Why Is the Summer the Perfect Time to Invest in Enclosures for Your Patio?

During the summer, you will want to enjoy the outdoors with your friends and family as often as you can. This often implies cookouts, BBQs, pool parties, baseball game watch parties, and more. Yet, the summer months bring more than bright sunny days and can make enjoying your patio, porch, or other outdoor areas problematic when you do not have an enclosed patio.

Common Concerns with Non-Enclosed Patios

One of the biggest concerns with non-enclosed patios is the amount of direct sunlight that comes in during the day. If you want to enjoy relaxing on your patio next to your pool, the furniture can get extremely hot. Plus, you have to protect your eyes and skin from the strong UV rays of the sun.

Another concern people have is when they want to entertain or relax outdoors, but Mother Nature does not cooperate. Instead of being a nice sunny or partly-cloudy day, there could be rain showers and thunderstorms requiring you to stay indoors.

Aside from issues with weather, mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs can distract from fully getting to enjoy your patio, porch, and outdoor areas comfortably. No one will want to stay outside for long when flies are buzzing around or they are being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Not to mention other flying insects that come out at dusk and the evening hours and which are attracted to light, like moths and beetles. There are several effective ways to overcome these concerns, and one of the best ones is to enclose your patio, porch, gazebo, or other outdoor structure.

New Enclosure Options for Your Residential Patio or Porch

There are several different options available for enclosing your patio or porch, including:

1. Partial Enclosures – This option is where you normally build a cover over the existing foundation using various support structures, while the sides are left open.
2. Sunrooms – A sunroom is typically fully enclosed with removable windows and screens. They are great additions in colder climates, especially when you like growing plants year round or want to be able to enjoy a bright, but cold blistery winter day.
3. Full Enclosures – Similar to sunrooms, full enclosures are where the entire structure is enclosed and could include using windows, doors, and window screens.

The primary difference between sunrooms and full enclosures is that sunrooms are typically configured so that they are connected to your home’s heating and cooling system, which requires duct work, whereas full enclosures are just enclosed to protect against the hot sun and inclement weather without any climate control features

The Best Time of the Summer to Do Patio or Porch Renovations

The busiest time for most contractors and builders is from mid-April to June. The late spring and early summer months tend to be cooler, so outdoor renovations are highly demanded. Ideally, you will want to avoid this peak period because your project costs can be higher than at other times of the year.

July and August present some challenges for outdoor projects because of the hotter temperatures. However, because things tend to start to slow down for builders and contractors, this is a perfect time to tackle that patio or porch enclosure project.

Normally, your contractor will want to work either in the early morning hours when it is cooler or later in the day in the early evening hours when it starts to cool off. Just remember to be respectful to your neighbors, as no one wants to be woken up to the sounds of renovations early on a Saturday morning.

Benefits of Getting Your Patio Enclosed in the Summer

Having your patio enclosed in July or August has several benefits over other times of the late spring and early summer months, aside from the cost of the projects tending to be less.

1. Past the “rainy” season. In most places, May, June, and September are considered the “rainy” season. So, even though builders are in higher demand at these times, getting work done often takes longer than waiting until July or August.
2. There is more daylight to get projects done. Both July and August have longer days so builders can work later into the evening hours without disturbing your neighbors. Some will work as late as 7 or 8 p.m., which means your project can be completed more quickly.
3. Most people schedule summer vacations in July and August. This can be great for your project if your neighbors are away, so you do not have to worry about noise levels. It is also beneficial for you if you want to get away for a vacation with the family and come home to find your enclosure project finished.
4. You will be ready to enjoy the outdoors in the fall and winter. Depending on the type of enclosure, getting the work completed in July and August will mean you can continue enjoying the outdoors even as the weather starts cooling off.

Residential Costs of Building Patio Enclosures

The costs to renovate or build a porch or patio enclosure will vary, based on several factors— namely, the type of enclosure you are building and the extent of the work that needs to be completed.

Full enclosures can cost tens of thousands of dollars because there are numerous materials needed, from new walls and windows to doors and electrical and plumbing connections. Sunrooms can also cost tens of thousands of dollars for the same reasons, as well as have the added costs of running new duct work for climate control.

Partial enclosures tend to cost the least amount because you are not physically enclosing the entire area. Depending on the extent of work to be performed, costs can range from several thousand dollars to around ten thousand dollars.

Please keep in mind, other factors that can affect project costs include:

• Types of Building Permits Required
• Choice of Materials
• Replacing or Adding New Walls
• Installing New Windows and Doors
• Type of Roof Being Installed

What if I Already Have a Partially Enclosed Patio or Porch?

For people that already have a covered patio or porch, renovation costs are much less than starting a brand new project from the ground up. While you could opt to enclose the open spaces with new walls and windows, many people do not want to give up the openness and airy feeling they already enjoy.

A viable solution that allows you to enclose your patio or porch, but gives you more flexibility over a full enclosure or sunroom, is to have outdoor patio curtains installed. These curtains are made from high-quality vinyl materials and can easily be opened and closed as needed.

Vinyl patio curtains provide protection from the heat when combined with sun shades. In addition, they will help to keep the area cooler on hot summer days and warmer during the cooler fall, winter, and spring months, so you can enjoy your patio or porch almost year round in colder areas and year round in warmer climates.

Benefits of Clear Vinyl Plastic Panel Enclosures

Unlike other enclosure renovation projects, if you already have a partially enclosed patio, your only costs are to purchase and install the plastic panels and sun drop shades. In addition, you do not require a building permit to have them installed since they are removable.

Furthermore, if you live in a community with a homeowners’ association, it is easier to get permission to hang up vinyl patio and porch panel enclosures and sun shades, as they do not distract from the overall appearance of the home and community.

Commercial Applications and Benefits of Enclosures

Many businesses can also benefit from enclosing patios, porches, and other outdoor structures. For instance, in the restaurant industry, many people like dining outdoors in the summer months, but do not want to worry about getting wet when it rains, overly heated from direct sunlight, or being bothered by mosquitoes and flies.

Installing vinyl panels and sun shades is a cost-effective way to ensure your guests can enjoy dining outside while at the same time being protected from the sun, elements, and bugs. Plus, most restaurants, bars, nightclubs, pubs, cafes, wedding venues, and other businesses experience a significant increase in revenues when they feature an enclosable outdoor patio area!

For more information about porch and patio curtains and sun shades to enclose your patio or porch on your home or business, please feel free to contact the Enclosure Guy at (830) 445-4500 today. Remember to request your free estimate!