If you've ever lived in southwest Fort Wayne, you know exactly what a summer evening feels like out here. The air feels like a warm blanket in the best of ways, and the fireflies flicker in the darkness. You just want to be outside. But, of course, it seems like every mosquito in Allen county is waiting for you to do just that.
When working on a deck design, homeowners often face a tradeoff. Open deck for grilling and entertaining? Or screened porch so you can sit outside after 7 PM without getting eaten alive?
These homeowners didn't want to have to choose. So they came to Archadeck of Fort Wayne and said they wanted both. And they wanted it to look like one cohesive structure and not two separate ones jammed together.
That kind of project is right what we specialize in. And as a Fort Wayne deck builder who does combination projects like this regularly, we were glad to design it for them.
What This Fort Wayne Deck Design Company Put Together
As you walk up to the house, the first thing you’ll notice is the decking. It’s made from TimberTech Advance PVC in Slate Gray in a warm neutral color. That means it won’t show every muddy footprint the way lighter colors do. This matters more than people think when you've got kids or dogs tracking through.
There are also no wood fibers in its core—it’s PVC all the way through. So it won’t grow mold when exposed to moisture. Anybody who's watched snow sit on an Indiana deck from Thanksgiving to St. Patrick's Day knows why you'd want that.
The stairs are wonderfully wide. This sounds like a small detail, but a generous staircase changes how the whole deck greets you. Narrow stairs feel like a side entrance, but these are wide and sweeping, which invite you to climb on up and make yourself at home.
Westbury Tuscany railings run along the perimeter in a stately dark bronze, imparting a classic look that fits the house. Meanwhile, lattice skirting underneath keeps critters out while letting air move through so the framing stays dry.
The Screened Porch
As you set foot through the screen door, you’ll find you're at the same level as the open deck. In fact, the same railing runs through, making the transition subtler. It doesn’t feel like you’re entering a separate room. It just feels like the deck became more serene.
Then you look up and you see the ceiling with vaulted tongue-and-groove in natural wood. We find this makes the screened porch. The pitch opens the space up in a way a flat ceiling never could. There's a ceiling fan turning lazy circles at the peak for those still July evenings when the air just hangs. Without that ceiling, you've got a nice screened porch. With it, you've got a room where people linger for hours.
At eye level, the screen panels are framed in the same dark bronze as the railings, creating continuity throughout.
How This Fort Wayne Outdoor Living Builder Made It All Feel Like One Space
The decks and the porches we build don't have to look like two different people designed them. Every material decision here was made thinking about both zones at once. The Tuscany railing goes from the open deck right through the porch without stopping. The lattice wraps the whole structure. The Slate Gray decking runs straight across the threshold.
This didn’t happen by accident. It was designed from day one after the necessary, but easy to miss conversation, we had with the homeowner. The one that starts with "how do you want to use this space?"
Thinking about upgrading your outdoor space? Check out our complimentary design guide for some design ideas. And if you’re ready to proceed, it would be our distinct pleasure to meet with you for a no-obligation complimentary design consultation. Call Craig Whitman and his team at 855-931-4746, or click here to connect with us.
