How did we make this new Kansas City porch the one with an ideal size?

If you play golf or tennis, you’ve probably found yourself hoping that your next club or racket will be “the one”. Hopefully it will be that magic tool that solves all the little problems that have been keeping your game from reaching the next level. Kansas City deck and porch sizing is a little like that. Many homeowners think that there is a “perfect size” that, once found, will allow all the other design details to fall into place.

Sadly, there is no perfect size. Just as there is no ideal size for a home, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for determining the best deck, porch or patio size for everyone. There are, however, some guidelines that we use to make the best recommendation for our clients. Not surprisingly, the first thing we do is take measurements of the home and yard. If your yard is only 20 feet across, you can’t have a 25’ deck. Existing landscaping, roof, wall, and window considerations will be key factors too.

You’ve probably heard the maxim “form follows function.” Size is a primary component of form and we always ask our customers detailed questions about how they plan to use their new outdoor space. It’s not because we are nosy. We want to understand the job that your new addition will perform. If you and your beloved pet will use the screened porch for relaxing in the evenings after work, that’s one thing. Tailgate parties for 45 people throughout football system are entirely different.

Space planning for your Kansas City porch will make your final size perfect for your needs.

The topic of function dovetails into the furniture you plan to use. Roughly 80 percent of our customers put a dining table on their porch. With a dining area, you have to include space around the table for chairs and movement around the table. Some people like to push back from the table after dinner and stretch out a bit– this may take up another 2 feet or so. Two feet doesn’t sound like much, on paper, but in reality, it can make a tremendous difference in comfort and traffic flow.

When you choose Archadeck, you are entrusting your new design to a highly-experienced porch designer and builder.

If this sounds like a lot to wrap your head around, fear not. As Kansas City’s premier custom porch and deck designers, it’s our job to take into consideration everything from code-related issues like property setbacks to how much space to allow between door openings and walls. We will help guide you to making the right choices for your project. One blanket piece of advice I do have is that it’s better to go a little bigger than too small. No one ever comes back after an installation and reports that they have too much space. But in fact I was recently stopped by a past customer who noted he wished he had agreed to the recommendation for an extra 2 feet on his porch.

Also read: What is the best porch screen system?

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you’re considering adding a sunroom, or screened porch or other roofed structure to your home, give us a ring. Our consultation is free. We can discuss options, provide design ideas and of course give you a price quote to consider. Give us a call or send us an email. (913) 851 – 3325 or kansascity@archadeck.net.

We’ve all become used to the luxury of being able to price much of what we want to purchase by doing a few quick searches with keywords online. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could do the same thing with a major construction project such as a new porch? The good news is consumers are finding they have increasing numbers of choices to allow customization of their Kansas City porches and decks. The bad news is that each new choice makes pricing a little more complicated.

I wrote about this phenomenon as it applies to estimating the cost for Kansas City decks and most of the same points apply. If you think of a porch as a souped-up deck, that makes perfect sense. For instance, permitting costs for any significant home improvement project will vary by municipality. Everything I said in that article about materials costs for decks applies to porches too. Porches also have additional factors to consider that make a standard per-square-foot estimate impossible.

Screen porch with exposed shed style roof

What kind of roof?

Roof selection is driven by three factors: how it will tie-in to the rest of the home, how much it costs, and what style the customer prefers. The first of these trumps the others. In most cases, a single-slope roof is the least expensive, but it might not be possible to use with the existing architecture. Hip and gable roofs are usually more costly. Some cities require a licensed engineer or architect to design the roof. We have full resources to meet all city regulations and requirements, even if your city requires an architect or engineer to approve the roof.

Include a fireplace?

Just as a fireplace makes a huge difference to the design, feel, and use of a screened porch, its presence or absence will substantially change the cost of adding  this amenity to your home. Wood-burning and gas-fueled fireplaces and the materials chosen for the fireplace surround will be important cost factors as well.

Don’t forget electrical.

While you may not be planning on adding an outdoor fireplace to your new porch, you probably are planning on having lights, perhaps a few speakers, and several outlets for a whole host of devices including laptops, table lamps, cell phone chargers, and possibly even coffee cup warmers or the Keurig machine. We work with the various subcontractors such as gas, electrical or plumbing so you don’t have to.

