If you had any doubts that Archadeck of Columbus custom-designs the outdoor living projects we build, here is the one-of-a-kind project to illustrate that fact. We converted a covered porch in Powell, OH, to a screened porch including custom-built sliding barn doors with screens. Where have you ever seen that? These screen doors are truly original. The project also called for a new built-in enclosure for the homeowner’s grill, with a granite countertop, under a shed roof. Truly unique, and truly the perfect design for this stately yet charming home.
The clients were using a covered porch they had built themselves. The angle of the sun flooded their porch with burning rays at a certain time of day. The homeowners had taken to using dark curtains to wall off the porch when they needed to block the sun. Unfortunately, the curtains also blocked airflow but did not keep pesky insects out of the porch. For these reasons, the clients were looking for a more protected space for shade, to better escape insects and to shield them from inclement weather.
Enter Archadeck of Columbus, your Columbus-area screened porch builder. We were able to fulfill all of the homeowners’ requests and deliver a unique outdoor living space built adjacent to their existing paver patio.
The homeowners wanted a paneled look for the screened enclosure. We built a paneled knee wall around the portion of the porch that had previously been open and added a screening product called Screeneze for the porch’s new screens.
Screeneze is an amazing type of porch screen that is not made of aluminum (the material traditionally used for screening). Aluminum creases too easily and is flimsy, sometimes giving the screen a wavy look and making it vulnerable to damage by birds, branches or falling objects. Screeneze has elasticity and is so strong that if you throw a baseball into the screen, it will revert back to its original shape within minutes. Because Screeneze is so strong, it allows for more distance between posts, giving the family a cleaner, less interrupted view from their porch. This is our go-to screening product when the client is looking for a wider span of screen openings than is standard. Screeneze offers several different screen materials, and for this project, we chose SuperScreen (now called TEXTILINE® nano 50) made of coated polyester. This material features increased resistance to punctures and tears as well as better protection from pet damage, UV damage and mildew.
For the porch doors, we continued the paneled design to match the knee wall , using cypress to custom-build a pair of sliding barn doors with screens. These screened porch doors, wider than standard porch doors, are one of a kind. (Well, literally two of a kind, since there are two doors.) The paneled barn doors give this porch a French country chic look, perfect to match the adjacent rustic patio setting.
In addition to converting the open porch to a screened porch, this project called for a built-in cabinet to house the homeowners’ grill. We built the cabinet portion surrounding the grill with dimensional block pavers to match the seating wall on the adjacent patio. The counter around the grill is a beautiful granite countertop with plenty of room for the grillmaster to lay out utensils, seasonings and platters of food.
Finally, we added a small shed roof over the newly-built grill area as protection from rain. The new ceiling over the grill is cedar tongue-and-groove. Typically you wouldn’t put a grill under a wood structure; however, the homeowner uses a pellet wood grill. The manufacturer’s recommendation for clearance over this type of grill is much lower you would have for a grill with an open flame.
To complete the project, we ran electrical wiring and installed outlets for the grill controller box and a TV, and we installed an outlet for cable TV. The Powell, OH, homeowners are thrilled with their new screened porch and love the screened sliding barn doors.
Your Archadeck of Columbus design consultant is ready create a unique, custom-designed outdoor living project for your home. Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to modify your current outdoor living space, contact us today at (740) 879 – 3730 or email us at westcolumbus@archadeck.net.
Columbus Decks, Porches and Patios by Archadeck of Columbus 