Enclosing a covered porch with screen

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When we were planning to build our new house, we were extra careful to pick a site where the sun rises in the breakfast area and sets in the dining area.

Original covered porch
We knew we wanted a covered porch to have a place to hang out on the pleasant breezy evenings that our area is known for.

We didn't account for the huge population of flying bugs that would pester some of us within 10 minutes of sunset.  My wife would be totally unaffected by the winged pests but my daughter and I would be covered with insects feasting on our tasty blood.

Our 2nd major project for the new house was to enclose the back porch with screen so that we could enjoy the evenings without suffering exsanguination.

There are 3 approaches to screening a porch:

-install rollup shades
-staple screens and cover staples with trim
-use a screen installation system (screen tight)

I consider myself a talented DIYer with very little practical skills in woodworking due to spending the first 30 years of my employed life in front of a computer.  Sure, I renovated 2 bathrooms before I sold my first house and built a 15 foot fence in my new house (project #1), but that was the extent of my wood working experience.

I've never framed a porch before but I took my time and it went fairly well.
Starting slow
Planning the door


Framing almost complete



Screen tight base (black) and cap (white)
Close up of installed screen before trim (cap) installation
Trimming the screens
Painted, carpeted and screened
Attaching trim 

Installation tips:
  • use sharp pruning loppers to cut the plastic strips and not the recommended steel snips which crush and deform the plastic.
  • Use a tool to poke the splines into the groove of the screen tight base to get it started. (We used scissors or a screw driver)
  • A good sturdy screen tool is required because rolling the splines requires a fair bit of pressure and a lot of control
  • start at the top of the screen, then the 2 sides and finally the lower side
  • gently pull the screen diagonally to ensure a tight wrinkle free installation
  • fiberglass charcoal screens are nearly invisible so it's best to get some samples for the look you want (solar screen or black screen might be better depending on what you need/want)
  • Screw the base plates down using every available hole.  Ensure that the end of the base plate is secured down if no hole is drilled within 3 inches of the end.  Manufacturer suggests securing every 12 inches but the screen pulls the base plates away at that spacing.
  • I used self tapping metal (stainless?) screws - #8 3/4" hopefully there will be no issue with galvanic corrosion between the screws and ACQ lumber
  • ACQ lumber from Home Depot/Lowes is wet.  Any lumber with a greenish tint should be scrubbed/rinsed off after several weeks of drying to remove the green color.  It will bleed through Glidden's Gripper primer.  I was still getting a little bleeding after 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of exterior sherwin williams paint.
  • Foam sill plates do not work with the Ramset powder charges.  The foam somehow deflects the nails, preventing penetration into the cement.

Observations:
All of the lumber we purchased for the porch framing was from either Lowes or Home Depot.  We went to a Meeks lumber store for my wife's potting shed table and found that the wood appears to be better quality (ie fewer knots, less warped sticks).  Customers are generally not allowed to select the wood, but the wood picker who helped us, was checking that the wood he picked was straight.

I'm not sure if there's a big price difference since I haven't directly compared prices, but the wood from Meeks warps sitting out in the sun just as quickly as the stuff I bought from Home Depot/Lowes.

I added additional bracing to my porch framing to ensure the vertical posts dry straight. Painting the pressure treated wood also helps to ensure a controlled drying out (Acrylic latex paint is said to breath enough to allow the lumber to continue to dry after painting).  Lumber yard people were telling us to wait 6 months to a year before painting, but according to the manufacturers, ACQ is supposed to be OK to paint as long as the surfaces are dry to the touch.






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