With a little help, you can probably screen a porch in one day. Most such jobs cost less than $600. The instructions listed below are intended for screening an area under an existing room. You may need to modify the instructions depending on the structure under which you're creating the screened porch. For easier installation, you may want to build your porch so that the room supports are outside the porch walls. Consult a licensed building contractor if you have questions. Materials:
miter saw
handsaw or reciprocating saw
drill with assorted bits
power nailer or masonry drill bit and lead anchors
hammer or pneumatic nailer
tape measure
carpenter's square
level
chalk line
pressure-treated 2" x 4" lumber
2" x 4" boards, 2" x 2" boards and lath material
primer, paint, brushes and masking tape
rip-resistant screen
screen-door kit, including hinges, latches and a rubber door sweep
safety glasses
- Create a sill plate by laying out the bottom 2" by 4" boards. Use pressure-treated lumber.
- Make sure the sill plate is square. The easiest way to check is with a framing square, but uneven bricks or mortar on the house may make this difficult. If you know the room overhead is square, you can extend its measurements with a plumb bob: hang the plumb bob from the corners of the room, and transfer the measurements to the floor of the porch. You can also check for square by using the 3-4-5 rule. From the corner, measure and mark 4' along one side and 3' along the other. The distance between the two marks should be exactly 5'.
- Fasten the sill plate to the concrete floor (figure A). Make sure the corners are fastened securely. If you use lag bolts and concrete anchors, you'll drill into the concrete and insert a lead or plastic anchor. Screw the lag bolts into the anchors to secure the sill plate. Or fasten the sill plate with a power nailer, which uses blank rifle cartridges to drive nails into the concrete slab. Power nailers are very loud, so you must wear hearing protection and safety goggles. Do not use nails or lag bolts in any planned doorways: you'll remove the sill plate from those areas.
- Attach a layer of untreated wood on top of the sill plate (figure B). This permits you to place decorative trim around the base of the interior wall and provides added protection to the screen.
- Install the top plate. Stand a stud on top of the sill plate against the wall, check for plumb, and temporarily fasten it in place. Place a board for the top plate against the ceiling, using the upright stud to support one end. Use another stud to support the other end of the board, check for plumb, and then mark the location for the top plate. Repeat this process around the perimeter of the porch, and nail the top plate to the ceiling.
- Use a reciprocating saw or a handsaw to remove the sill plate from any doorways.
- Install wall studs for the porch. The spacing will depend on the width of the screen. Most screens come in 3' widths, so you'll probably need to set the studs on 3' centers. Check the width of the screen before placing the studs. For door frames, place two studs on each side of the door. One stud will be used for attaching the screen, and the other will be used for the hinges.
- Install the top rail, balusters and the door frame.
- Use a level and a chalk line to mark a level line on the wall studs approximately 32" from the floor (figure C).
- Cut 2" by 4" boards to length, and install them horizontally between the studs to create a top rail (figure D). You may want to start toenailing screws or nails into the ends of the boards before positioning them between the studs.
- Cut balusters from 2" by 2" boards at the lengths necessary to fit between the top rail and the sill plate. You may need to cut the pickets at different lengths to compensate for differences in slope.
- Position the pickets so they're evenly spaced and flush with the outside wall. Secure them with eight-penny finish nails (figure E). A pneumatic nailer can speed up your installation.
- Frame the door area, and install a doorstop around the top and sides (figure F). The rounded edge of the doorstop should face inside the porch.
- Prime and paint the porch frame and screen door. When priming the screen door, use masking tape to prevent primer from getting on the screen.
- Apply the screen. Rip-resistant screening is available in aluminum, fiberglass, nylon and vinyl. Cut the material to length, and staple one side of the screen to the wall studs (figure G). Stretch the material taut, and staple it to the other stud.
- Install lath to cover the seams of the screen. Cut the lath to length, then prime and paint the pieces. Install the top horizontal pieces first, followed by the bottom and picket rail pieces. Finish by installing the vertical pieces (figure H).
- Hang the screen doors. Place a scrap piece of lath under the door so there's a 1/4" gap between the slab and the bottom of the door (figure I). Attach the door to the wall stud with hinges. Install a rubber sweep on the bottom of the door to prevent insects from entering the porch. Install any remaining hooks, latches, springs and hardware.
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