Category Archives: Porch builder/contractor

You’ve head the saying “what a difference a day makes”. At this Macon home, what a difference a porch makes.

As you can imagine, this took longer than a day but, wow, look at the difference. When these Macon homeowners called us, they had a small deck in quite a state of disrepair.

We extended the deck space to include a new porch on the side of the house and a new deck at the corner of the home. The screened porch has a shed roof which slopes downward from the home. Some people have concerns about whether a shed roof will provide enough light.

As you can see, the space is beautifully light and airy. The elevated open rafter ceiling opens the space up for a very roomy and airy feel.

Take a look at the porch from another view. You can see the adjoining deck that complements the porch in aesthetics and materials.

At Archadeck of Central GA, we’ve build quite a few projects in the historic district and we’re glad to work with the local building inspectors to ensure you get the best project possible while still maintaining the historic charm and feel of your beloved home.

If you are ready to learn more about how we can enhance your outdoor living at your home, contact Archadeck of Central GA today (478) 745 – 2000 or visit our website at centralgeorgia@archadeck.net

Porch builder/contractor, Porches

The second time is a charm for this Macon GA screened porch and deck

March 11, 2016 admin

When these homeowners on Ashford Park in Macon called us, they were very familiar with having an Archadeck screened porch. Back int he 90’s their home had a porch built by Archadeck. At this home, they had a large deck but they always wanted a screened porch. We’re glad they gave us a call for a few reasons.

First, we always love working with happy Archadeck customers. These homeowners knew what to expect with the Archadeck process and knew the high building standards we require.

We’re happy they called Archadeck of Central GA because we pride ourselves in doing the best thing for our customers. When converting an existing deck to a porch or other roof structure, sometimes the deck substructure will suffice for adding a new roof with a few reinforcements. That was exactly the case here. We did add reinforcements around the exterior but we were otherwise able to utilize the existing structure. We replaced the flooring with new flooring and made sure to add screening underneath the boards to keep bugs from crawling up through the floor.

We were very happy that we have the support of our national Archadeck drafting team. Here’s why. Roofs can either be attached to another roof or to a house wall. This porch required a side wall connection however we were not able to add posts to the wall because they would cover windows. Instead, our architectural team designed the long span roof to be supported by a large structural ridge beam.

Another point of pride we maintain at Archadeck of Central GA is the level of care we take with the homeowners’ properties. It rained quite a bit while we were building. We took particular care to keep pine straw in the yard for minimal disruption to their grass.

Adjacent to their porch is a new deck large enough to host a grill as well as a table and chairs. The deck materials are complimentary to those of the screened porch making a unified look and feel to this combination structure.

If you live in the Central GA are and are thinking about adding on or converting your outdoor living space to a porch, give us a call for a free consultation. If you choose to work with us, you will benefit from our extensive knowledge of local building trends and traditions, as well as our rock-solid relationships with other local tradesmen. Check out our reviews and reputation in the community. We are happy to provide you with references for any kind of job you are considering. Call: (478) 745 – 2000. Email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net. Or visit our website http://central-georgia.archadeck.com/

Porch builder/contractor

Could there be anything better than a wrap around porch for your Central GA area home?

December 29, 2015 admin

These Byron GA homeowners had a lovely home with a beautiful wrap-around porch. What could be better than spending hot GA afternoons under cover or enjoying the day fading into night with a couple of rockers outside your own front door?

In many cases, an open porch is all you need. But, depending on how you want to live outside, you may want the sort of protection that an enclosed space provides. An enclosed space can provide some additional sun protection but can also provide protection from strong wind, rain, and more extreme temperatures. While screened porches are very popular, here in Central GA, many customers are opting for Eze-Breeze windows on their screened porch. The Eze-Breeze window system is the best of both having a screened porch and having a porch enclosed with vinyl windows. The 4-track window system allows you to open your vinyl windows up to 75% allowing your 3-season room to function as a screened porch. However, this family opted for insulated sliding glass windows for more protection from the elements. These horizontal sliding windows provide the same option to open up to 75% and function as a screened porch but they also are insulated. When they are closed the temperature inside the room can be heated or cooled just like your interior spaces. This particular family wanted to not only provide a little protection from the elements for themselves but also for their plants.

Can you convert part of a sun porch into a 3-season room?

Take a look!

