One of the best ways to make your home feel more spacious is with a screen room. It can provide you with enough room to relax, dine, entertain guests, and breathe fresh air. It also offers an excellent way for you to enjoy the outdoors without necessarily having to deal with some of the drawbacks of being in the open, like the elements and bugs.
Even with such benefits, some homeowners still don’t know how to build a screen room or how much it costs. Most home improvement experts say the average screen room costs between $2,000 and $2,800. However, based on the design, size, and other features like flooring, the price tag can be as much as $10,000 or higher.
Fortunately, you can still have your screen room at an affordable price. The trick is knowing what you want and how to budget adequately for the project.
That said, the following are some crucial elements you should always keep in mind when looking at how to build a screen room on your deck.
1. How to Build a Screen Room by Making Use of Your Patio or Porch
If your house already has a patio or porch in place, you should consider building a screen room around it instead of building a new one totally from scratch. This is because a new screen room can cost anywhere from $25 to $120 per square foot. On the other hand, you can bring down such expenses by building off an existing porch or deck.
Video Credit: EZ Handrail & EZ Screen Room
2. Pick the Season to Build
Contrary to what some may think, building your screen room during winter or fall is okay. If the weather allows, you will incur lower labor and material expenses since business is generally slower at this time when compared to the spring or summer months.
3. Determine How Often You Intend To Use the Space
When determining how to build a screen room, you should also consider how often you intend to use the space. For instance, if you plan to enjoy it only during the summer, your main issue will be the heat. This means that you will have to build something cool. One of the ways you can achieve this is by planting trees close by for shade. You can also decide to install a ceiling fan to get the air flowing.
On the hand, if you plan to use your screen all year round, consider adding easy-to-install acrylic or vinyl sheets to ensure the space is fully indoor during the winter. Having a fireplace put up is also another good idea.
4. How to Build an Aluminum Screen Room
With the price of lumber constantly fluctuating, your screen room project could end up costing you more than you wish to spend. As a result, you should make the proper budget allocations for materials. You should also choose affordable items and explore other options, like how to build an aluminum screen room. In some cases, this can cost under $3,000, even if it is an entirely new setup.
5. Do Your Best to Downsize and Keep Things Simple
The truth of the matter is that additional square footage means more money. Therefore, keep your screen room to a reasonable size. This is regardless of whether you are building a new one or using your existing deck or patio.
In some cases, homeowners may be tempted to add numerous cool features to their new screen someone, but this can end up being quite costly. As a result, you should do your best to keep things simple but classy, so you don’t exceed your budget.
The other thing is that you can constantly personalize your screen room with furniture and décor bought at an affordable price.
6. Consider the Various Screen Options
When learning how to build a screen room on your deck, it is essential to remember that there is more life than plain mesh. The best thing homeowners can do is to choose a screen that suits their lifestyle and preferences.
7. Finishing Is Key
You can get some wooden or pre-painted metal screen doors and have them installed in the door openings. At the same time, you can also hinge them to batten boards and have them overlap the posts and upper framing. However, this all depends on your taste.
Finally
Every year, sudden rains, scorching sun, and swarms of insects keep homeowners from enjoying their decks as they should. As a result, it has become the dream of many homeowners to have an outdoor living space that protects them from such issues and adds beauty to their property. If you don’t have the skills needed to build a screen room on your own, or don’t know how to go about the process, you can get in touch with us today at Brewer Built, the best Minnesota deck builder, and let us help you to get things going.
