Category Archives: Screen Porches

This screened porch with outdoor fireplace is designed for how these Kansas City homeowners want to live

There is no perfect outdoor project – in a vacuum that is. The perfect outdoor living space for one family will likely be completely different than the perfect outdoor space for another family. The perfect space neither has the ultimate features nor the most features — but it has the right features for that family.

This family wanted a porch that would provide a wide range of family entertainment. They wanted it to be suitable for dining but also for entertaining. As is quite common now, they wanted distinct areas of the porch both for eating and for seating. This makes your porch a multi-functional space that allows different uses at the same time. If you want to curl up with a book in front of the fire but someone else in your family wants to sit at the table with a newspaper and cup of coffee, this screen porch will accommodate both objectives.

In addition to a multi-functional area, this family was certain they wanted an outdoor fireplace both for warmth and for ambiance. They wanted bug protection while enjoying their space. They had a lot of trees on their lot and they wanted protection from debris. Across the board, a large screened porch fit the bill for how they wanted to live outdoors.

When we went to work, we demolished their old deck and built the new gable roof screened porch in its place. We always pay special attention to making sure the structures we build look original to the home. There are several areas that factor into that equation – one of which is the roof. The family was looking to re-roof the entire house and we were able to arrange to have a contractor roof the porch and the remainder of the house at the same time.

Their porch floor is made from AZEK Silver Oak color. This PVC floor is low maintenance and carries a 25 year warranty. It will neither need to be painted nor stained. It will not need the annual maintenance that a wood floor often requires. The outdoor fireplace is the showpiece of this porch. It’s a natural gas outdoor fireplace finished with a stone veneer. Natural stone is used for both the mantle and the hearth.

If you are considering adding a custom outdoor space that’s designed for how you want to live, give us a call for a free consultation at (913) 851 – 3325 or drop us an email at kansascity@archadeck.net.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

What makes a porch the ultimate room in the house?

Ipe cedar screen porch Overland Park Archadeck

Ipe floor screened porch floor in Overland Park

Our customers always tell us that their porch is their favorite room in the house. We even had one family tell us that they wished they had not remodeled their basement before adding their porch because they now spend all their time on the porch. So why is it the porch the ultimate oasis?

The ultimate place to get away from it all

When you get out of work or you’ve had a bad day, you want to get away from it all. Your house is the place you can put on your sloppiest clothes, kick off your shoes, and just let go. It’s the ultimate place to get away. But, if you hang out inside your house, you might still notice something that needs to be put away or some work that has to be done at home. Your porch seldom disappoints in being the ultimate place to unwind. The porch carries all the benefits of being the ultimate hang out and it probably doesn’t remind you of work, duties, and responsibilities.

Your porch is like a great dog

Your porch is like a great dog. It’s happy to see you every time. It expects very little of you. It puts a smile on your face. It never disappoints.

It fulfills its purpose in life

Most people don’t think of adding a desk or dishwasher to their porch. In fact, we often remind our customers to include outlets for laptop cords.Very few things in life has a singular purpose. But if your porch is one of them, it’s sole purpose is a place to relax.

There’s just something about the great outdoors

When you hear the words great outdoors, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is taking a deep breath and smelling the super fresh air. Then you probably think of the breeze against your skin. Your mind quickly moves to the sun and both the warmth it delivers and the brightness. There’s just something about being in the great outdoors. There’s no other room that combines the benefits of both the indoors and outdoors than your screened porch. You’re not sacrificing creature comforts for sun and breeze and vice versa. And, you’re leaving the bugs outside!

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you’re considering building an open porch, screened porch or outdoor room on your house, give us a call for a free consultation at 913-851-3325. We look forward to your call.

Can I include a TV in my screened porch?

Adding large screen TV’s to porches is becoming more and more popular here in the Kansas City metro market. Homeowners want to get a lot more use out of their screened porch than they can get out of other outdoor living areas such as their deck. The addition of creature comforts such as outdoor TV’s and outdoor fireplaces is one way to have outdoor living with some of the interior amenities we’re used to. The whole outdoor living trend encourages people to do more indoor activities outside.

