Planning for Summer: Adding a Covered Porch

Now that it’s officially winter, cold temperatures and snow will be upon us. But it’s never too early to start daydreaming about sunshine and warmer weather. From swaying in a hammock to hosting outdoor barbecues, you just can’t beat the warm months of spring and summer. If your family is all about outdoor living and entertaining, why not expand your outdoor space with a covered porch? With a covered porch, you can have the best of both worlds: an open-air, outdoor living space with the added protection of a roof. Having a covered porch gives you the added benefit of being able to use the space when it’s lightly raining, especially if your covered porch is also screened in.

Even though it’s wintertime, if you start thinking now about adding a covered porch to your home, the space will be ready for you to use next spring and summer. After the holidays, hire a general contractor to make plans for your covered porch.

Planning for Your Covered Porch

First, decide where your covered porch will be located. Putting the porch off the current family room or kitchen would be ideal. If that layout works for your home, you could have your home improvement expert install French doors leading into the covered porch from your current living space. This would create an extension of your indoor space out onto your patio. When the weather is nice, you can leave the French doors open, creating an easy flow between the two spaces.

For the floor of your covered porch, you may want to consider pavers. You can choose between natural stone, concrete, or brick pavers. These would work nicely if your covered porch is a simple design, like a patio with a roof over it. If your covered porch will be screened in and feel more like a room, your home builder will need to do more work to create a foundation, on top of which you can put wood or composite decking material, brick, or tile that holds up to outdoor weather conditions.

Once your covered porch is constructed, purchase some outdoor furniture and accessories to complement the space.

A covered porch is a perfect place to welcome your family and friends or to just enjoy yourself when you need a little silence and solitude. You can set up lovely seating areas, complete with couches, chairs, tables, and accessories, all made to be weather-resistant. You can also have the space wired for electricity to include outdoor lamps and audio-visual equipment.

Now’s the time to make plans for your new covered porch or patio so that it’s ready to use next spring and summer. Get started now by calling Tom Madsen LLC. Our home builders and general contractors are ready to complete all of your home improvement projects in Sussex, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas. Call us today at (973) 875-9716 for more information and to receive a free estimate.