Outdoor living options mix space, functionality

It's no wonder homeowners are increasingly adding living space to the edge of their homes. Many of today's room-to-grow options give homeowners a functional living space that will put them in closer proximity to the great outdoors.

According to Rick Duggan of America's Best Remodelers, an exterior product installer for The Home Service Store, homeowners should weigh the pluses and minuses of decks, multiseason sun rooms, screened porches, and patios. "My customers want more space for entertaining that takes them near the outdoors," said Duggan of suburban Denver. "The trick is deciding what form the extra space should take."

So what's the homeowner to do?

Climate, budget, and zoning ordinances all come into play when making a decision. However, the most important consideration is how the homeowner will use the space.

Sun rooms and screened porches have rapidly gained favor because the "rooms" are built or installed relatively fast with new weather- and sun-resistant materials. Duggan says the average sun room is 200 square feet or more, and can be glass enclosed and surrounded by windows or covered by an insulated roof system for year-round use. Most sun rooms are built offsite to owner specifications and installed in as few as five weeks. Expect to pay from $25,000 to $30,000.

Screened porches offer two- to three-season livability and allow the sun and breeze to filter in while keeping insects out. Porches are typically built onsite and materials and labor for a 150- to 200-square-foot screen porch and roof cost from $9,000 to $12,000 over an existing deck. New composite decking materials are good for porches because the plastic-wood mixture won't rot, warp or mildew. "The trend is away from wood, especially in humid areas or the arid Southwest where wood dries out quickly," Duggan said.

The no-maintenance convenience and inherent strength of splinterless composites has opened decks to new uses and larger sizes. Today's decks are multileveled, multipurpose entertainment centers with upscale furniture, seating and accented landscaping options.

"The same goes for patios," Duggan said. "Customers are a lot more inventive with their patio plans. Patios are no longer strictly concrete slabs, but are usually a hybrid of patio and deck structures." Patios can be layered with paving stones, brick or limestone slabs. Pergolas -- open roofed structures of timbers -- are increasingly popular and allow the appearance of a cover and are ideal for climbing vines and hanging baskets of flowers.

Whatever addition the homeowner intends to construct, Duggan strongly advises them to use a contractor who will design the plans to conform to local building codes and neighborhood-association requirements. "You must get building plans approved by municipal building departments," Duggan said, "and that goes for neighborhood associations, too." His final reminder is to secure building permits before work starts.

"One thing for sure about any of these additions, people are much more creative than they used to be," Duggan said. "They get great additional space that really is quite functional."