What are the logistics of having a TV on your screened porch?

The first item to consider is a power source. You will need electrical run to the area where the TV is mounted.

The next consideration is placement. You will want to mount the TV away from the screened area. It shouldn’t be in an area where water may blow in. There are outdoor rated TV’s but at this point, they are still very expensive. They can be several times more expensive than indoor TV’s. There are other options. Some of our clients tell us they take their TV’s in for the winter but others tell us they leave them out year round.

The final consideration is installation. For our clients, we help with running the wire, installing the brackets, and installing the TV.

This Lenexa screened porch and deck combination

At this particular home in Lenexa KS, the homeowners wanted both a deck and a screened porch. They had an old deck that was beaten up and really wanted an enclosed space as well as a new deck. They wanted low maintenance floors and railing to reduce the overall maintenance required for both the deck and the porch.

We tore down everything they had because they wanted to change the layout, size, and shape of the space. We created a new space, added a new gable roof, and then built a new deck attached to the porch. The deck is all made with AZEK low-maintenance PVC decking. This deck has black aluminum railing by Westbury. The dark colored and slender profile pickets allow excellent visibility beyond the deck.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding a new outdoor living space, give us a call for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing how you want to live in your outdoor space and in working with you to design your ultimate outdoor living space.

(913) 851 – 3325
kansascity@archadeck.net

Visit our website: kansas-city.archadeck.com

Kansas City porch design options including finish, color, amenities and more

In traditional porches from 30 or 40 years ago, ceilings were mostly flat and thus the ceiling was flat as well. Today most of our clients prefer a vaulted roof to give the room an open and airy feel.

The porch ceiling design options are affected by the height, shape, and design of the roof. The design options are also closely tied to whether you want a finished or unfinished ceiling.

Overland Park screened porch with cedar floor and deck posts

This Overland Park screened porch has enclosed rafters along with lighting, a ceiling fan and skylights.

Exposed or enclosed rafters

Some homeowners like the look of structural rafters showing but that may introduce some complications with electrical wire or conduits that are not easily hidden. Having covered rafters solves that problem because they allow more options for material choices to cover the rafters and achieve a different ambiance. Covering the rafters does not mean that a vaulted ceiling will be flat. It simply means the actual rafters will not be seen.

Ceiling finish

Lenexa KS porch with stained wood ceiling

If you are covering the rafters, there are a couple choices in how to treat a wood ceiling. The classical ceiling look is a white ceiling. It always gives a bright open feel to the porch and compliments just about any color design. Wood stained ceilings are still very popular and they give more of a lodge/cabin/outdoor feeling to the space/room. To give it more of a natural or rustic look, some people find natural wood tones to be very attractive. There are several natural woods that can be used including pine, cedar, fir, or other wood choices. Cedar is the most popular in the Kansas City area. In terms of texture, beadboard ceilings have a classical look that is complimentary to many different designs.

Other ceiling design factors and options

This white porch ceiling has exposed architectural elements that are wrapped for a finished look

Some roof construction will require beams or trusses depending on the load bearing design of the structure. Even if the roof requires beams or trusses, these can still be covered or “wrapped” for a nice finished look. In terms of amenities, your ceiling can include lights, fans, speakers, sound systems, custom lighting, track lighting and more. In addition to electrical amenities, your roof can include a skylight for additional room light.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding a porch to your Kansas City area home, give us a call for a free consultation. We can be reached at (913) 851 – 3325 or by email at kansascity@archadeck.net. We look forward to your call.

How do you make your new screened porch look original to your home?

There are several factors that go into selecting the best design and architectural features to make your new porch or other outdoor structure look original to your home. Take a look at the photo below. You almost need to look at it for a few minutes to recognize that it’s the same home. The new screened porch was designed to work with the home and to look like it’s original to the home.

Here are some of the ways we make the new structure look original to the home.

