When we moved to Lake Norman from Southern California in 2005 the last thing on our list of priorities in our home search was a screened porch. (Other than sleeping porches in some historic estates, one just doesn’t see screened porches in California). Our new home in Lake Norman had a small rear deck just large enough for a barbecue and a small table. Over the years as we got more acclimated to our new life in Lake Norman, my husband and I started planning an expansion to our existing porch and then threw in an addition of a screened porch off of our breakfast room.
As you can see from the photos above and below, we finally completed our porch project early this spring.
While we knew we would enjoy it, we had no idea that our screened porch would literally change our lives! We try to spend several hours in the evenings every day just relaxing and enjoying the peaceful tranquility that epitomizes life in Lake Norman.
If you are planning to build a screened porch, I highly recommend that you add skylights as screened porches can sometimes be dark and tend to take away light from the adjacent room in your home. We used a stunning wood called Ipe which is known for its durability and beauty.
An unexpected result of our time out in our screened porch has been watching the wonderful wildlife that is so abundant in Lake Norman. Since creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat Garden we have a constant source of natural entertainment. From Blue Birds nesting in our bird houses to ducks, bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks and a profusion of birds visiting our many feeders and fountains, our time spent on our porch is truly a nature lovers paradise!
If you are considering a move to Lake Norman, I highly recommend that you look for a home that either has a screened porch or has the potential to add one. You won’t regret it!
Here are some additional photos:
As you can see, we went for a Hawaiian theme to remind my husband of his surfing days years ago!
Four skylights and a raised ceiling add quite a bit of natural light.
It is easy to create a Certified Wildlife Habitat garden. To learn more: National Wildlife Federation.
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2 Comments
Im from California as well! Thinking about moving to Lake Norman,are you and your family loving it there?
David, We are definitely loving it here! If you come for a visit let me know and I’ll give you a tour. If you read my blog I have tried to write about what life is like here compared to other areas in the country and why we love it.