Lake House Porch

Lake House Porch

Owning a screened porch on a buggy summer evening is like owning a castle with a moat when the barbarians attack. The screened porch provides a place to relax outdoors without having to pay attention to the barbarian bug population.In general, the screened porches we design are larger than the average open porch. Most often they are designed as outdoor rooms and are furnished with sofas and chairs as well as dining tables and occasionally a fireplace. Screened porches can even be a cool place to sleep on a warm summer night.New technology has made the screened porch even more attractive by extending the useful season and almost magically allowing us to change an open porch to a screened porch a the push of a button.One of our clients wanted a large porch for entertaining and dining and to take advantage of the stunning view from that side of the house. The problem was that almost like clockwork at 5:00pm when they were getting ready to greet their guests, swarms of bugs would appear. They also did not want to obstruct their view at times and seasons when the bugs were not present. The solution was an automatic roller screen system which was hidden in the soffit most of the time, but when needed would descend and make the wide open porch into a comfy screened porch.

We have also included radiant heat pipes in the stone floor of some screened porches which allow the owners to comfortably use the porch earlier in the spring and later in the fall. When combined with interchangeable glass panels, the screened porch easily becomes a three or four season room.

These days we have more options than ever when designing the perfect screened porch. Bugs just don’t know what they are up against.

Screened Porch With Fireplace

Screened Porch With Fireplace

Screened Back Porch

Screened Back Porch

Dining Porch

Dining Porch

Screened Porch With Long Table

Screened Porch With Long Table

Screened Side Porch

Screened Side Porch

Screen Room

Screen Room

Photos by Rob Karosis  Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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About the Author: James Crisp

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James M. Crisp has been an architect for well over 30 years. His architectural firm, Crisp Architects, designs projects throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In April of 2007, Taunton Press published 'On the Porch' by James M. Crisp and Sandra Mahoney.

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One Comment

  1. C6Bafd63272D82784749Ab16280925A0?S=54&R=G
    Tara May 8, 2014 at 11:12 am

    That second porch is my favorite, looks so inviting and cozy!

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