Utilizing the existing room, we enclosed a portion of the covered wrap-around porch converting it to a sunroom. Take a look at the large window areas ensuring the family still gets a sunny space. But, when the mosquitoes come out or the temperature becomes more severe, this family can head for the comfort and protection of their enclosed porch area.

In order to enclose this portion of the porch, we had to remove the columns and railing and then re-install them inside the porch. We worked to find siding to compliment the existing home’s siding since that one is no longer available. The family will soon paint this siding for a great match to the home.

When searching for a solution to enclose this porch area, the family spoke with a contractor who suggested using aluminum. For the same price, we were able to custom build the space using matching high-quality materials.

If you are considering adding a deck, porch, pergola or other outdoor living space to your home give Archadeck of Central GA a call for a free consultation. If you choose to work with us, you will benefit from our extensive knowledge of local building trends and traditions, as well as our rock-solid relationships with other local tradesmen. Check out our reviews and reputation in the community. We are happy to provide you with references for any kind of job you are considering. Call: (478) 745 – 2000. Email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net. Or visit our website http://central-georgia.archadeck.com/

Porch builder/contractor

Blissful Macon outdoor living

December 29, 2015 admin

Take a look at this incredible custom pool pavilion in Macon. This custom built pavilion was designed specifically for how this Macon family wanted to live outside.

The family had a lovely pool and patio but knew they wanted to do a lot more living outside. They wanted to cook outside, prepare food in a smoker, watch TV, and lounge in style. They also had a specific need for storage. This Macon pool pavilion was built to suit all their needs and wants.

In the picture above, you likely noticed the beautiful hip roof. From within the porch, the roof creates a cathedral ceiling. This provides cover for the space but still creates a very bright and airy feel. The ceiling is finished with recessed can lights and large ceiling fans to keep air circulating within the space.

Inside the pavilion you’ll see tons of counter top area creating space for everything from grilling to food prep to using the smoker, and more.

The 2 bar areas also house food storage areas and an outdoor refrigerator.

One important part of this project that you won’t notice by looking at the space is the approval we needed to secure from the Architectural Review Board in this lovely Madison community in Macon. While we always take care of all permitting, we also meet with other review boards as necessary before beginning our projects.

Porch builder/contractor, Screened porches

Take a look at this historic Macon home screened porch addition

December 14, 2015 admin

In Macon, our city is rich in history and rich in charm. The homes in our historic districts are prized and their authenticity is preserved under careful watch. A few of the wrong changes can take all the character and historic value out of these prized pieces of our city’s rich history.

If we’re being honest, when we receive a call to do work in a historic district we fear that the necessary restrictions and approvals will hamper our ability to build the best structure within the time frame the family wants.

With this particular screen porch project we had even more reason to worry because the family needed it done in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. The good news was that the structure was on the back of the home so we didn’t have the same restrictions we would have if the addition was visible at the street.

We had a very short window of time to build the project in time for Thanksgiving and Mother Nature wasn’t helping our case. She dumped a lot of rain just at the time we needed to be building so we created a plan that would allow us to keep building in the rain. Normally we will build out the porch walls before the roof but we built enough of the walls to get the roof up so we could work under cover of the roof to finish building out the screened porch. I must admit that it was the first time I’ve ever seen my team working in rain coats!

In addition to the screened porch, we also built a deck with decorative lattice skirting. Although you can’t see it in this picture, we added a wheelchair ramp for one of the aging family members.

Let’s not forget under the deck. First, we built a door in the lattice skirting to allow access for storage. We also screened under the porch and deck area inbetween the joists and decking boards. This keeps bugs from coming up through the deck boards. The family is considering also screening in the deck area in the future so we added the screening under that area to prepare for future growth.

Eze-Breeze Windows, Porch builder/contractor, Porches, Screened porches

Can you turn your deck into a porch? Can you turn your screened porch into a 3-season room? Archadeck of Central GA explains how.

August 31, 2015 admin

One common question we receive is about converting an existing space to a better space. Let’s say you have a deck that’s not too old and is in great shape but you want to get more use out of the space. Do you have to scrap a perfectly good deck to convert it to a porch? You shouldn’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

If you have a deck that’s in good condition, you should not need to scrap it to convert it into either an open porch or a screened porch. The caveat here is the interpretation of “good condition”. How is the substructure. How sound is it? Most often we will find deck substructures that are well built and, even when aged, are still capable of supporting growth (with some assistance). Here’s what we mean. A roof is tremendously heavy. Deck substructures are not built to accommodate the addition of a roof unless you had the substructure built to support a future roof addition. But, we can most often design and implement support enhancements which then allow the addition of a roof to your deck.

