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A family of four loved spending time on the deck and lawn of their Chaska, Minnesota, home, which backs up to a beautiful stretch of woods. However, at certain times of day, mosquitoes often brought an abrupt end to outdoor time. When the homeowners decided to add a screened-in porch, they called husband-and-wife design-build team Mark and Mary Mackmiller, who already had completed two other large remodeling projects for them. The final design features a stacked vinyl window system that allows the family to enjoy the space well into the shoulder seasons.
Photos by John F. Walsh Jr. of Hearthtone Video and Photo
Porch at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two elementary school-age children
Location: Chaska, Minnesota
Size: 214 square feet (19.9 square meters)
Design and build: mackmiller design+build
Finding the right spot for the porch was the first hurdle. The family loved their existing deck and wanted to ensure that the new addition wouldn’t rob the family room or kitchen of natural light. This left the area behind the dining room as the best location. To make up for any light lost, the firm placed a new window on the side of the house and designed the porch’s roofline to maintain a clear view from the second-story windows.
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Because the porch is elevated, the design had to account for Minnesota’s severe storm gusts. Mark consulted an engineer to ensure that the roof and floor would remain anchored during high winds and to prevent wall tilting. The solution was a continuous post-and-beam construction, featuring 6-by-6-inch treated lumber posts secured to helical pier footings underground. These posts run all the way up to the roof beams, where they are fastened with heavy-duty structural plates.
Mark advises consulting a structural engineer for any porch design, particularly one with minimal posts and large window openings. “The more frequent and stronger wind gusts we have now require structural engineering to ensure safety and the structural integrity of a porch,” he says.
Inside, the porch feels nestled within the woods. Ultrex sliding French doors from Minnesota company Marvin provide direct access from the dining room. The door trim is in Marvin’s Stone White finish, which Mark also used for the rest of the porch trim for a cohesive look.
The Right Dimensions for Your Porch
To extend the porch’s usability into the shoulder seasons, Mark recommended WeatherMaster windows from Sunspace. Instead of rigid glass, the window panes are flexible, ventilated vinyl. “You can push these windows in with your fist and they will spring back,” he says. “They are very forgiving.” Beyond being durable, the system creates a seasonal barrier that protects furniture from snow, pollen and pests without sacrificing the outdoor feel.
The triangular upper gables are fitted with high-quality Plexiglas to seal out the elements. On the right, a door connects the new porch to the existing deck.
The window system features four vinyl panels that can be stacked at the top, bottom or middle to control the airflow. They’re shown here stacked at the top, but on blustery days, the homeowners can slide just the top row down to vent heat while remaining shielded from the wind while seated. With a large screen attached to each frame, this versatile setup keeps the porch comfortable regardless of the weather.
Here’s a view from outside with the windows stacked along the top.
To keep the porch as durable and low-maintenance as possible, Mark wrapped the posts and trim in PVC before painting them white. This weather- and mold-resistant material offers great longevity.
Inside, the mood shifts. Prefinished cedar tongue-and-groove boards clad the ceiling and exterior wall, creating a rich, organic connection to the trees beyond. “We could have left the exterior wall’s existing siding,” Mark says, “but it felt out of place here.” Instead, the cedar adds to the nestled-in-the-woods vibe, and using a prefinished product ensured a smoother installation with less future maintenance.
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Because the porch sits more than 36 inches off the ground, building codes required railings. “I wanted to make the view as clear as possible,” Mark says. “I didn’t want [the homeowners] to come out here and feel like they were behind bars.” To achieve this, he used tempered, laminated glass panels and meticulously aligned the railing’s white metal supports with the porch’s structural posts. The result is a nearly invisible barrier that offers uninterrupted views of the wooded backdrop.
While composite decking is a common choice for porches, Mark knew it wasn’t the best material for this project. Preventing insects from crawling through the gaps between boards requires a netting system beneath the porch, which he predicted would trap moisture and debris from the nearby cottonwood trees.
