When you look at this Franklin, TN screened porch, you see an inviting, light-filled room that is spacious, elegant and comfortable. When we look at the same porch, we also see all of the intricate details that create its allure. What makes our Porch Company porch designs so successful are the many fine details we focus upon. After specializing in screened porches and open porches for many years, we know what works. While we custom design each porch according to its unique setting and our clients’ preferences, we incorporate our signature go-to design elements wherever appropriate.
This beautiful screened porch replaced the deck that was originally on the home. The homeowners were eager for a shaded, enclosed area and knew they would enjoy a screened porch much more than the deck. In addition, they wanted to add a patio for the dual function and aesthetics of a screened porch and patio together. The combination of a protected space and an open-air space is perfect for the family’s lifestyle.
Exterior Screened Porch Details Enhance This Home and Welcome Guests In From The Outside
The first thing you may notice on the porch exterior is the way our wide porch steps gently welcome you in from the bluestone patio. The porch features two doors leading out to different sides of the yard so the homeowners can step out into either area conveniently. A pathway of large bluestone pavers guides the way around the outside of the screened porch.
Notice the small transom-like sections at the top of the porch screens. We designed these to mimic the home’s first-story windows. The steps at both entrances feature railings with the posts dressed in our PorchCo Hermitage sleeve and post cap. Can you tell we embellished the upper section of the porch posts with a bit of trim to match the railing post caps? The railings at each entry are Fortress iron railings.
For the landings and steps we used AZEK decking. For the exterior porch doors we used sapele wood that is stained. Many of our clients choose to leave their screened doors stained, loving the contrast of the rich, wood tones against the white trim of the porch. Sapele, a wood from Africa, is known for its beauty. On the practical side, we love sapele for its durability and resistance to rot and insects.
We designed the porch skirting to be elegant and clean-looking. With plantings the homeowners have added, the skirting is unobtrusive, so you may not notice a slight gap between the boards. The gaps offer ventilation under the porch so the tongue and groove cypress flooring can “breathe.”
Of course, by now you have noticed the corner porch wall made of beautiful masonry stone. On the other side of that stone wall is a ventless gas fireplace. An important detail you may not notice on the exterior is the way this stone wall is tucked underneath the roof overhang. We designed an overhang large enough to showcase the wall and distract from the fact that the fireplace is missing a chimney. We topped the porch with a hip roof with gutters for the best diversion of water away from the home and porch.
Interior Details Will Make You Wish this Franklin, TN Screened Porch Was Yours!
What do you notice at first glance around the screened porch interior? It might be the exposed rafter ceiling or the tongue and groove cypress flooring. It might be the spaciousness of the room with an area for sitting in front of the fireplace and another area for dining. In addition to furnished areas, the clients have clear space for traffic flow from inside the home and out through either of the exterior doors.
What we notice first is the expanse of light in the room with three walls of floor-to-ceiling screens. For nighttime use, we placed lanterns on every post and on the brick wall that was once the home’s exterior. Track lighting in the rafters is used as up-lighting reflected off the white open-rafter ceiling. In contrast, stained wood details echo around the room from the rafters to the mantel to the flooring and the screened doors. And the ceiling fans! We love the natural wood ceiling fans the clients chose for this space.
Fine details within this beautiful Franklin, TN screened porch include the hollow fireplace mantel, the low hearth, and the square aluminum balusters along the lower screen area. The hollow mantel is a feature we created to hide wiring for electronics. We often use this wire-management technique in our porch designs with fireplaces. The low hearth is significant because the higher the hearth, the higher the TV would need to be mounted. Finally, the square balusters or spindles along the porch railing are thin enough to seem transparent, allowing an unobstructed view of the outside. With a yard as beautiful as this one, you definitely want to maximize the view from inside the porch.
Have you noticed the heaters we installed at the top of the porch walls, just below the ceiling? You may not think of porch heaters as a design detail, but these Solaira infrared heaters will play a huge role in the homeowners’ comfort! We used four heaters on this large porch. Many people assume a fireplace will keep them warm on a screened porch on chilly evenings, but that is not the case. Warm air will escape continuously and cold air will continue to rush in. These Solaira heaters emit waves of infrared light. While this frequency of light is invisible to the eye, it warms anything it “shines” upon. We frequently use these heaters on the porches we build because they are quite effective and energy efficient, too.
Are you interested in a custom porch design for your Nashville area home? Allow The Porch Company to create your perfect porch retreat! Call us at 615-662-2886. We would love to meet with you to discuss your porch needs!
