Back Porch Adventures

About 2-3 years ago, my wife and I decided to close in our back deck and turn it into a screened in porch.  We were hesitant of the expense of it all and had postponed our decision for years...  actually, I was the one that wanted to do this, but would not move forward unless my wife agreed as well.

My original plans was to have a glassed-in back porch but that turned out to be cost prohibitive, so we settled for a screened-in back porch instead.  The roof for the back porch was slanted into the existing roof rather than building an "A" frame to match the existing roof since it saved us a "ton" of money.

Obviously, our screened-in back porch gets little use during the 2-3 months of cold weather that we have here in the Valley but from April through December, it is used by me quite extensively...  My wife goes out to our deck and sits under a gazebo most of the day when the weather is warm enough to do so.

My usage of the screened-in back porch is limited when the humidity is high or when rain comes in at an angle, otherwise I am out there often...  which in my opinion justifies the spending of the money.

From my perch, I can see the front and back yards of our neighbors directly behind us sitting on either side of the road that divides them.  Six houses are easily seen but are a good hundred yards away which is not the case of the two neighbors on either side of us.  There is a road and an open field on the front side but no neighbors will ever build in front of us.

None of our neighbors spend time outside unless it is to mow their yards or let their dogs back into the house...  even when the weather is warm or hot and humid, they remain inside their homes with the air on as I do...  

Our neighborhood is a great place to live and is especially enjoyable for retirees who have no desire to listen to a bunch of noise from people and children playing outside as if they were in a park.