Can you turn a porch into a room?

There are many variations of outdoor rooms ranging anywhere from an open porch to a screened porch to a porch with 3-season windows to a fully insulated room with heating and cooling. Here in Central GA, the addition of a vinyl window system such as Eze-Breeze will help you turn your screened porch into a 3-season room making the room usable for most of the year. Today’s vinyl windows are nothing like they used to be. The vinyl is super clear, very strong, and integrated into a track window system making it a permanent addition to your room. Eze-Breeze windows are built to suit your existing or new room. Their track system allows you to expose from 25% up to 75% of the window area. Better yet, you can open the windows from the top or bottom. Depending on the weather conditions, this flexibility is a great plus.

If you have a great outdoor space and want to add some sun protection, rain protection, or weather protection, give us a call. We’re glad to provide a free consultation to determine if your space can be converted or upgraded. Call us at (478) 745 – 2000, email us at centralgeorgia@archadeck.net or visit our website at http://central-georgia.archadeck.com.

Porch builder/contractor, Porches

A porch for all seasons for your Macon Warner Robins area home

August 18, 2015 admin

Close your eyes. Conjure up a mental image of your porch. Open your eyes. What season is it? Likely your mental image was of a porch in the warmer months be it late spring or summer. The porch is a great getaway from the heat during that time of year. But, our long time customers tell us they use their porch literally year round. Not only is it their favorite room in the house during the hot weather months, but through different seasons used in different ways.

Fall

Let’s face it. Fall is a wonderful season. We are able to enjoy watching leaves turn colors and fall. We begin to get some relief from our hot Georgia summers. But the last thing we want to do is move inside. We will go kicking and screaming if we have to take it all indoors during the fall.

Your porch is the perfect place. Whether it’s those hot days that are holding on or those surprisingly cool fall days, your porch is the perfect day to enjoy those days. Keep one or two of your favorite throws out on the porch or bring a warm cup of hot cocoa out. Your screened porch will still be your bridge between creature comforts and outdoor living throughout the season.

Winter

One of the porch amenities that continues to rise in popularity is a fireplace built into your screened porch. You’ve certainly heard about the popular trend toward outdoor fireplaces. While you certainly can have a stand alone outdoor fireplace, your porch is the best place for your outdoor fireplace. There’s nothing like the mixing of scents of fall breeze and fireplace logs. And there’s nothing like a great big breath of fresh air regardless of the time of year. We may have a difficult time convincing you that you can use your porch throughout the winter with a porch fireplace. And, there will be some periods of true winter weather that will keep you indoors. But, with the addition of Eze-Breeze windows, one or two ceiling fans, and a throw, you should be able to enjoy your porch throughout the winter. Why go through all this trouble to spend winter leisure time in your porch when you could spend your time inside? Often your porch is the brightest and sunniest room in the house. That natural sun is a pick me up on any day of the year.

Spring

Pollen! Need we say more? That yellow film that covers literally everything during pollen season is torturous for many of us. Even if you’re not allergic to pollen, how many of us can escape without sneezing and coughing while wiping the pollen off our cars or or outdoor tables? With a screened porch, your screen will not keep all the pollen out, but it will certainly keep a good amount of it out. In addition, if you have Eze-Breeze vinyl windows on your Macon Warner Robins area porch, you can keep the vinyl windows closed during pollen season to make your outdoor room more pollen proof.

Let’s think of the positive aspect of spring – spending more time outside. After spending the winter indoors, we all anxiously await the rising temperatures that Spring. Here in Central GA, while much of the summer may be considered too hot, Spring is the time to enjoy milder temperatures, some spring breeze and some spring rain. Your back porch is the best place to enjoy spring rain.

Summer

Georgia is the deep south. Our temperatures soar in the summer forcing many of us to take it indoors. Air conditioning serves a very functional purpose of making spending time in the soaring temperatures an “option”. But, with air conditioning, you can’t smell the rain, feel the breeze and enjoy the other benefits of living outdoors.

Regardless of what time of year you’re reading this blog, it’s time to give us a call for a free consultation on adding a new screened room to your Central GA area home.

Archadeck of Central Georgia is proud to have been serving Macon and Warner Robins homeowners for more than a dozen years. If you choose to work with us, you will benefit from our extensive knowledge of local building trends and traditions, as well as our rock-solid relationships with other local tradesmen. Check out our reviews and reputation in the community. We are happy to provide you with references for any kind of job you are considering. Call: (478) 745 – 2000. Email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net.

