Porch of the Week: Underused Space Gets Enclosed and Screened

A designer optimizes a Minnesota deck for multiseason enjoyment with screens, a roof and comfy new furniture

Julie SheerJanuary 1, 2022

Houzz Contributor; journalist with more than two decades of experience as a graphics editor and writer at the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune; outdoor guidebook author; lover of all things outdoors, nature and wildlife. Follow me at https://westcentric.wordpress.com/

A retired couple near Minneapolis love hosting their children and grandkids. Their spacious deck was a perfect space for entertaining, but it was open to the elements. It would bake in the summer heat, and mosquitoes were a nuisance. They also wanted to update the adjacent indoor spaces in their four-bedroom 2011 home, which had colors, finishes and fixtures reminiscent of the early aughts. They enlisted Tracy Hains, owner of Che Bella Interiors, whose team created a bright new screen-enclosed space for the couple.

Che Bella Interiors Design + Remodeling

Photos by Spacecrafting Photography

Porch at a Glance
Who lives here: Retired couple
Location: Prior Lake, Minnesota
Size: About 300 square feet (27.9 square meters)
Designer: Tracy Hains of Che Bella Interiors
Builder: Ed Hatterschiede

“They get such intense sun and never sat out there,” Hains says. “That’s where the idea was born; they wanted to sit out there and enjoy the pond, walking path and trees. They talked to us about how we design something that’s an extension of their house but still enjoy the beauty of nature.”

Her team designed and constructed the new enclosed space around the existing deck with aluminum-framed screened walls and an eye-catching angled ceiling painted bright white, further lighting up the newly enclosed space with an attractive chandelier. The family now enjoys using the screened space and easy-to-access adjacent grilling deck six to nine months a year.

Ceiling paint: Snow White, Hirschfield’s; decking: Trex

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Before Photo

Before: Previously, the space was just a raised, unenclosed deck. “That’s very common here. Most aren’t enclosed,” Hains says. The views were great, but the owners didn’t use it much when it was hot and buggy.

Che Bella Interiors Design + Remodeling

After: The team installed aluminum railings with screens and included roller shades to protect against sun and wind. The screening allows for views of the trees and pond while providing protection from bugs, and it’s also a safety feature. “With the screens and grandkids visiting, it makes it safe and secure,” Hains says. Comfortable indoor-outdoor furniture completes the space’s new look.

Screens and railings: Allied Aluminum

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Che Bella Interiors Design + Remodeling

An existing patio under the raised porch provides additional seating and close-up views of the landscape.

Che Bella Interiors Design + Remodeling

Those enjoying the porch are treated to views of a tree-lined pond and walking path along its shore. The team left part of the deck open so the homeowners could cook out. The homeowners are avid walkers and hikers and enjoy gardening and plants. “From the porch you see a lot of color,” Hains says. “They enjoy that porch so much and just being able to entertain in the kitchen and great room,” she says.

Grill deck rails: Westbury Aluminum Railing

Che Bella Interiors Design + Remodeling

In addition to the new enclosed porch, Hains and her team freshened up the adjacent indoor space that leads to the porch, seen on the left in this photo. They enhanced the kitchen with new paint on the cabinets and elegant, bright fixtures like the curvy chandelier over the dining table and clear-glass pendant lights. They also modified the island from a dated two tiers to a streamlined single tier. The owners now enjoy looking out at the new porch from their bright and airy kitchen and dining area.

Paint: Walls, Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; trim and perimeter cabinetry, Snow White, Hirschfield’s

Before Photo

Before: The living area adjacent to the porch entry (on the left side of the photo) was in good shape, but the homeowners wanted to brighten and modernize the space.

Julie Sheer

Here’s the floor plan. It shows how the open space of the kitchen and dining area provides a clear view past the curved kitchen island. The view extends toward the outdoors via the porch, located at the bottom of the diagram, next to the rectangle that signifies the dining table.

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