From an architectural perspective, one of the first key factors is evaluating the correct roofline for the addition. This house had multiple rooflines as is often typical of custom homes. In our design, we came up with a roof that complimented the home and one that worked in durability, drainage, size, and shape. This home has both gable roof lines and hip roof lines. Our new porch incorporated a gable peak into the roof to blend the porch perfectly with the architecture of the home.

Because this project was very high in the air – 13 or 14 ft, and the roof is well over 27’ or 28’, it was important to take into account how the height reflects the scale because things look different at that height than from the ground. Height does affect scale and this was an important consideration with the design.

In order to compliment the house, the homeowner agreed we needed something other than ceiling and screens. We felt we needed kneewall to blend into the house. We used half kneewall and half railing. That lends to the architectural look on the outside as well as on the inside. In the picture above, the area between the supporting posts and the screen is the interior kneewall of the porch. The picture to the left shows how this combination kneewall and railing looks. The railing has Deckorator balusters and a custom built cedar railing. This particular porch has a beautiful custom fireplace integrated into the porch which allows the homeowners to enjoy their screened porch a little longer throughout the year.

The screened porch exterior has custom siding trim and is painted to match the exterior of the home. All of these elements such as roof design, scale, trim, color, and kneewall contributed to making this porch look original to the home.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding a screened porch to your Kansas City area home, give us a call for a free consultation at (913) 851 – 3325 or send us an email at kansascity@archadeck.net

To see more pictures, visit our screened porch photo gallery on our Archadeck of Kansas City website.

The price to build next summer could be significantly higher than building now

Leawood KS screen porch builder designed for maximum air flow

Unlike things that you purchase at retail, building material and lumber prices are extremely subject to supply & demand. If demand increases and supply remains unchanged, a shortage occurs and this leads to higher prices. Supply and demand vary throughout the year and from year to year. If nothing else changes, we have reason to expect building materials prices may increase this Spring.

Here are some reasons why we believe the demand for building materials will increase in 2013.

Seasonality

Certain Materials prices tend to be higher in spring and summer. This often includes the price of lumber and building materials.

State of the economy – It’s improving!

The overall level of economy and the growth or decline of new home building has an effect on demand. As new home building grows, the demand changes. Now it has turned the corner and more and more new home construction is underway than last year or year before. Growth is happening here at home in the Kansas City market and nationwide.

Weather

Natural disasters or weather disasters that cause destruction of homes and businesses will increase demand and put pressure on the supply. In particular, recent hurricane Sandy is going to generate a tremendous amount of rebuilding/reconstruction over next couple of years. As more and more building materials are ordered on East Coast, the demand is sharply higher and therefore prices will increase. The price of raw materials is affected by changes nationwide. Even though we are far from the East Coast, the nation will be affected by this increase in demand.

Cedar deck w/ metal rails

Industry conditions

Conditions in the industry can have a couple effects. If a large producer shuts down or goes bankrupt, it affects the supply and frequently causes other producers’ prices to go up.

Based on the above, we anticipate the building materials costs will increase throughout 2013 if not longer. It’s not unusual to see those double or triple for a period of many months until the demand changes back. In the past, we have seen a sheet of plywood that normally costs $10 go up in cost to as much as $30.

On Dec. 7th, 2012 Bloomberg reports “Lumber futures rose to a six-year high, extending a 2012 rally that is one of the biggest among commodities, on mounting signs of tighter supplies as U.S. home construction rebounds.”

We frequently hear questions from customers asking when is the best time to build to get the best price. The answer is to build now. Any time you postpone, you are taking the risk of higher material prices.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

The sooner you get started with your outdoor project, the better. Now is the best time to give us a call for a free consultation. We look forward to your call. (913) 851 – 3325.

Visit our Archadeck of Kansas City website to see more pictures of our work.

Multiple outdoor living spaces add the most to your Kansas City area home

There are two things our customers tell us when we speak with them after they’ve had time to live in and enjoy their new outdoor room. First they tell us they wish they had done it sooner. Secondly, they tell us it’s their favorite room in the house. This has been true throughout the time we’ve been designing and building outdoor living spaces here in the Kansas City market.

