Outdoor Living Trends - Most Requested Outdoor Living Features

Top 5 Most Requested Screen Porch Ideas

Raleigh new home outdoor living spaces are growing in popularity - see what special details can make your custom screen porch or rear patio stand out.

Outdoor Living Spaces Photo Gallery: Porches, Decks, Screen Rooms.

Find out more about beadboard ceilings, stamped concrete, and designer selections that make the "most requested" list for Raleigh custom homes!

This Raleigh custom home screen porch includes:

- Beadboard Ceiling Treatment

- Stamped Concrete

- Lantern Style Ceiling Fan

- Stained Hardwood Railings

- French Doors from Great Room

What is beadboard, and what does it add to your outdoor living space?

Beadboard is a ceiling treatment that gives a routed design to previously flat panels or flat wood coverings.

Beadboard is sometimes referred to as a "tongue and groove" treatment.

Beadboard can be made of wooden planks, beadboard panels (as in this example), or even vinyl.

Beadboard ceiling treatments give a your new home a more classic (and expensive) look and feel, without paying too much.

What is stamped concrete, and could it be a good choice for your new home porch or patio?

Stamped concrete is created by pouring slab concrete into a walkway, patio, or porch, and imprinting a pattern, texture, and/or color.

The stamp duplicates different surfaces, such as cobblestones, brick, wood, seashells, and others.

This technique offers homebuyers a durable, realistic, and easy to clean alternative to pavers or natural stone.

What other designer selections were included in this custom screen porch?

The ceiling fan in this screen porch is a lantern style in a deep bronze finish.

The railing and posts are made of weather treated Northern hardwood, stained in a natural brown that blends perfectly with the brick exterior.

French doors lead outside from the great room.

Looking for a custom home with a terrific outdoor living area? Stanton Homes on staff designers will work with you to create just what you have in mind - and give you suggestions on how to meet your budget, too!

Want more outdoor living ideas for your Raleigh new home?

Top 5 Outdoor Living Features - Raleigh, NC New Homes

Custom home rear porch and screen porch styles and ideas

Learn more about Beadboard Ceiling Treatments

New Home Front Porch Style Ideas

Concrete or Wood Front Porches | Which is Better?

"Chapel Hill home builders seem to install both concrete and wood front porches and decks. Which is better?"

As a Chapel Hill area custom home builder, we are asked many different questions, like this one: "Should we ask our new home builder for concrete or wood front porches and decks?"

See which you like better in these photos of porches, decks, and screen rooms.

Chapel Hill home builders, like others in the Raleigh-Durham region, use a variety of materials for front porches and decks. Chapel Hill Home Builders | Concrete Front Porch

Most entry level homes are built with slab foundations and ground level concrete porchs.

Mid-level homes are usually built with a crawl space foundation in place of a slab, with the entry to the home several steps up.

Some have concrete porches with brick steps (pictured here), and some have deck porches with wood steps.

What’s the best approach?

When you ask a Chapel Hill home builder to create your new home, they will usually leave those kinds of choices up to you. What do you think looks and feels best? That’s what you should go with – as long as the terrain and home design accommodate your choice.

Here are some things to consider:

Concrete Front Porches

- Don't need to be repainted

- Don't peel

- Don't lose water protection over time

- Are easy to clean

- Hold up better under foot traffic from high heels, sports shoes, kids and pets

Wood (Deck) Front Porches

- Can be painted or stained with a variety of colors

- Need to be repainted or resealed over time

- Can collect debris in the cracks between boards, inhibiting water run-off.

- Require more upkeep

- Can be more costly, depending on the size and height

- Can add personality through color and accents

From an aesthetic point of view, wood or concrete is a matter of taste and preference. Both can be very appealing, and can really add to or change the look of a new home.

What’s the difference in cost?

Depending on height and ground conditions, the cost may be about the same for a treated wood front porch or a concrete front porch.

If the front porch is several steps above ground, a concrete porch may require at least some amount of backfill and compacting to support the concrete, which can add to the cost. Of course the cost for concrete can also increase if a "stamped" version is requested.

Ask your Chapel Hill home builder what type of front porch they build on standard homes. Let them know the lot and floor plan you're considering, and they should be able to tell you what your options are, based on porch size, type of foundation, slope of land – and, of course, your budget.

Learn More About Chapel Hill Home Builders and Building Your New Home in the Chapel Hill Area

Contact Stanton Homes at 919-278-8070 or see our online calendar for our next "Meet the Builder" event, and bring us all your custom home building questions.