Now that the holidays are past and the days are beginning to grow longer, why not make a New Year’s resolution to customize your screened porch? What better time to think ahead and begin planning to enjoy outdoor summer living!
Screened porches create an extension to your home and a special backyard gathering place for entertaining family and friends. They provide an inviting space to relax in nature while being sheltered from unwanted elements like insects and inclement weather.
When designing your screened porch, add to the enjoyment with these decorative and functional features:
Skylights
Skylights not only create a more welcoming space aesthetically, but have other benefits as well. They are available in various shapes and sizes and can be either fixed (sealed closed) or ventilating (able to be opened).
Natural Lighting
One of the best things about screened porches is the feeling that you are outdoors. Skylights enhance that feeling through increased visibility and natural lighting. They can provide up to five times the amount of light of an actual window, brightening not only the porch or deck, but adjacent interior rooms-areas that may have had their natural light blocked by the attached screened porch. Add a skylight for that dog who loves a spot for sunbathing, for stargazers and tree lovers, or for the mood-elevating benefits of greater sunlight in your home.
Climate Control
The hot and humid North Carolina summers can be enough to make folks give up and move inside to the air conditioning! Vented skylights can be opened for increased airflow, allowing fresh summer breezes to enter, cooling the porch while releasing the captured hot air as it rises in the screened porch. On cooler days, skylights can add passive solar heating to the space. Worried about adding too much hot Carolina sunlight to your porch? There are skylight models that provide insulation, tinting and glazing, shades and blinds to regulate the UV light.
Outdoor Fans
Like skylights, fans can help you better enjoy your outdoor space, while adding energy efficient ambiance and functionality. Exterior fans are made with special all-weather blades, finishes to prevent corrosion and rust, and motors which have waterproof seals to protect from moisture and humidity. They can be decorative design elements, available in all sizes and styles from traditional to industrial and contemporary. Most important, they help to circulate that hot summer air, creating a more pleasant place to relax outside with family and friends on warm summer evenings. No more hiding indoors!
Are you imagining that summer day? Let our experienced screened porch experts at Holly Springs Builders help you plan, design and create the personalized screened porch of your dreams. We will help you choose the best skylights and fans for your space and ensure that they care correctly installed. Give us a call at 919-346-0678 and schedule an appointment for your free estimate.
