If you’re upgrading your outdoor living area, it’s a good idea to consider what kind of return you can get for your investment. Overall, you can expect to get about a 75% return on the money you spent. If you’re going all out and adding a screened-in patio complete with an outdoor kitchen, it’s most likely going to get expensive. However, imagining the finished project might make it hard to pass up making that dream a reality.
The type of materials that you’ll use has a huge impact on the final cost.
A concrete floor might not sound very appealing—until you start checking out the amazing finishes available today. Stamped designs, textures, colors—there’s a lot to choose from. You’ll be surprised at how economical this option is compared to laying tiles, for example.
Reeling in the budget
If you want to get the best return on your investment, these points will help you keep the cost factor down. That, in turn, makes the increased value go up.
- Size—The idea behind adding a screened-in patio is to provide you with more usable space. The size of the enclosure is more important than the overall look. Therefore, choosing less costly materials allows you to expand the size of the patio.
- High-end screen enclosures aren’t the best call—Installing costly features and using extravagant building materials will lower the chances of getting a higher return.
- Quality materials—There’s a big difference between extravagance and quality. Choosing low-quality materials to save money will just cost you in the future because they won’t last.
- Electrical work gets pricey—Keep your outlets to a minimum and avoid wiring for added features that will require their own circuits or tricky wiring. Think recessed or scone lighting, for example.
Of course, if you aren’t planning to put your home on the market any time soon knowing the value that a screened-in porch will add to your property might not matter that much to you.
Looking for immediate payouts
Adding a screened-in patio to your home or upgrading the one that you already have provides a number of benefits for you and your family as soon as the job is completed.
Looking at the big picture, having a screened-in porch professionally installed will increase the functional living space of your home. Moreover, it’s increasing your prime living space because patios usually connect to the kitchen or living room. That means more room for lounging, entertaining, and family gatherings.
Screened-in patios offer a number of other benefits that we’d like to share with you.
The privacy factor
The number one reason that people decide to enclose their patio, pool, or even the gazebo is because it provides an increased sense of privacy. It’s nice to have an outdoor space where you feel secluded from the rest of the neighborhood.
Some companies, like ours, for instance, provide their customers with the option to customize their screens. Where is your favorite spot on earth? The beach, a breathtaking mountain top, the most beautiful flower garden you’ve ever seen—
You can create virtually any environment that you want! The results are pretty amazing if we do say so ourselves.
Protection from the elements
We enjoy our outdoor living rooms nearly year-round here in Florida. But the sun is relentless at times. Enclosing your patio or lanai will provide you and your family with some protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. And, when those storms blow up out of nowhere, you won’t be forced to watch it pass indoors.
Insects can’t invade your space
Living in a subtropical climate means we get to share our space with a multitude of bugs and mosquitoes. A screened-in patio eliminates that annoying problem once and for all. The screen is fine enough to block all types of insects—even those tiny noseeums. And, the mosquito repellant will be staying in the cabinet until the next camping trip.
A safety feature
If you aren’t enclosing the pool area, it’s easy to overlook the safety feature that enclosing your patio has—especially if you have small children.
A screened-in patio provides an outdoor space for children to play. You’ll be able to sit and enjoy a novel or catch up on social media without having to worry about anyone slipping away without your knowing.
The same goes for your pets. You never know when an unannounced critter will catch their attention. It can cause them to take off as if they’ve been shot out of a cannon!
The best return for your money
There’s no doubt that you and your family will spend a lot of time on the patio when it’s screened-in. You’ll increase your living space, won’t be fighting off the bugs, and you’ll have some protection from the sun and rain.
Another thing to consider about all the time you’ll be spending on the patio—and, it’s the most important thing of all really—is the fact that you’re on the patio—spending time together. Time moves faster than we think. We turn around, it seems, and our kids are grown and starting lives of their own. It’s wonderful to watch them take on life. Still, on the other hand, we can’t help but wish we could turn back the clock now and then.
Take advantage of the time you have now because that’s what creates the memories you will all treasure for the rest of your lives.