Are you dead-set on it being actual wood? There are some great swings being made from recycled plastic that resembles wood but will outlast an actual wooden one. There is a nature preserve near our home that built a foot bridge over a small creek out of that material and it looks great and was a good way to put those old soda bottles to use. Just google "plastic lumber swing". Costs about 10% more than a conventional wood swing, but will probably out last a wood one by 10 or more years.

We had black fiberglass screening installed last Fall. We love the way it looks and how well we can see through it. However, a bird flew into it and broke a couple of the fibers, making a small hole. So I’m a little concerned about how well it will hold up.

It does seem very individual. Mosquitoes are a problem all summer in mid-South and especially at dusk. I previously had an open deck, so no overhead fan, and got driven in by bugs. Now have a screened porch which is elevated so not able to do a comparison re: height! But have some open deck down a few stairs and definitely more skeeters there. We eat on the porch a lot and another thing I wonder about is flies. Previously when having a meal out on an open deck we were constantly waving flies away & covering any food even if still serving. No such issues with screens. I do like that we have some unscreened deck because it is a different experience & when not buggy, I also like to sit out there.

Thank you for the suggestion, Beverly! It turned out lovely. I will definitely look into this! Kandrewspa, there are a number of things we‘ve found to be odd about this house. The patio faces south west, so it gets pretty hot in the sun and I believe would be nearly unbearable without full shade back there. I do love the shade it currently provides, just want a doffernet look. We have kitchen windows facing west and get a good amount of afternoon sun entering the den through the kitchen. I would love something similar to the picture below, but I think accomodating the upstairs windows would make this design impossible.