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By Larry Brost

If you would like to enhance both family enjoyment and the value of your home, you may want to consider adding a screened in room. A screen room allows you to enjoy the view and fresh outdoor air, while providing protection from hot direct sun or rain. A custom screen room is an extension of a home’s living space and often becomes the favorite outdoor feature.

1. How will you use a screen room? What is your outdoor lifestyle? A screen room or screen room deck combination provides a casual transition to the beautiful outdoors, a great lifestyle enhancement for entertaining, barbecuing, relaxing, reading and an expanded area for children’s play. For entertaining, you’ll want more space for seating, eating areas, or a hot tub or spa. For family use, a more modest size for relaxing and dining may serve your purposes very nicely.
2. When will you use a screen room? A screen room enables you to enjoy evenings outdoors in spring, summer and fall, when mosquitoes and other bugs tend to keep you inside. Adding ceiling fans and lighting will ensure pleasant summer evenings, while incorporating a fireplace or electric heater allows you to enjoy your screen room into late fall and in early spring.
3. Who will be using the screen room? Are safety and accessibility considerations? Will you want audio and video capabilities? How about a cooking area?
4. Would you like your screen room to be retractable? The flexibility of retractable screens enables you to open the room completely to the outdoors so that you can enjoy the full benefit of your view and surroundings. Retractable screens allow you to improve access in and out of the screen room and when retracted, the openness provides an expanded area for entertaining.
5. What style are you considering? You will want the structure of your screen room to echo the architectural style and décor of your home when choosing the shape, color, style and materials. These materials as well as the pitch of the roof should be compatible with the basic design of the house. That way it will be a fully integrated feature of your home rather than looking like an “add-on”. Ask to review the building plans and in particular the elevation drawings of each view incorporating the current structure.
6. What is my budget? A screen room can provide one of the greatest values of all home remodeling projects, recouping most of the original construction cost. For best results, planning is the key to success. Be sure to develop a practical budget to avoid mistakes and design pitfalls that can stop the inexperienced and do-it-yourselfers in their tracks.
7. Who will be building the screen room? In selecting a builder, be sure to find one that has a good reputation and who can show you photographs of screen rooms they have built that are similar to what you are looking for, as well as provide references you can call. Beware of a builder that is only available by pager or cell phone. You want your screen room builder to be an established business that will stand behind their warranty and will be there if you have any needs after it is built.

For screen room design and craftsmanship that will provide years of enjoyment and truly enhance your home value, call The Screen Team at Heartlands Home Products. They have built screen rooms and deck combinations for many of the St. Louis area’s finest homes. The Screen Team will work closely with you to develop a detailed design, work plan and a fixed price. In addition, they will obtain all necessary permits and coordinate your municipality’s inspection processes. Call them for a free in-home estimate at 636-728-0003.

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