Archadeck Kansas City 2 story sunroom screen porch

This design rendering shows what the space will look like after completion

Now there is a new trend we’re seeing. Homeowners are now considering adding multi-function outdoor living spaces. Multi-function spaces include those that are either large enough to include separate living spaces or spaces that actually include multiple outdoor structures. For example, a large deck or screened porch may accommodate both an eating area and enough room for a seating area. A space including multiple outdoor living structures may add multiple living spaces to your home as is the case with a project we are just beginning in Shawnee, KS.

These homeowners wanted a sunroom, a screened porch and a deck. Their yard has a drop-off so they are able to add outdoor living spaces at both levels. On the lower level walkout, we are building a screened porch. The basement door leads to the screened porch.

Kansas City Shawnee 4 season porch sunroom Archadeck

Design drawing of new 2-story 4-season porch over screened porch with adjoining deck

Atop the screen porch will be a new sunroom. There is a walkout from the kitchen and dining area to the new sunroom. Then, one of the side walls of the sun room will lead to a new second-story deck. The deck has stairs leading down to the ground.

For the decks, steps and screened porch floor, the owners chose to use Ipe which is a strong Brazilian hardwood. They wanted a natural product that was extremely durable and long lasting. The sunroom will have hardwood floors.

Shawness KS sunroom over screened porch Archadeck

Our design drawings help our customers envision what their project will look like

The upper level sunroom is actually called a 12-month sunroom. It will have insulation and energy efficient windows so it can be used 12 months of the year. It will also have heat and A/C. The room does have a separate unit because the sun in the sunroom might be dramatically different than in the rest of the house. With separate thermostatic control and a separate unit, they can turn it off when they go out of town.

Here’s a design rendering of the project to give you a glimpse of what the finished project will look like. When complete in November, we will follow up with pictures showing all the details and finish choices.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding an outdoor living area to your home, give us a call for a free consultation. Call (913) 851 – 3325 or email kansascity@archadeck.net

Overland Park Screened Porch with tile floor

We recently completed a screened porch and deck combination in Overland Park.

The homeowners had an existing deck but wanted a porch and deck combination. The owners wanted a tile floor on the porch so we had to remove the old deck and install a new foundation suitable for tile. A traditional deck is not able to hold tile.

Beautiful tile floor Overland Park by Archadeck

Tile is a unique flooring choice for a screened porch that affords much design flexibility. Additional benefits include tile’s durability and that it’s long lasting, and requires little maintenance.

Overland Park screened porch by Archadeck

We designed a gable roofed screen porch to attach to house in the area they wanted. The porch has cedar wall posts and a painted bead board ceiling. We installed ultra-heavy duty screening and railing on porch with Deckorator metal balusters.

Large screened in porch Overland Park tile floor

The homeowners wanted a new custom door installed in the house. We removed the sliding doors and added French doors instead.

The deck is built using AZEK brownstone. Since it’s low to the ground, it does not require railing. We added custom skirting underneath the porch and deck to close off a lower area for looks and to keep animals out.

The owners are thrilled with their new porch and deck.

Search screen porch builders near me and choose Archadeck of Kansas City for your Overland Park porch design.

If you are considering adding a new porch, deck, or other outdoor living space to your Kansas City area home, give us a call for a design consultation. Dial (913) 851 – 3325
kansascity@archadeck.net

Your new outdoor living space should be all about putting the pieces together to fit your family

Looking at the picture above, you’ll notice quite a transformation. What you might not notice at first glance is the large custom garden shed built to fit perfectly under the deck. This was one of the goals of the homeowners and this is one of the benefits of working with a custom design and build contractor.

When we first met with these Lenexa KS homeowners, they had an old deck with a garden storage shed off to side. They wanted a screened porch, a larger deck, a pergola over the deck, and a new garden shed designed to fit under the deck. We completely redesigned in size and footprint to include all these elements.

In addition to knowing which structures they were looking for, these homeowners also knew they wanted low maintenance materials including composite flooring for and metal railings for strength, durability, and low-maintenance. After considerable looking, they selected Fiberon Ipe color as the deck and porch flooring. They selected low-maintenance Fortress iron railings in black for both the deck and porch.

