Screen Porch Primer

A spot to savor the outdoors was high on Jeff Haddorff and Kara Paymar's wish list. When planning your screen porch, keep in mind these tips from the couples architect, Ali Awad.

• Site it right. To take full advantage of the sun's light and warmth, the porch sits in the southwest corner of the house. "The family can use it further into the fall and earlier in the spring," Awad says. "If it's sunny outside, the porch warms up pretty fast.

• Shade it well. Summer sun can be harsh, so consider some type of overhang, awning, or shades to protect the porch and its users. Trees shade the west side of Jeff and Kara's porch.

• Make it part of the house. A screen porch should look and feel like an extension of the other rooms in your home, not a tacked-on after thought. In Jeff and Kara's home, a four-panel French-door unit visually connects the kitchen and screen porch, even when the doors are closed.

• Finish it off. Awad clad the porch columns with the same cedar shingles used on the rest of the exterior so that the space has both indoor and outdoor detailing. Though he chose traditional cedar planks for the floor, Awad says he also likes today's wood-look composite decking materials for their weather resistance, smoothness, and low-maintenance.