Everything else…

There are a lot of pieces and parts of your porch that either aren’t the first design considerations evaluated or perhaps they are important components that you don’t notice or don’t see. For example, what sort of trim makes the most sense for your porch? This answer may depend heavily on the degree to which you want to do maintenance. Do you have special requirements about your screening? Depending on your configuration, different types of wall posts may be needed. What about interior ceiling trim? Custom lighting? How many ceiling fans? Where will they be mounted. If you’re a Microsoft Excel expert, you’re probably wondering if there are enough columns in a standard spreadsheet to list the options and associated pricing. That’s where Archadeck comes into play. We’ve built screened porches with a whole host of different combinations of styles, roof types, trims, posts, ceiling types, and amenities. We will help recommend the best configuration based on how you want to live on your new porch.

Your porch will be part of your home

We’ve never built two porches that are exactly alike. We partner with every client to design the addition to their home that uses the design, materials, shape, size, layout and amenities that are best for them. The moment we connect the porch to your house, it becomes part of your home and that’s something that’s more important and personal than anything that can be pulled out of a table of numbers.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you’re considering the addition of an outdoor fireplace – or a deck, porch, patio or other outdoor living structure – give us a call at (913) 851-3325 for a design consultation or email us at kansascity@archadeck.net. We look forward to your call.

Custom screened porch and deck design is not a career field with lots of easy, all-purpose answers. That’s where the “custom” part comes in. Having said that, I do have some experienced guidance to help you along in the thought process of adding a new screened porch to your home. The really short answer to this common question is, “It depends on how you plan to use your porch.”

When you first started considering a new porch for your home, what got you thinking about that option? Did you go to a really enjoyable party at a friend’s house and find yourself thinking that you would like to host events like that? Perhaps you were watching a home improvement show and were really taken with the way a screened porch allows you to enjoy the best of being inside and outside at the same time. Maybe you were eating dinner in the yard one night and found yourself annoyed by insects or unexpected rainfall. Start with the activity that first inspired you and then start making a list of what you want to do with your new porch.

Your plans for using the space will be one of the primary driving factors in both location and design. If you want to eat lots of meals outside, it makes the most sense to try to locate the porch near the kitchen and to have some space available outside the porch for the grill or outdoor kitchen. If you envision your guests spilling out onto the porch from the living or family room when they come over to watch the Chiefs or the Royals play, you will want to have direct entry to your interior entertaining areas.

Some homeowners see their porch as a quiet retreat where they can curl up with a good book before bed or enjoy a cup of coffee and then newspaper first thing in the morning. In that case, the ideal location for the porch might be adjacent to the master suite. We do recommend some additional consideration on this location. Attaching a porch to your sleeping area will pretty much ensure that the owners of the master bedroom are the only ones that ever use the porch. This seems like a great idea if your view from the bedroom is overlooking a tremendously scenic area. One concern, and this is a serious concern, is that you are far from the coffee maker, the toaster, and the refrigerator. If you’re going to relax in your own private porch, you will often likely want to take a snack, a cup of coffee, or a cold refreshment with you. While it’s only a hop, skip, and jump to the kitchen, this may keep you from spending as much time out there as you originally thought.

One porch lover that seems to have no preference about location is the family pet. Regardless of the kind of companion animal you have, except perhaps fish, your pet will love spending time on your porch regardless of where you build it. They are some of our most satisfied customers.

Keep in mind that none of these plans excludes any of the others. Your porch will almost certainly end up being a mixed-use area. Once it is complete, you will find yourself looking for opportunities to go outside and enjoy it. You should also be aware that the other major deciding factor of location of your porch will be the layout of your home and available yard space. Don’t be alarmed or upset if a site inspection dictates that your porch has to go in a different area than you originally planned. It is still going to be a wonderful addition to your home.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you’re considering the addition of an outdoor fireplace – or a deck, porch, patio or other outdoor living structure – to your Kansas City area home, give us a call at (913) 851-3325 for a free consultation or email us at kansascity@archadeck.net. We look forward to your call.