Instead, he chose 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles that mimic vein-cut sandstone. Using tile elevated the look of the porch, eliminated the maintenance concerns of a traditional deck and added a contemporary element.
Floor tile: Davenport collection, Anatolia
A ceiling fan cools the porch during the height of summer, while a pair of solar tubes provides a budget-friendly alternative to skylights. “These are a fabulous option for natural light that harvest the light with reflective pieces that extend down inside them,” Mark says. “They also come with different diffuser options at the bottom of the tubes that allow you to create softer light.”
Six dimmable LED disk lights are also tucked into the ceiling, giving the homeowners control over the ambiance at night.
Ceiling fan: Aviation in brushed nickel with silver blades, 60 inches, Minka-Aire
When it came to furniture selection, Mary took over. The homeowners envisioned a space for sitting and talking, entertaining, reading and taking naps. Comfortable, sturdy and low-maintenance pieces were a priority. “The home and interior furnishings were transitional style,” she says, “so I had that in mind when I researched an outdoor-furniture store that met their needs.”
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The seating features deep cushions upholstered in performance fabrics, with powder-coated frames that resemble weathered teak. Slatted tables add a modern touch to the transitional mix, while a washable rug with wavy lines leans more contemporary. To bring in contrast, Mary layered in turquoise throw pillows and a vibrant orange Afghan throw.
Furniture: Eden collection, Yardbird
Key Measurements for Planning Your Outdoor Furniture Layout
The armchairs can rock as well as swivel toward the sofa for conversation or outward to take in the yard. Now, the family is thrilled to have a mosquito-free spot where they can enjoy the fresh air and sunlight, and where the kids love to color and work on projects. “These kids are very self-entertaining and curious,” Mark says. “They also love to explore nature.”
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5. Modern Warmth
When these homeowners moved to the North Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, they hired Form Collective to design a country home perched atop a hill. Their top priority was for the home to celebrate comfortable indoor-outdoor living in a way that would honor the views. This screened-in porch, which has sliding walls that open it up to the interior of the house, is the best example of how the house achieves this. Note the way the screened openings on the porch extend from floor to ceiling, making the most of the sweeping views across the property.
While the porch has clean modern style, it’s also a warm space. The light tones of the natural oak used for the screen frames and ceiling play beautifully off the sandy and tan hues of the fireplace’s stones. A patterned rug layers warmth atop the stamped concrete floor. Finally, the large firebox suits the scale of the chimney and the porch, allowing everyone to view the full height of the flames.
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5. Let’s Connect
Creating indoor-outdoor connections was the priority for this 315-square-foot screened porch in Canada’s wine country. Lauren Webb and Josephina Serra of Form Collective used sliding doors to make it an extension of the house, and another door (where this photo was taken from) opens right to the yard. Sited for maximum views of the woods nearby and mountains in the distance, the porch has screens that keep the bugs out and a fireplace to keep things cozy when the air turns chilly.
The homeowners wanted to have the feel of a rustic country home but with modern flair, as seen in the oversize stone fireplace, charcoal stamped-concrete flooring, pedestal dining table and natural oak finishes.
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3. Comfortable Connection
Porch at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Santa Rosa, Florida
Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters)
Designers: Daniel M Martin (architecture) and Vicki Kaminski (interior design)
General contractor: Chase Green Construction
Sitting on a tight Florida panhandle lot, this screened porch is integral to the lifestyle of the homeowners, a retired couple. First, it bridges the main house (through the Dutch door at the back right) and a carriage house. Second, it has exterior stairs leading to a lake-facing yard. And third, it has loads of amenities: dining and lounging areas, a kitchen with a gas grill and sink, and a fireplace with a ceramic-insert pizza oven, which the homeowners love and use frequently.
The design team’s Adirondack Great Camps inspiration shines through in the rustic Tennessee fieldstone flooring, tongue-and-groove stained cypress ceiling and river rocks cladding the chimney and one wall. But because this is Florida and not New York, the screens can stay up year-round.
Screens: BetterVue; pizza oven: Chicago Brick Oven; grill: Napoleon