Porch builder/contractor, Porches, Screened porches

With teenagers, making family dinner meaningful might seem impossible. These Macon homeowners found a way.

July 9, 2015 admin

As parents of 3, my wife and I know all too well the challenges of making the family dinner what it is supposed to be or what it ought to be. We can make the quintessential family dinner, remove all the daily troubles from our mind and sit down to provide a platform to hear our children talk. All too often, that meaningful conversation just doesn’t happen. How did our parents do it? How did they really get us talking about local events and homework and having healthy conversations about meaningful topics?

Based on a story that a recent client told me, perhaps getting slightly out of the house for family dinners might be the perfect recipe. When I talk to clients after completing their project, they always tell me that their porch is their favorite room in the house.

This Macon homeowner raved about the fact that it has strengthened their relationship with their teenagers. They have their family dinners out on the porch. She said their daughters linger longer, talk more, and are more a part of the family experience than when inside.

Maybe it’s the fresh air. Maybe it’s the feeling of being out of the house or away from the gadgets sitting inside the house. Maybe it’s the feeling that Mom and Dad are less frazzled because of the calming nature of the porch. But I’m glad to hear that their porch is making a difference in their lives.

In addition this story, there are some fun ones I hear quite a bit. Outside of the classic screened porch experience of enjoying morning coffee on the porch or sneaking away to enjoy a favorite book, here are just a couple other favorite screened porch uses my clients tell me about.

Sleeping outside
Watching TV outside
Working outside

Sleeping on the porch

While you may think the only person sleeping on the porch is the person in your house that has been kicked to the dog house, that is the farthest thing from the truth. My clients tell me they love sleeping outside. Some bring their sleeping bags along with their favorite movie and popcorn to spend the rest of the evening enjoying the breeze and fresh air. Many keep a throw blanket on their porch to grab a cat nap at different times of the day.

Watching TV outside

Would we ever have imagined we would be watching TV and sitting on nice furniture on our screened porch? Gone are the days of portable patio furniture and lack of entertainment. Many clients request that a TV be built into their screened porch design. Whether you enjoy a little ambient noise, enjoy catching just the important parts of the news, or enjoy catching up on your favorite series, you can now do it in comfort from your porch.

Working outside

Laptop computers are great. We can take them to the office and to the kitchen table. We can also take them to another desk in the house or the sofa table. Now you can take your laptop outside to work – outside on your screened porch. All of our porches include electricity so you can plug in when you need to or turn on a lamp when the sun is going down. Merging the relaxing feeling that a screened porch brings with your necessary take home work makes it just a little more enjoyable.

If you are considering creating a great new outdoor living space for your Macon/Warner Robins area back yard, or if you want to give a fresh new look to your existing area, give us a call for a free consultation. We strive to create the perfect outdoor living space just for you. Call: (478) 745 – 2000. Email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net.

Eze-Breeze Windows, Porch builder/contractor, Porches

The 4 things you didn’t know about Eze-Breeze® vinyl windows

June 9, 2015 admin

If you aren’t already familiar with Eze-Breeze® window systems, it’s time to fix that! Eze-Breeze is a revolutionary product that transforms the traditional Macon screened porch to a 3-season room that offers all of the best features of outdoor living with none of the drawbacks.

# 1 Eze-Breeze windows look like glass, but they are not

When you see photos of a Warner Robins porch that has Eze-Breeze windows, you will likely assume that you are looking at traditional glass windows. Their crystal clear clarity is comparable to glass, but they are actually made of 10-mil vinyl glazing. You can choose your featherweight vinyl in a range of colors, depending on if you want to include some built-in shading. In addition to saving you money, this product will stretch rather than shatter when it is put under stress. Within minutes of a push or a hit to the vinyl, the product will reform to its original shape. Their 10-year warranty against most kinds of damage is the best you will find anywhere and puts traditional glass windows to shame.

#2 Eze-Breeze vinyl offers protection from all the elements: including pollen

We don’t see much snow in Georgia, but Eze-Breeze will keep the elements on the outside where they belong. Protect your furniture, rugs, sound system or anything else you like to enjoy on your porch with these amazing vertical or horizontal sliding windows. They will keep out rain, snow, wind, pollen, and mosquitoes: all of the scourges of outdoor living. When you want to welcome in a breeze, just give them a quick slide to open and you have 75% smooth airflow almost instantly.

