Porch Options

Since we opened in 2007, our primary focus has been assisting people in determining if they want to retire or purchase a home here in Coastal North Carolina. During this time, we guesstimate that over 50% of our clients have built a home for themselves, and the reason is simple – because you get the house the way you want it.

One of the primary living areas of the home is the outdoor space. We can sit and enjoy being on the porch probably 9-10 months of the year, which is a big reason why most people move here. With that said, incorporating outdoor space into your everyday living is a crucial ingredient to your happiness. We have prepared six different options for outdoor living on the back of the same home.

Patio with No Covered Roof

You walk outside the house, and you have a concrete patio or perhaps a wooden/Trex deck. This patio is not covered, and it would be open to the elements, whether it be rain or pollen.  

Covered Open Porch

Having a covered open porch means that your patio will be safe from the elements such as rain, but it has no screen to keep the bugs out of it. You could take advantage of using this area by sitting out on the porch in your outdoor patio furniture and sipping your morning coffee.

Screened-in Porch Only

When you walk outside, it’s nice to have a screened-in porch to keep the bugs out of the area where you’ll be spending your time at. Keep in mind that you can incorporate stamped concrete, brick, stone, or pavers for your flooring. If you have, it raised a little bit, and you’ve decided to use wood as a regular deck, ask to have some screening added to the bottom of the porch to keep all the bugs and critters out of your screened-in porch.

Four Season Porch with Vinyl Windows

Yes, we said vinyl windows that slide up and down in sections are trendy. These windows will extend your seasons by up to one month in the Fall & Spring. FYI, they tend to fade, but they help keep out dust and pollen in the Springtime.

Screened Porch with Covered Porch & Summer Kitchen

This happens to be one of Doug’s favorite options because you’ll use your screened-in porch often. Plus, the Grill Master of the home will fall in love with having a Summer Kitchen on the back porch. This provides a short walk to the actual kitchen.

Carolina Room (Finished) and Screened Porch

While Doug isn’t a big fan of Carolina Rooms in our part of the country, you are just adding another heated or cooled living room adjacent to your Great Room. This is like the old days when homes had a formal living room and a den. At least this option also provides you with a screened-in screened-in. You could just make that a covered porch as well.

Whether you build a new home or renovate a resale home, it is crucial to understand your options, for not all builders will present you with them. The other factor one must address is cost. These six options are organized by price, with option #1 being less expensive. Converting a screened-in porch to a four seasons porch will run you approximately $7K-$10K while converting a screened-in porch to a Carolina Room could cost roughly $20K-$60K. Size, materials, ceilings, and more all influence these costs.

The majority of our clients are moving here from snow country, whether it be NY, NJ, MA, Northern VA, IL, PA, MD, etc., and most of you have been looking out the windows at weather for way too many years. Therefore, if you move to the south, perhaps you may want to consider starting with a screened-in porch and later, if you aren’t happy with it, convert it to a 4 Seasons porch or even a Carolina Room.