I know it may seem like madness to put an addition on a new construction home, but the heart wants what it wants, and this heart wanted a screened porch and it was cost prohibitive to go through our home builder so here we are. We were so decision fatigued during the design and building process of our house (plus, we ran into crazy issues with the yard, oh my word) so I’m extremely glad we waited and went with a trusted porch and deck builder instead. It also gave us time to scout around and find what we really wanted in terms of porch design.
When we started the process, I scouted out images of what we wanted in an outdoor living area that we hope will be blissfully bug-free. First and foremost, we want both a screened porch for eating and lounging plus a deck for grilling and growing my herb garden off of the kitchen. This photo shows a typical porch/ deck combo with composite decking; ours is configured differently but this is the gist of what we’re going for:
We going to have a little wall space where the porch meets the house, this is a cozy and clever way to handle it:
Ahhhhh, curtains! We’re installing windows that go from vinyl to screens to make it a 3 season room, so I’m not as scared of using white curtains than I would be if it was just screens. I’m planning to use breezy curtains to provide some privacy and shade during especially sunny hours.
YES to all the string lights! In fact, we might use the string light hanging trick on our deck just like in our last home.
We *almost* added a fireplace, but wasn’t sure if we could have the three season windows and the fireplace because of the vinyl windows. But isn’t this lovely?
YES to the yes yes yes. Our railings, trim and ceiling are all white and flooring gray, so we’re hoping it looks quite a bit like this!
This photo gives me all the feels. I want this feeling right here, so I’m going with light wood furniture and blue & gray accents.
Another stunner! What a clever way to add privacy.
This is what the three-season windows look like when installed. I believe once the screens are open they’ll look more open. The railing is a code issue, unfortunately you need to have that railing to stay up to code which messes with the aesthetic a bit but safety first, of course.
Vacay all day is the vibe we’re going for. Curtains and lots of greenery make that happen.
AHHHHHH! This is all the things. Our porch will have lots of windows like this one, minus that view unfortunately.
My daughter hopes we can find a spot for a hanging chair in which to curl up and read, and I can’t agree more.
Or… maybe a hammock instead of the reading chair? This reminds me of my porch growing up, we had a hammock and would spend hours lounging in it!
This porch from the Endearing Home has EVERYTHING!! Makes me wish we’d went with that fireplace and skylights, too.
Can you believe this swinging bed from Unskinny Boppy?! I could sit there all day.
My love of coastal decor goes deep, and Kim from Sand and Sisal’s deck is so inviting you can practically feel the salty sea air.
Suzy from Worthing Court used a trellis to create a clever privacy screen, and I’m swooning over that vignette with the lemonade. Plus, I’m seriously obsessed with that porch swing. So pretty!
This porch makeover from On Sutton Place is so light and bright, it screams SUMMER to me– that dark blue and white is classic and on-trend at the same time.
We miss our deck in Pennsylvania something fierce; just looking at photos is a jab in the heart. We hope our new porch and deck will make us feel a little better about our terrible backyard situation and help screen the builder’s transgressions in the lot behind us. Oh how I miss this view, that deck, and those TREES.
The dreaming phase is over and we’re knee-deep in construction. 🙂 I’ll share the final plans and our current progress next week, or get sneak peeks over on my Instagram stories!
