This rustic, open-rafter screened porch in West Meade, TN, is unique in several ways, but that’s not what the homeowners like most about it. They love its rustic aesthetics, its expanse of screened walls, and the way the porch graces their property’s wooded setting. They love their view of the hillside as it slopes down to meet the new porch. Some folks drive hours for the privilege of enjoying a sweet porch like this one on vacations and long weekends. For these homeowners, it’s an everyday idyllic getaway spot as convenient as their back door.
Unusual Porch is Out of the Ordinary in More Ways than One
The first unusual aspect of this porch is that the gable end wall faces west. At The Porch Company, we almost never design a west-facing gable roof because of the risk that rain will blow in through the screened gable opening. That’s what tends to happen in this geographical area. However, based on the way the home backs up to a hill, a west-facing gable was the only real option here. To mitigate the potential of sideways rain blowing into the porch at the gable end wall, we designed the roof with a very large overhang.
Next, you may notice the interior porch floor is made of pressure-treated wood. Typically, our porches feature tongue-and-groove cypress flooring, which many clients just love. Because this porch interior is relatively well protected from blowing rain, we were comfortable using pressure-treated pine here. The floor turned out to be lovely and proves that a pressure-treated wood floor can indeed be beautiful and effective! We used pressure-treated wood for the steps leading from the screened porch door down to the brick patio, too.
This porch is also a bit unusual because of its size. It’s noticeably smaller than most of the Nashville area porches we design and build. Guess what? This size porch meets the homeowners’ needs. It’s a porch built for two. As Goldilocks would say, it’s just right!
Finally, you may notice that one section of this porch is screened in (two-thirds), and the other third is open. You don’t come across a porch like this every day. It’s basically a hybrid screened porch and open porch. The homeowners keep their grill just off the brick patio that serves as the floor of the open porch. This little open area, covered with a roof but not screened in, allows them to sit in the shade while tending the grill. Here again, the large roof overhang serves a practical purpose. The homeowners won’t need to run in and out through a screened door to check on their dinner as it cooks on the grill. It’s actually quite an efficient use of the space.
Beautiful Wood Creates A Rustic Porch Aesthetic
Much of the rustic beauty of this porch comes from the predominant use of wood for the porch interior. The open-rafter ceiling, wood floor, and wood knee wall all contribute, as does the beautiful Sapele wood screened door. The rustic aesthetic is especially fitting given the hillside backdrop that makes up the view here.
With white trim, the porch exterior provides a bright contrast to the wood-filled interior. We’re especially pleased with the placement of the posts and brackets. They serve the necessary function of supporting the weight of this large roof, and they are very architecturally appealing at the same time. Tying it all together, the white beadboard skirting on the porch exterior combines the rustic feel of the interior with the contrasting brightness of the exterior.
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!
