Screen Porch Builder in Wake Forest & Raleigh
We build screen porches in Wake Forest, Raleigh and the Triangle, from the footings under the posts to the flashing where the roof meets your wall. Sam Ridge, the owner, is on site each day of the build.
A screened-in porch is a small building joined to your house: footings, a frame, a roof tied to the wall and screen where windows would go. Sam Ridge talks through each of those parts with you before he prices your porch.
New Screen Porches Built Onto Your Home
For a new screen porch, we set the footings, frame the floor and stand the posts. The upstairs windows above the porch limit how high the roof can go. Plenty of height allows a gable, and low windows often point to a shed roof. Hip roofs are harder to keep open and vaulted inside. At the consultation, Sam looks at those windows and goes over the roof shapes that fit.
Water tries to get in at the joint between roof and wall. North Carolina's residential code calls for flashing there, plus a diverter that turns water away where the low edge of a sloped roof meets a side wall. Done right, that flashing sends the water away from the wall of your house.
Screening In an Existing Deck
Building a screened porch on an existing deck depends on what is under the boards. Once a deck is getting a roof, North Carolina's residential code sizes its main beams (girders) from the tables used to frame a house, not the table for an open deck. So Sam looks under your deck at how far the beams span, what the posts stand on and whether the wood is still sound.
What he finds points to one of three plans. We can reinforce the frame that is there, rebuild the structure under the porch and keep the rest, or start over with a new deck and porch designed together. Rot or loose framing has to be dealt with before a roof goes on, and our deck repair page covers how we handle that work. Sam tells you which plan fits, and why, before you commit.
Choosing the Right Screen
Every screen is a trade off, and one screen maker says so itself. Plain fiberglass, the standard porch screen material, keeps out most insects. A tighter mesh also stops most of the smaller ones, a heavier pet-resistant screen resists damage from most dogs and cats, and a solar screen cuts the sun. Each one gives up some airflow and view.
Sam will ask how you plan to use the screen porch, then walk you through the options. If a dog will lean on the screens by the door, or you want less glare on one side, we can talk through a heavier or solar screen there. You can see finished porches in our project gallery.
Floors, Ceilings & Fans
Screen porch flooring comes down to wood or composite. Southern Pine industry guidance expects a painted or stained pine porch floor, even under a roof, to be refinished every three to five years, depending on weather and direct sun. Composite does not rot or need staining. On wood, one option to discuss is screen over the joists, to keep insects from coming up between the boards. Composite boards need airflow underneath, so what goes on their joists follows the board maker's guide and is settled at the consultation.
Purdue Extension notes that dew forms on the unheated parts of a house that cool quickly, porch ceilings among them, and that this dew feeds mildew. The electrical code treats a roofed open porch as a damp location, so light fixtures need a damp or wet rating, and fans should be outdoor models rated the same way. Plan where they go, and who will wire them, before the ceiling is closed in.
A Porch Built for Triangle Weather
NOAA's climate normals for Raleigh-Durham International Airport show measurable rain on about 118 days a year, roughly one day in three, and about 52 days that reach 90 degrees. The National Weather Service says heat index values assume shade, and that full sun can raise them by up to 15 degrees. A porch roof gives you that shade and keeps most of the rain off the furniture.
North Carolina's public health division says mosquitoes are most active from early summer into early fall. The screen keeps out most of them. Spring and fall afternoons at Raleigh-Durham average in the low 70s. That is screened porch weather too.
How We Frame a Screen Porch
A roof catches wind, so a porch needs positive tie-downs even more than an open deck does. Each piece has to be fastened to the next, from footing to post, post to beam and beam to roof. Footings under a roofed porch are often larger than a deck's. Where the roof bears on your house, the wall or header below it has to carry the added load, so Sam looks at that wall too.
We lay out the screen door, the posts and the steps with you before anything is framed. A door set toward one side keeps the furniture area clear, and it should open onto a real landing, not the top step. Three screened sides move more air than two.
Screen Porches We’ve Built
Finished porches, the view from inside, and the framing that goes in before the screens. Tap a photo to see it larger.
See more decks and porches in our full project gallery.
Deck Construction
If you plan a deck and screen porch together, we can lay out the footings and framing under both with the roof in mind. The open deck can sit beside the porch or step down to the yard. We build new decks, replacements and extensions in pressure treated wood or composite.
What Working With Bright Ridge Looks Like
Our price is not the lowest around, and we would rather you hear that before the proposal than after it.
- Sam Ridge, who owns the company, is on the job every day your porch is being built
- Engineering studies at NC State and more than fifteen years in residential construction and carpentry
- A frame planned for a roof and the wind it catches, tied down from the footings up
- Often a rough price on the spot, then the scope and price in writing, usually within about 72 hours
- Daily check ins during the build, a final walkthrough and a one year workmanship warranty
What Does a Screen Porch Cost?
We do not publish prices, because a screen porch is priced from the house it joins and the ground under it. What a screened porch costs depends on the size, the roof shape, wood or composite underfoot, the ceiling finish and the screen. Height counts too, since a high porch needs longer posts, a stair run and a real guard. So does what is already there: a deck that needs reinforcing, one that needs the structure under the porch rebuilt and a bare yard are different starting points. Sam often gives you rough pricing when he comes out, then a written proposal that spells out the scope and price. See how a Bright Ridge project runs, step by step.
Screen Porch Questions
Straight answers on screens, pollen, railings, scheduling and how a screen porch differs from a sunroom.
Is a screen porch the same as a sunroom?
No. North Carolina's residential code defines a sunroom by its glass: a one-story room attached to the house with glazing over more than 40 percent of its exterior walls and roof. A screen porch keeps its openings in screen and is not heated or cooled, so it follows the outdoor temperature. The mesh keeps out most insects.
What kind of screen should we use?
Standard fiberglass is the common porch screen, and one screen maker lists fiberglass among the screens it recommends for high-humidity climates. For pets, a heavier pet-resistant mesh resists damage from most dogs and cats. For the smallest insects, a tighter weave helps, at the cost of some airflow. We will lay out the options at the consultation.
Will a screen porch keep pollen out?
No. A pine pollen grain is under about 100 micrometers across, and the openings in standard porch screen are about 1 millimeter, more than ten times larger. The yellow coat of spring drifts through. What helps is a floor you can hose down and furniture that wipes clean.
Does a screen porch need a railing if it already has screens?
Yes, if the floor sits more than 30 inches above the ground anywhere within 36 inches out from an open side. North Carolina's residential code says insect screening is not a guard, so the porch needs a real guard at least 36 inches high: a railing behind the screens or a solid knee wall below them. A railing keeps the lower view open, and a knee wall closes it in.
How long does a screen porch take to build?
It depends on the size, the roof and whether there is a deck to build on. Once you are on the calendar, you get a rough schedule first, and it gets more exact as the start date nears. After work begins, the crew is there on consecutive days until the porch is finished, with Sam on site during the day.
Screen Porches Across Wake Forest, Raleigh & the Triangle
We are a screen porch builder based in Wake Forest, where Sam was born and raised. We build across Raleigh and the surrounding Triangle, including the towns below.
Start with a call or text to Sam at 919-410-7776, or send us your porch details. After a five to ten minute call to make sure the project is a good fit, he comes out at no charge. He looks at the house, the yard and any existing deck, and often gives you a rough price while he is there. A written proposal follows, usually within about 72 hours, and there is no pressure to decide on the spot.
Plan Your Porch With Sam
Send a few details about your house, the porch you want and whether a deck is already there. Sam will call or text you back to set up a free visit.