How Much Does It Cost To Install A Screen Around Your Porch?

A screened-in porch is an amenity some homeowners — especially in certain parts of the United States — may choose to incorporate into the footprint of their property. Instead of a section of outdoor living space that's constantly battered by the sun's UV rays, the rain, and even snow or sleet if your area experiences it, utilizing a screened-in porch will allow you to enjoy the outdoors no matter what the weather is like beyond this protected space.

In addition to the comfort value that a screened porch can provide, Design Builders Inc. reports this installation also typically nets a 75% return on investment for homeowners. This means that a homeowner who takes on this home improvement project can more than likely get their investment back if they decide to sell their home in the future.

Even with these benefits understood, there remains the question of how much it might cost to build a screen around an existing porch, or even perhaps the cost to build a porch from scratch and incorporate a screen at the outset. Here, we take a closer look at both these porch options and the comparative costs.

The Home Depot notes that homeowners with a DIY spirit can build a screen around their porch without the help of a professional. After all, this fixture is essentially a mesh wall that will circumnavigate the exterior perimeter of this section of the home.

HomeLight reports that the average screened-in porch will cost $2,400 for materials and labor (broken down as $3 to $5 per square foot for supplies and roughly $2 per square foot for labor costs). This means you can cut away nearly half of the expense in some cases by building a screened-in porch on your own.

Still, there's a lot of planning and material purchasing involved in this endeavor. Also, depending on your local regulations, you may need to apply for permits to conduct this home upgrade and so checking with your local authority is always an essential step.

Permit requirements will also raise the cost of the total project if you need one. Angi notes that the average permit costs $1,418, but for smaller jobs (like the installation of a porch screen), this is likely to fall on the lower end of the range (typically as low as $442, per the site).

It's also important to remember that you'll need to install a screen door to maintain access to this part of the property or to leave your home if the porch is attached via the front door.

If you're building a screened porch from scratch, then all of the same building costs will apply, alongside the price of the porch itself. According to Decks.com, a typical front porch measuring 200 square feet can range anywhere between $4,600 and $22,000 to build. This gulf might seem substantial, but these high- and low-end figures are based primarily on the volume of upgraded materials and added features that you choose to either include or forgo in the overall building process.

It's likely you'll need to pour a foundation before building any type of porch. You might consider a monolithic slab or a pier and beam foundation that will cost slightly less. You'll then need to consider the flooring elements that you and your loved ones will walk on every day. Decking for a porch can be made with virtually any variety of lumber, with hardwoods costing more than standard dimensional lumber that you'd find at a local hardware store or a lumberyard. There are certain benefits to either avenue and selecting the appropriate approach for your home and renovation needs will be an entirely personal choice.

Once the deck has been constructed, you can start building the screened addition that will provide protection from mosquitoes and the enhanced outdoor lifestyle experience that you're looking for in this part of the home.