We built a gable roof screened porch for a light and airy feel. The wall posts are cedar and the T-111 ceiling is stained to match the ceiling. They wanted ceiling fans, outlets, etc. which we built into the porch. We used our standard heavy-duty screen. You’ll notice how nicely the black railings allow for visibility. Not only are they slender, but the dark color also moves your eye past the railing. The outside porch is trimmed with low-maintenance smart trim.

The deck on the adjacent porch has a cedar pergola over it for shade. Both the deck and stairs are in Fiberon’s Ipe color which has beautiful markings to look like real exotic hardwood.

The garden shed is fully waterproof. We custom designed the shed out of Hardie siding and trimmed it with low maintenance Smart Trim.

If you are considering adding an outdoor living space, give us a call at (913) 851 – 3325 or send us an email at kansascity@archadeck.net. We look forward to your call.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

Top 5 reasons to build your new Kansas City screened porch in the fall

Which month is one of the most ideal months to build a screened porch? Here are the top 5 reasons that the fall is a great month to get started on adding a screened porch, 3-season porch or sunroom to your home.

Have it ready for spring
Outdoor enjoyment in the colder months
Minimal interruption of your landscaping
Avoid new year price increases
Get started sooner

Have your porch ready for spring

The weather in Kansas City is different every year. While some years it’s not hot enough really enjoy the refuge of a screened porch until spring, in other years you may be ready to begin enjoying your porch in very early spring. Building your screened porch in the fall ensures that your new screened porch is ready for enjoyment no matter when the temperatures heat up for spring.

Enjoy your porch in the colder months

Many of our customers tell us that they enjoy their screened porch well into the colder months. There are many great electric and natural gas space heaters on the market that will provide enough heat to enjoy your porch in cooler months. If you have a multi-season porch, year round enjoyment is made possible with the help of a space heater.

Be good to your landscaping

The optimal time to do landscaping is later in the fall so it’s not so hot and your new landscaping is going to take root best. Building your porch in the fall helps to ensure that you have minimal interruption of your landscaping. In the fall, the ground is firmer because of less rain resulting in less disruption to your landscaping.

New year may mean new prices

As the housing recovery accelerates which it’s doing which it’s doing around the country, prices of building materials go up. The longer you wait, the higher materials will be priced. They’re based on supply and demand on national level which is highly dependent on the housing market. Building materials manufacturers often announce their price increases at the first of the year. By building in the fall, you can take advantage of the lower prices.

Get started sooner

Everyone wants to build their new outdoor room in the spring. As you can imagine, the construction schedule for reputable builders may require project start dates that are weeks out delaying the time you can begin to enjoy your new porch. In addition to longer wait times in the spring, long bailout times are accentuated by heavy rain which is more prevalent in the spring.

Fall into spring

Another consideration is to sign up in the fall to start building early in the coming year. This allows you to get ahead of the spring rush, allows you to build while the ground is still firm, and we may be able to take advantage of the lower costs of building supplies if you sign a contract before the new year.

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you are considering adding a porch or covered room to your Kansas City area home, give us a call. Our consultation is completely free. Give us a call at (913) 851 – 3325 or email us at kansascity@archadeck.net. We look forward to your call.

Archadeck of Kansas City

Porch & Deck Builder Lee's Summit, Missouri | Serving Kansas City Metro

Category Archives: Screen Porches

This screened porch with outdoor fireplace is designed for how these Kansas City homeowners want to live

What makes a porch the ultimate room in the house?

Can I include a TV in my screened porch?

Kansas City porch design options including finish, color, amenities and more

How do you make your new screened porch look original to your home?

The price to build next summer could be significantly higher than building now

Multiple outdoor living spaces add the most to your Kansas City area home

Overland Park Screened Porch with tile floor

Search screen porch builders near me and choose Archadeck of Kansas City for your Overland Park porch design.

Also read: Is a screened-in porch worth the cost?

Your new outdoor living space should be all about putting the pieces together to fit your family

Top 5 reasons to build your new Kansas City screened porch in the fall