A front porch, as I talked about in yesterday’s blog, is an essential element of a truly inviting home. A screened-in porch also adds tremendous appeal. Screens did not become widely available until the 1880’s, when they began to be used for enclosing porches. The enclosed veranda, as it was often called in the south, could be on the front, back, or sides of a house. The second story porches, known as balconies, usually led out from a bedroom and could be screened in as well. The screened-in porch was also referred to as a sleeping room since it provided a cool place to spend the night before the arrival of air conditioning. The main advantage of a screened-in porch was to allow enjoyment of the outdoors without the irritation of biting insects. It also gave one protection from the breezes that might otherwise carry away things like napkins and writing tablets.
The screened-in porch is a more common sight on the east coast and in the south. Here in the midwest, they are seldom seen; although I have been outdoors many an evening when my body became a banquet for the mosquitoes. I have never been to the west coast so I am unable to remark on the architecture there. I spend a lot of time outdoors, so a screened porch is another vital element to a home of my choosing. I had a screened-in porch when I began Swan Sanctuary, where I could sit and look out over the pond. It was the perfect place to observe the visiting wildlife, like green herons, kingfishers, turkey vultures, and of course, the swans. My bird feeders were located halfway between the pond and the house where I also had a ground level birdbath. At dusk I would watch a skunk make her way across the yard, stopping to hydrate herself before ambling towards my neighbor’s property. A porch that has been screened in is the next best thing to a blind whenever you want to observe birds or other wildlife. Prior to moving into my home, I was cleaning off the outdoor wicker loveseat, when I found a cocoon attached to the underside of the arm. I placed the cocoon in a box with a branch and leaf litter. When I moved into my new home, I set it out on the screened-in porch. On a pleasant evening the following spring, a beautiful cecropia moth emerged and began flying about. I carefully caught it in a butterfly net and released it into the night.
It is a popular practise here in the midwest to build homes with multi-level decks. In most cases they have no roof, no protection of any kind from the elements. The intensity of the sun deteriorates them quickly if they are not maintained. I have never been able to see the allure of a deck. I will take a screened porch with a roof (and possibly a skylight) over a deck any day!
