We have many home projects that we are trying to prioritize and budget for so I am wondering if those of you who have a three season porch love it and use it often or not. We are in MN so climate definitely will come into play in terms of how often we can use a porch. If you had one built, are you thrilled to have it or wish you'd used the money to update or improve another space in your house? For my northern climate friends, do you use it April-Oct or so?
Thanks for the input! We love the idea of having a porch but want to wisely pick and choose our projects.
When we lived on the west side of Wisc we had a house with a three season and never used it...it was set up real nice and cute but wasn't used. because like typically 3 seasons it wasn't insulated or air conditioned it was a hot yucky place to be. and the short time in the spring and fall that is was nice we never really thought to go out to it.
We live in Minnesota and have a 3-seasons porch. To solve the cold weather problem we put in insulated windows and a heated floor. We comfortably use it all year..even when it's 60 below. We got the heated flooring and windows at Home Depot. It's surprisingly very affordable and easy to do.
It's our favorite room in the house. Especially in the deepest, darkest part of winter as it gets tons of light because of all the windows.
Hi! We don't have a porch (can't build anything permanent) but we have a 10X20 portable garage with screening all around that we use all year. It's my favorite thing after the pool. It's big enough for everything which those cute gazebos aren't. We are out there all the time and while I don't go out there too often in winter my kids will use it in all but the coldest weather. To get more use out of it we have fans for when it is hot and plastic shower curtains to cover the screens when it is cold or windy. You'd be surprised how much heat it maintains with the curtains. And mosquito free, which is a big thing since we live next to a swampy river. I guess you have to decide which project would make you smile the most, we love our screen house. Good luck!
We love our porch, it's the most used room in our house! We recently remodeled it and insulated it, new door, walls, ceiling, added 2 ceiling fans, insulated the floor -we love it. 1/2 is the kids playroom(although, the couch out there is my favorite place to read!) the other 1/2 has a dining room table where the kids do art projects and where we eat most of our meals, and we have regular game nights out there with friends. We are now able to use our porch year round with the help of two electric heaters and LOVE our porch. Oh and we live in St Paul... It's great to sit out there on a sunny January day and soak up that sunshine!
Love mine! Replaced our deck 20 years ago, and it's the best change we ever made in our hourse.
In the summer, the ceiling fan and overhanging tree keep it cool. And there are no bugs bothering me. :) In the winter, it's for boots and extra food cooler.
We have sliding windows, which have worked out very well. I only wish I had insulated the floor, because I'd use it even longer in the fall. It's my favorite room in the house! And I never let anyone clutter it up.
We were lucky enough to buy a house that already had a 3-season porch. All 3 sides are covered in windows, but we have a large tree in the backyard that helps shade it some. There is a ceiling fan for air flow, and we use a space heater during the winter. We love the porch so much that we keep the doors open to house and use it all year round. It is, by far, the favorite room of all 5 of us, and everyone who comes to visit just loves it instantly too! My desk is in the porch, and this is where I sit when I work from home. Good luck with your decision!
My parents' 1917 St. Paul home has 3-3 season porches. Not a day goes by that they don't wish they had enough money to convert at least 2 of them into year-round rooms.
The main floor back porch is my dad's mancave, so his drums are out there, his posters, and 8-track player, etc. The upstairs back porch is used by my brother in the summer for his sleeping porch (until it gets too hot, then he goes back to his air-conditioned bedroom). The front porch is a junk catch-all, but in the summer we used to use it for a playhouse and all my friends were allowed to play in there too.
My parents have lived in the house for 33 years. They are STILL saving money to make the renovations :-) They have limited common space area in the home, so a usable porch would have been wonderful when they raised 5 kids in that home.
I don't have one, but this is on our list of 'projects' too, so I am interested in responses!! We would use it as an overflow/to make our kitchen appear larger without having to put in another room.
What other projects are you doing?
live in MO....we used to use ours until it became a dumping ground for our firewood, 3 antq time clocks, a table saw, saw horses.....& other misc items which belong elsewhere.
We used ours more in the spring/fall, the summer being too hot most years. I mourn the loss of ours....but we're at overflow right now on personal treasures. (from my Dad's estate)
I eagerly anticipate the return of ours.....
Oh, in answering this question, it would be helpful to know the nature of the other projects....
We love our porch!
Advice: If you're going to construct a porch, consider it's location. Mine is in the SE corner of the house. In the summer, it's shaded by a large deciduous tree. In the spring and winter, the porch is sunny and welcoming. Think about where your trees are located. If you don't have any, maybe look into planting a couple. And consider if you want a conifer or deciduous tree.
Also, make the porch large enough so that if you put a grill out there, you won't burn the house down. It's a treat to grill all winter long. And summer grilling can't be beat when you don't want to heat up the house.
LOVE ours!
The short version is that we had to rip the deck off the house many years ago because of another project. I fought (figuratively) my husband to spend the few extra $ to have a screened porch put on instead of just a deck. I'll sit out there in the morning and drink coffee. I'll move my laptop out there and work during the day. We'll eat dinner out there and then sit out there in the evening just listening to music and drinking a glass of wine. It truly is one of the favorite parts of my house!
It is nice too in the winter to use for an extra fridge or freezer especially for a big family dinner. We're in Kansas, so not as an extreme winter as yours.
We are thinking about putting like a gazebo deck in the backyard. i see packages for making them at Home Depot and Menards. We don't have room for a porch or we would. I love being outdoors, so if ou feel you will use it, even for company, then sure why not! I figure doing stuff to the house is an investment! Check out the gazebo kits though too!
After decades in apartments, when my parents finally got a house, they took to using their outdoor space to the max. They don't have a porch, but you can find them grilling or sitting around a chimenia from March-November, and this is in NYC. Further, they have people round and out back every last weekend, and take coffee there and get busy with yardwork etc. If your family has a real zeal for a particular type of space, I imagine it would be well utilized.
Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
We live in MN and have a true screen porch... not a 3 season and we LOVE it!! It is by far our favorite part of our house...
We have a beautiful fan, w/ lights on a dimmer, stereo speakers, an armless couch and chair/ottoman combo (pottery barn) that when pushed together becomes the size of a queen bed and makes for a GREAT place to sleep (that was a happy accident - we didn't buy it for that!) as well as a wood burning fireplace (AMAZING!) on it so we use it late into the Fall (we have fires in the summer too). Our neighbors built one after us and by that time you could only do a gas line fireplace but it's still nice.
I grew up w/ a 3 season porch and several of my friends have them. I much prefer a screen porch.... you may have a little less time to be able to use it during the year (in MN!), but the 'experience' is COMPLETELY different.
I really feel like I'm somewhere special/ little oasis when I'm on my screen porch and the fire is going - where as I always feel like I'm just in another room of someone's house on their 3 season porch. My friend's 3 season porches are beautifully decorated, etc.... but there is nothing special about being in them.
I HIGHLY recommend a simple screen porch... well worth the truncated season. ;)
I love it but would love it more if my husband would fix it! the floor and ceilings both need repair and it has become a storage space. For some reason my husband works and thinks he has to do everything to the house. That is wonderful. He is so handy! But he doesn't have time or energy. But to answer your original question I love it AND I have used it.
