Is a Porch or Deck Better for My Home?

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy” goes the old Gershwin song. And it is when you’re sitting on your porch or deck, relaxing with a cool beverage in one hand and a good book in the other.

Western New York’s Ivy Lea Construction can help you expand your outdoor space and add value to your home by adding or improving a porch or deck.

Though people use the two terms interchangeably (just like condo and townhouse), a porch and a deck are two different  Decksthings.

The major difference? Porches are covered. They often feel like and function as an outdoor room, enclosed with screens or windows to keep the bugs out. Covered with a roof, a porch keeps the rain off of people, whereas a deck doesn’t have that kind of protection from the elements.

A deck is like a stage. It can be attached to a home on the ground floor or jutting out from an upper floor. Decks can also be put around above ground pools. Sure, you can add a table with an umbrella to a deck to get out of the sun or rain, but in general decks are uncovered and tend to be used in fair weather only.

If your home is feeling cramped, consider adding a porch, which functions as an indoor/outdoor room where you can store some stuff like bicycles or children’s plastic toys. Porches work well as play rooms for people with little kids. For older folks, screened porches become a nice place to relax outdoors without getting bit by mosquitoes or pestered by bees and wasps. Porches also function as a place to get out of the rain but still be outside.

Decks are great for laying out and getting a good tan. They’re “close to nature” without being too close– in other words, you’re not in the dirt– you’re on a deck. Decks are also ideal for summer cookouts. Get some steaks from Wegmans and fire up the grill for a delicious dinner on the back deck this summer. Some people’s decks even include outdoor kitchens.

Now’s a great time to have porch or deck work done by Ivy Lea Construction; call 716-875-8654 to discuss options today.