Enclosed Decks and Porches: Maximizing Outdoor Comfort and Protection
This past week, we looked at a screened in deck that had basically been converted from a regular deck by adding a roof and screen walls around the exterior perimeter of the deck on three sides. Adding the roof and screens made the porch a more hospitable place to use and gather during at least the spring summer in early fall months of the year.
In the core of the winter and even in the colder sarts the spring and fall, it wouldn’t be very comfortable to use a screened in porch often. But with the incessant mosquitoes here in Washington DC, the screened in aspects of the deck make it really much more useful, especially during the core months of the summer season.
Most people love spending more time outdoors, and if you can at least tolerate the heat, to an extent, a screened in porch makes it much nicer because no matter what you do or try it seems like it’s really hard to keep mosquitoes away in the summer months here in dc. The roof over the top of the deck makes a major difference because without that rooftop, simply adding screens to the exterior of the deck would not be effective.
Adding the roof is one of the more expensive parts of the conversion. Adding the screens and or even screened storm windows or even glass windows is a relatively extensive and expensive part of the work, but the roof itself requires several distinct elements of construction. A typical deck is built with a guardrail, when built above grade but it’s generally not built with wall framing that would support a structure above such as posts or studs that reach to the full height of a wall.
In the case of the deck in the adjacent photo, this deck already has walls that are built to a middle height and a roof built above. It’s much easier to enclose a deck or porch like this because it already has more than half of the structure built, needed for enclosure.
In this particular case, panels could be added, screened or essentially like glass windows. Even the storm windows could work to enclose the area from a weather perspective. Storm windows are slightly different than actual full windows because storm windows are generally just a single pane of glass, sometimes with an operable sash that can be opened and closed.
There’s a few big differences though from an actual window and a storm window. Typically an actual window, with modern built elements will generally be built with a double glazing which means that it will have an insulated pain of glass with two actual pieces of glass with an interstitial space made up of a argon or similar type of lower energy vapor.
The picture below shows the back of two row homes, side-by-side. The deck to the left is built with just regular natural wood while the deck to the right is built with a vinyl railing and post. The deck part, the part that’s actually walked on, and the framing of both of these two decks are actually built with framing lumber.
In contrast to storm windows, modern windows are typically built with better insulating properties and materials that allow for improved energy efficiency. Modern windows often use the double-glazing we described, meaning they consist of two panes of glass separated by an insulating space filled with a gas like argon or krypton, which helps to reduce heat transfer. This interstitial space, combined with the double layers of glass, provides better thermal resistance compared to older single-pane designs.
Sound resistance is not normally one of the priorities on an enclosed porch or deck, but the double-pane glass also has much better sound resistance. When used in a historic brick home such as most of the buildings in Washington DC, insulated glass panels can make the inside much quieter and less affected from the noise from the outside.
The two decks shown in the next picture below, each installed an individual property, are similar in shape and size, but built differently. The closer deck is built with a typical basic wood structure, deck walking surface, and wooden guard rail. The deck farther back has a painted steel guard rail and has a ceiling and roof framed above, clad with an aluminum sheet metal.
Modern windows are commonly constructed from wood with aluminum cladding or vinyl. Wood-clad windows offer some of the aesthetic appeal of natural wood on the interior, while the exterior is protected by a more weather resistant aluminum skin that resists moisture. The aluminum clad wood windows are generally much more expensive but in some cases they’re required by the local codes in historic neighborhoods. Vinyl windows, on the other hand, are lower maintenance, lower cost, and high energy efficiency.
Part of the lower maintenance characteristics of these windows is that they do not require repainting or even painting at all. But, unlike the wood windows, the vinyl windows are really just made of plastic, and to a discerning eye, the vinyl kind of simply looks cheap.
Most modern windows are typically double-hung, meaning both the upper and lower sashes, the glass panel assemblies, can be moved up and down, allowing for options for ventilation and much easier cleaning. These windows also often have glass with Low-E (low-emissivity) coatings, which help to reflect infrared light. This can help to keep heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer. Combined with insulated frames that often include thermal breaks, and integral seals, modern windows can provide far better thermal resistance than storm windows.
Use a contractor who understands and cares about doing things right. Always, feel free to reach out to us here at Dupont Decks and Patios. We are happy to help with almost all steps of the deck building and design process. Let us know about your ideas and talk to us if you have questions about possibilities . You can call us at (202) 774-9128. You can find us online at https://dupontdeckspatiosdc.com and you can email us there as well at https://dupontdeckspatiosdc.com/contact-us
