insert window thingy that can easily be taken in and out.

gtdj519 - I'd also love to know your dimensions. Your outdoor areas are so lovely. Our daughter wanted us to put a sectional on our new screened porch (new house since Christmas), but we were afraid one would not fit.

Amy - Remember when planning your furniture on paper that you will lose some space when the porch framing goes in. So a 14 x 18 slab could turn out to be a 13 x 26 enclosure. We lost some space with ours because of the columns. Our interior porch dimensions are 13.6 x 26.6. A couple of areas have even less space. Notice the interior fireplace bump-out, and the hearth on the outdoor fireplace. We lost a good 10"-12" in front of those. And don't forget the swing of yours doors that may interfere with your porch room.

Hopefully, these photos will give you an idea of what can fit in your space. Keep in mind that your space will be 6' smaller in length. Also, definitely go with a higher ceiling. The area will look larger!

P.S. - We have 3 electrical outlets, an additional high wall outlet for the Edition bulb lights, a T.V. outlet (T.V. can be hung where acrylic painting is currently, and an overhead fan. Additionally, we have two lantern lights.

@gtdj519 thank you !! I wasn't clear about the umbrella area and how it relates to the under the upper deck area and how it relates to the rest of the yard....so I think two pictures that show a bigger view of how it all goes together. The kids only have the walkout concrete area under the deck and it looks as if your area extends into the yard away from the house . Thank you .I really appreciate it. c

edited...it looks like your whole area is elevated well above the backyard and theirs is flat. So maybe a picture standing with your back against the black metal railing and looking into the under the deck area. Thank you c

I have major porch envy after seeing the gtdj and nhb photos. I look forward to seeing Amy’s finished project. Good luck.

nhb22 - photos of porch w/EZ Breeze windows. I stack them high on two sides for the view and breeze, and leave them low on the side without a pond view (it's better in the fall!) to let the hot air out. They are annoying to clean, but otherwise I love them.

Thank you! I did not realize that the windows remain in the tract when wanting the summertime screening option. I would not want to clean those, either. Seems just as bad as having to clean the porch after pollen season. Can you tell I hate to clean windows!

Love your porch...so pretty and peaceful. I can see why you would want to be able to use the porch year round.

jkm6712, can you tell me the range of what the EZ Breeze Window cost? Did you do the work yourself or did you hire a contractor.? I have a screened porch with a roof but it's too hot in Florida on the porch and I'd like to have AC.

Beverly - my house was custom, so I can't help you with cost. EZ Breeze windows are single layer vinyl - I wouldn't recommend them for an air conditioned space.

Hi Amy, my porch is 13' x 13' and I've got two couches, a coffee table, and a small bistro set for two out there. There isn't a good spot to hang a tv, so we have a small 30 or 40" tv we carry out and put on the coffee table to watch football games on nice days. I did a little mock-up of how ours is arranged (definitely not to scale!). We're around 400 miles from you where it's also incredibly humid and I'd say in Charleston, you could easily use yours year round with a ceiling fan in summer and some blankets in winter.

Our couches can comfortably fit two adults with room for personal space in-between, three if everyone's cuddly and/or not overly beefy. The coffee table in the middle of a walkway is normally a dumb idea, but it's not as close to the door as the pic shows and there's room enough to navigate on both sides. Everything can also be be pushed around or moved more to one side if we need to drag something bigger through the middle. I typically keep the couch backs pulled out a foot or so from the porch sides to keep them from getting wet when it rains (with the big storms though, water comes all the way into the middle sometimes). Pushing them back out allows for more walkway room if people are over.

As for height, mine is a 9' flat ceiling, and while something vaulted or higher would feel airier, it would also be a pain to reach to clean (especially when the pollen coats EVERYTHING in spring). It's nice to just need a stepladder to clean the ceiling fan or the ceiling itself. One thing I would add is extra electrical outlets and definitely more lighting. The ceiling fan light isn't enough, so if you think you'd like to read out there in the evening or be able to see the people you're talking to at night, add some extra lighting. A swinging chair might fit in the 35" space below next to the bottom couch with some extra inches too from the couch pushed right more. I think you can make it work if you forego a sectional maybe? Or have two couches in an L with a swinging chair in the corner where they meet, depending on your setup and doorways.

If you made it this far, hope it helps some for ideas and helps make up for some of those intial unhelpful comments. Excited for you and you'll have to show us pics of the porch when it's done!

Hi Amy,

Our porch is 14 x 22 and we used Larson Scenix windows (single pane, integrated screens). Vaulted ceiling. Ours is just now in the almost-ready-to-be-painted stage. Had a 6 month delay on the door and it literally just arrived, so hopefully soon the porch will be done. Assorted items that we did: We planned for a swing on one side, so had blocking put in the ceiling to accommodate it (and took pics and measurements of where that blocking is located!) We have a small electric fireplace as well, it is merely to 'take the chill' off on a cool night. Looking back, I think a gas fireplace would have been preferred; the builder talked us into the electric one. We put in a knee wall about 18" high with the scenix windows above; electric receptacles are mounted in the knee wall. We also put a receptacle up high to allow us to connect a string of lights for parties or other festive occasions. Receptacle and internet wiring connection above fireplace in case tv is later desired. Center fan/light box in the ceiling, and 4 small recessed cans as well. We went with the windows so that we could enjoy the porch even in pollen season. Bluestone flooring as the porch opens flush with an open patio. Oh - and a drain in the center so I can easily wash the floor.

Scenix windows: https://www.larsondoors.com/windows/scenix-retractable-screen-porch-windows