It’s hard to believe July has already come and gone, but there’s still time to make the most of your outdoor space in 2020 and for years to come.
Outdoor living projects are one of the most popular types of remodels at Atlanta Design & Build. We’ve only seen that demand increase the last several months as area homeowners social distance and spend more time at home with their families.
With our beautiful weather, outdoor projects are a great way to expand your living space and make your home more enjoyable throughout the year. But we also know there are times when a deck or screened porch may not be the right answer. Instead, one of our Georgia Room sunrooms can be the best solution. They’re the perfect combination of outdoor and indoor living. A Georgia Room offers access to the yard, but also protects from pollen, insects, excessive heat, humidity and inclement weather. It is a year-round best of both worlds!
Combining a Georgia Room with a deck or patio can further enhance your enjoyment. (In case you missed it, here’s a great example of how a Georgia Room transformed a client’s life.)
With most homeowners spending more time at home the last several months due to the coronavirus and social distancing, we’re seeing increased demands for a range of outdoor projects. Folks are slowing down, focusing more on their families and finding new opportunities to improve their homes.
We’re blessed to have great weather here in the Atlanta area for most of the year – perfect for enjoying a deck, patio or other outdoor space. But we also know those summer days can get a little hot and humid, so an enclosed space like one of our “GA Rooms” makes a lot of sense for many homeowners.
Earlier this month, we started our exploration of outdoor living options by taking a look at some of the trends in decks, patios, and porches.(Read Exploring Outdoor Living Options – Part 1)
Today, we continue discussing Outdoor Living Options of decks and screened porches by sharing a client’s story. This award-winning project in Canton started because the homeowners wanted to replace their existing deck with a new outdoor living space that would take advantage of the beautiful views. To meet those needs, Atlanta Design & Build created an elegant yet rustic outdoor space, protected from bugs, and a new deck for an eating area.
“One of the challenges to the project was we have very large windows that overlook a beautiful wooded area,” says homeowner V Lanier. “I did not want a screened-in porch to invade on my view from the living room … it was really important to us that we keep a very open feel to the back of the house.”
Atlanta Design & Build accomplished that goal by using large screen panels that let in the fresh air while also keeping the view unblocked. We even screened the peak of the roof to allow heat to escape during the summer.
Summer plans may have changed as we all deal with the new reality of COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the season.
The Atlanta area is a great place to enjoy the outdoors for several months during the year. Investing in your outdoor space is one of the best ways to improve the value of your home and enhance the usability of your yard.
Over our next several blog posts, we’ll be looking at ways you can improve your outdoor space. We’re also going to share the stories of Atlanta Design & Build customers that have seen a significant difference in their lives with new outdoor living projects.
The most important part of the decision is finding a solution that works for you and your family. An experienced remodeler like Atlanta Design & Build can walk you through the process and make sure that you get a deck, patio, sunroom or other outdoor space that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Imagine the enjoyment you could have with a year-round
outdoor living space! During the cooler days of fall, you can watch football
games sitting around a fire. Make the most of your time relaxing outdoors by
having comfort in every season. One of our specialties is building customized
outdoor areas, like covered patios, screened porches, and Georgia rooms (sunrooms
for 3-4 seasons). Look at some of our projects below and learn more about which
type of space is ideal for you!
Covered Patios: Blurring the Line Between Indoors and Out
This open concept outdoor living room is covered to protect
your furnishings and television from the elements, but open on the sides to
feel almost fully outdoors. With well-made outdoor furnishings, beautiful slate
tile flooring, and a mounted television, this room blurs the line between the
indoors and outdoors. Enjoy family meals at the teak table and lounging by the
pool in summer.
A convenient door leads into the home with close access to a
pool bath, and also the kitchen for ease in carrying meals outside. This patio
is a great retreat for overhead shade, while at the same time lovely gable
windows bring in extra sunshine.
Thirty years ago, your grandparents’ porch would have originally been built on top of decks with general deck boards. This gave the porch an “added-on” look to the house, instead of what we now see as a wholly-formed, functional asset of the house. As the field has grown and materials have improved over the years, standards have changed in how homeowners view the concept of a porch’s presentation. What started out as plain deck boards morphed into plywood/carpet, which then transitioned into a tile setup that has now settled into tongue and groove (T&G) decking.
When porches were originally built with deck boards, they left gaps between the boards as they did not fully align. This resulted in an overabundance of bugs crawling up between the boards to investigate. The solution to this was stapling screens to the bottom of the deck and obstructing the easy access for insects. But what was thought to be a decent solution, actually resulted in an unhealthy, unattractive trap for all food, hair, and garbage that was dropped throughout everyday life. And with that brought to light, it was back to the drawing board for ideas.
Next up was installing plywood on the deck so that carpet could be placed over top. This allowed for a smooth and comfortable surface, perfect for bare feet. But soon the cons of using carpet began to outweigh the pros, as natural elements took their toll on it. The “shelf life” of carpet immersed in the outside world is much shorter than that of carpet used indoors. And because of that, carpeted porches began to see a decline. Allergens, such as pollen and dust, were trapped in its fibers, and rain (or water in general) sped up the degrading process of the plywood underneath.
Now, twenty years later, we find that T&G is the best option for a porch, specifically utilizing Brazilian hardwoods. This type of wood is more stable than your average American wood, as it will not buckle, warp, twist, or cup. T&G connects in such a way that removes the spaces found in the original plain deck-boards setup and stops the infiltration of bugs from below. It can get rained on without the fear of degrading materials, and with that beautiful, natural wood look Brazilian hardwoods can last from 50-100 years with little maintenance required.
As the past thirty years have come and gone, they have shown us the evolution of the screened-in porch. From its visual representation as a household “add-on” to a functional homeowner’s necessity, down to the technical advances of how materials have been designed to build an affordable yet well-designed space. If the past thirty years have taught us anything, it is that there is always potential for a bigger and better result of creativity, and that this is only the beginning.