Unfortunately, everything requires maintenance. But, this may be as simple as removing surface debris with a sponge and some warm water. There are many low maintenance options available. These options include a number of factors including design, materials and installation.

Low maintenance building materials

There are a number of low-maintenance porch building materials on the market. Indeed with some of these materials, you may get warranties that protect against different types of damage such as rot, mildew, or scratching among other types of protections. Each product is different and each carries a different warranty. Some of the low maintenance materials available for porches include railings, gutters, column, trimwork, screen types, and design options, to name a few. The maintenance required to maintain these materials is, in part, determined by the finish. For example, you can paint your wood columns with a good outdoor paint. They may not need to be repainted for a couple years. But, you could have your columns wrapped with PVC and they never need to be painted or repainted. The tradeoff is the lower maintenance materials are more expensive to a degree. But, you are exchanging that for the costs of annual maintenance both in time and materials.

Kansas City elevated second story screen porch with heavy-duty screen and low-maintenance trim and wrapped columns with Smart Trim

Other low maintenance porch considerations

In addition to materials, there are other factors that contribute to porch maintenance. These include but are not limited to use, damage, weathering, and construction. These affect the roof, screens, gutters, roof connections, and other areas.

Let’s look at screens. Screens cover the biggest area of the porch’s side walls. The reason why the screens are such a big maintenance consideration is because they are large targets so they are more likely to be subject to damage. There are so many things that can damage them – wind, animals, kids, hail storms, tree branches, golf balls, birds, and other flying objects. Two important factors are the screens you choose and the installation method. A reputable builder will provide you with the material options and considerations to help you make a good choice.

Another couple areas to consider are the roof design, overhang, and trim work. You’ll want to carefully consider options for all of these. Equally as important is porch construction. If you select a lower quality builder, you may need to be concerned with how the porch is attached to your home. Your builder can be an excellent help in making these selections as they’ve likely worked with many of the different product choices as well as built with a variety of building techniques. Choosing a builder with a lot of porch building experience is your best bet when adding this outdoor room to your home.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding a low-maintenance roof structure to your backyard, give us a call for a free consultation. We will walk you through all the various materials and considerations to help craft the best custom porch for how you want to live outdoors.

Give us a call: (913) 851 – 3325
Drop us an email: kansascity@archadeck.net
Visit our website at kansas-city.archadeck.com