#3 More resilient than glass

Glass has strength and heft. With those two features also comes significant expense. Eze-Breeze offers an enticing alternative. Push against one of the vinyl panes and it will snap back into shape. Price glass versus Eze-Breeze vinyl and you’ll see less of an impact on your wallet as well. You can’t buy a custom glass window system at a comparable price. You can’t repair a damaged window pane as easily.

#4 Eze-Breeze is the secret to low maintenance porch living

Eze-Breeze vinyl is easier to clean than traditional glass windows. A spray with a garden hose is usually all you need to keep your view clear and crisp. Forget about storing patio furniture for the winter. When your windows are up, the furniture is beautifully protected from rain, dirt and grime. You will still have to clean that disgusting yellow film off your car in the spring, but your porch furniture and carpet will be clean and ready for use daily when it sits behind the protective shield of Eze-Breeze custom windows and doors.

If you are considering creating a great new outdoor living space for your Macon/Warner Robins area back yard, or if you want to give a fresh new look to your existing backyard space, give us a call for a free consultation. We will identify the best structures and materials to create the perfect outdoor living space just for you. Call: (478) 745 – 2000, email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net or visit our website at central-georgia.archadeck.com.

Porch builder/contractor

Going from screen to windows in your Central GA porch could be a breeze!

November 4, 2014 admin

While there a lot of great things about a screened porch, there are a whole lot of benefits of being able to easily convert your screens to windows. Pollen is one of those reasons. With two pollen seasons each year, a yellow blanket of dust descends upon our outdoor furniture not only making it look bad but making it an instant allergy attack if you mistakenly sit on a pollen covered outdoor chair before cleaning. Even when the dust and pollen aren’t so easily seen, open screens allow these to enter your screened porch any time the wind blows them your way.

Another challenge with screened windows is water. While screens will keep a great deal of water out, on wet days some water will enter your porch through the screens. Generally it’s not enough water to leave standing water on the floor, but it will generally be enough mist do keep you inside during a rainstorm. While homeowners call us to screen in an open porch or add windows to a screened porch, these Warner Robins homeowners found a way to get the best of both worlds by converting their screens to Eze-Breeze.

Eze-Breeze is a track window system. Each window comes with 4 tracks that slide very easily from one position to another. With the track system, you can leave the vinyl windows completely closed or you can open up the vinyl 25%, 50% or 75%. When the vinyl windows are open, the traditional porch screen is exposed allowing your porch to perform like a traditional porch. When the vinyl windows are closed, pollen and water are prevented from coming in through the windows.

Hearing the word vinyl might bring to mind murky looking loose plastic that you might have seen on some shabbily installed vinyl window setups. Eze-Breeze is a nationally known and recognized vinyl/screen window system. The vinyl is not only very clear but also exceptionally strong. You can hit it with a bat, throw a ball at it, or your favorite oversized dog can try to run through it and the vinyl will hold firm.

Another great thing about this window system is that it’s customized. The windows are custom sized to your exact configuration. So regardless of who originally built your porch or what size your window frames are, your Eze-Breeze windows will be sized to fit exactly. If the word “custom” makes it sound like you’ll wait a long time for it, think again. With most Eze-Breeze projects the vinyl window system can be installed within 3 weeks.

If you are considering adding a porch or converting your your Macon/Warner Robins area porch, give us a call for a free consultation. We look forward to your call.

Stephen Denton
Owner, Archadeck of Central GA

Call: (478) 745 – 2000

Email: centralgeorgia@archadeck.net

Visit the screened porch photo gallery on our website for more great design inspiration.

Archadeck of Central GA

Category Archives: Porch builder/contractor

What a different a porch makes – A new porch and deck in historic Macon GA

The second time is a charm for this Macon GA screened porch and deck

Could there be anything better than a wrap around porch for your Central GA area home?

Blissful Macon outdoor living

Take a look at this historic Macon home screened porch addition

Can you turn your deck into a porch? Can you turn your screened porch into a 3-season room? Archadeck of Central GA explains how.

A porch for all seasons for your Macon Warner Robins area home

With teenagers, making family dinner meaningful might seem impossible. These Macon homeowners found a way.

The 4 things you didn’t know about Eze-Breeze® vinyl windows

Going from screen to windows in your Central GA porch could be a breeze!

Macon Warner Robins Decks, Patios, Porches, Pergolas, Gazebos and more