Best Roofing Options for Screened Porches

A screen porch is a great addition to any home. It creates a three-season room suitable for living, dining, and entertaining. When people look to add a screened porch to their home, they often have difficulty deciding what kind of roof to add. Let us run through the options for you.

Tying Into the Pre-Existing Roof Structure

For a screened porch that looks original to the house, the best option is to tie into the pre-existing roof. This may be an additional expense, but it also has the benefit of increasing property values. Integrating the new room seamlessly into the footprint of your home signals quality craftsmanship in the event of a sale.

Not every style of home or screened porch requires tying into the existing roof. Two story houses, for instance, may simply have a screened porch abutting the exterior walls. But most one or one-and-a-half-story structures will benefit from planning to integrate the new porch as tightly as possible to the original architecture.

Types of Roofs for Screened Porches

Nearly any roof style will work for a screened porch. However, certain styles may be more desirable than others. For instance, a hip roof, a roof which has 4 sides rising at the same slope, tends to look more custom-built. It has a sort of “country estate” look to it.

Gable roofs can also be used to good effect, especially when the gable (the flat side where the eaves meet at a point) is at right angles to the house. It can be used to emphasize the height of the screened porch ceiling and can utilize arches or other architectural element to add drama.

In cases where the view from second floor windows might be impacted, a flat roof can be used. A shed roof is often used in these cases, but in our experience, that tends to make the porch looked “tacked on.” If you’re going to go to the trouble and expense to build a screened porch, you might as well install a roof that compliments the look of the house and elevates its style.

A screened porch is a job that is sometimes tackled by an experienced do-it-yourselfer. Because it’s outside the building envelope and footprint, it lends itself to being completed over evenings and weekends. However, if you’re planning such a job, you may still want the roofing done by experienced professionals. Whether you tie into the existing roof or not, the roof is the element that protects all the other work you’ve put into the project.

Give us a call, and we can come out and give you an estimate. A professional roofing company like Style Roofing will give you the best quality for the best price. Call us today.