Make Your Home More Inviting with an Open Porch

An open porch can be a great addition to your home and provide a virtually unobstructed view to the great outdoors. Whether you have square posts or round columns that sit atop stacked stone bases, or hip, gabled, or coffered ceiling, covered porch design options are almost limitless.

And once you’ve decided to build a new open porch addition, how can you maximize your enjoyment? Let us count the ways! How about a nice stone fireplace for entertaining? Add seating and chairs and your open porch becomes the ideal location for memorable dining and games. Hang long curtains from your open porch and create a cozy, Southern sleeping area. Many covered, open porches feature gabled ceilings with pendant lights or ceiling fans for a relaxing ambiance.

You might want to consider putting an open porch over an existing deck. If you’re hankering for a ground level porch, eliminating the railing will make your new outdoor room appear even larger and more expansive. And from a purely practical view, if the back of your house receives a lot of sun, an open porch can reduce your home’s energy bills.

What’s it like to enjoy an open-air porch?

With an open-air porch, you have an unimpeded view. You can cook there, since screens don’t hold the smoke in. The floor area — minus walls — feels bigger. If it’s connected to an adjoining deck — a project we often build — one space flows seamlessly into the next. Think of it this way… with a screened porch, you’re bringing the indoors outside. With a porch like this, you’re bringing the outdoors inside.

Stunning Open Porch Design Features

Atlanta Decking has designed and built a variety of different styles of backyard open porches — including porches with gable roofs, shed roofs, hip roofs, and flat roofs. Interior ceiling styles are diverse, too, including coffered, tongue and groove, arched, timber beams, and more. Plus, all of the desirable amenities of a screened porch can be built into an open porch, including electrical outlets, ceiling fan/light kit, TV, audio speakers, and a fireplace. We will custom design your new open-air porch to fit your budget, lifestyle, and complement the architectural features of your current residence.

Another advantage is that because it’s under a roof, the floor and railing aren’t exposed to the elements as they are on a deck. That means you can select beautiful lumber to give the structure a natural look and feel, without having to invest significant time and expense in maintenance.

Bugs & Privacy

If the open-air porch feels too public and you’d like a little privacy from neighbors, consider a sliding curtain as a separator. Exterior fabric curtains can add a splash of color, texture, style, and versatility to a porch.

Since open porches don’t have screens, you can deter bugs with citronella candles and even bug-repellant lighting. Speaking of lights, you can have them installed on steps, along railings and via recessed or track lighting on the porch roof. Thoughtfully placed lighting will encourage greater use of your outdoor structure and extends your enjoyment of an enchanted evening.

Get started today by contacting the expert team at Atlanta Decking & Fence. If you are interested in another type of addition to your home, such as a front porch or portico, visit our parent company, Georgia Front Porch.