DIY Network

Blog Cabin: Screened Porch and Natural Branch Railing It's "A Tale of Two Porches" as DIY's Blog Cabin gets a southern style screened-in back porch and a rustic porch railing made of native Rhododendron branches. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-111

Come around back. Sit a spell. Rockers on the Blog Cabin back porch.

Porches are the focus in this episode, and Jason Cameron, host of DIY's Desperate Landscapes heads up to the mountain to help the team finish off both cabin porches.

First on the list is screening in the back porch, which is something DIY's bloggers specifically asked for. Ceiling fans are also installed on the back porch for those humid summer days.

Next, the team moves to the front porch and creates a unique railing with branches from native Rhododendron.

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	The finished screened porch
	Custom wood frames were assembled, screened and individually installed to enclose the porch with screen.

Project 1: Screened Back Porch

Tools:

reciprocating saw
table saw
utility stapler
nail gun
hammer

Materials:

3 inch nails
screws
rip-resistant screen on a roll
2x4s
construction adhesive

For this project we used two different methods to screen the porch: one to screen the bottom part of the railings and posts, and another method for screening above the upper railing. Summaries for the steps in each are outlined below.\

Screening in an Existing Porch: Bottom Railing

This was accomplished from inside the deck by just positioning the screen material over on the exterior of the railing.

1. Roll the screen out over the areas of the railing you want to cover.

• Note: Screen on a role can be purchased at any hardware store. This project uses 4-foot height roll.

2. As you roll the screen out to cover the posts, pull the screen taut and staple or tack the screen onto both the lowest exterior part of the porch floor, and onto the exterior upper horizontal rails as you go across until you get to the corners.

3. At the corners, top, and bottom of the post and rails, trim the excess screen with utility knife. Continue across each of the two remaining lower sides of the porch.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

4. After the rough screen is affixed to the railing and the excess has been trimmed off, cover the rough edges of the screen with wood trim strips.

• Note: On this project, we measured and cut 3/4" strips to cover up the cut edges of the screen. Our 3/4" strips come from "ripping" down 2x4s on the table saw. You can get about 5 strips per each 2x4 and this is much cheaper than purchasing the strips individually

Screening in an Existing Porch: Top Railing

In order to avoid having to build scaffolding or having to deal with climbing all around dangerous heights, we devised another method for screening the top part of the porch; building individually screened frames and installing them above the railings.

1. Add support to the porch railings. In this project we affixed two 2x4s together as one large post. After measuring for placement (figure A) and checking for level (figure B) screwed them into the ceiling of the porch, and to the lower railing for extra reinforcement (figure C).

2. Make frame pieces. Measure the areas to frame in and cut out eight pieces for each frame.

3. Assemble four of the pieces to make the front of the frame; the back will be the other four pieces. Both front and back are identical. Attach the pieces using construction adhesive and screws (figures D and E).

Figure D

Figure E

	Figure F
	Figure G

4. Pull the screen tautly across one side of the front of the frame, staple it onto each surface of the wood (figure F), and cut any excess screen.

5. Put the back frame piece onto the other side, and nail the back of the frame to the front of the frame. The screen should be between the two.

6. Continue the process for however many frames you need to screen in the remaining space on your porch.

7. Dry fit your framed screens into the spaces to ensure they fit. Using 3-inch screws, screw the frames into existing railings, posts and supports (figure G).

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