indoors

A D D IT IO N S

Screening Rooms

Enjoy the best of sum m er from the co m fo rt of a screen

porch. These three additions offer sm art ideas.

STAIRWAY TO

HEAVEN

Double doors open

to stairs wide and

short enough to

go without a hand

railing. The porch

and lush backyard

“are perfect for

having a garden

party, which I haven’t

done yet,” Kim

says

w

ith a laugh.

MATERIAL WORLD

The structure—

including the original

decking—

is built

from pressure-

treated pine to resist

insects and decay. An

opaque wood stain

matches the porch

to the home’s trim.

IN THE DETAILS

“Some of the houses

in my neighborhood

have maybe one

Tudor accent, so it’s

hard to call them full-

fledged Tudors,” says

Kim. “This porch

gives my home much

more authenticity.”

Stifling summer heat and pesky bugs

morph her Decatur, Georgia, deck into a covered screen porch. Her deck was only a few years

old, so she made plans to bolster the foundation and build the porch right on top of it. Built-in

benches were removed to expand the floor space, then the builder constructed the frame

right on top of the decking, matching design details to the home’s Tudor exterior.

60 JUNE 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

BY: JOANNA SMITH; PHOTOS: ANTHONY-MASTERSON; PRODUCED BY LISA MOWRY; STYLING: ANNETTE JOSEPH