Pergola or Porch?

Would like to have opinions please. We have an area in back of the house that's not right by the pool....it's outside of the fence and arbor and it's a nice level area right by one of the flowerbeds. It faces north (the back of the house faces north), but would get sun from the west during the late afternoon.

For a couple of years now, we've been talking about building something out back of the house. I would dearly love to have a screened-in porch/room, not only because of bugs (not fond of bugs ), but I also think the cats would love to spend time with us there. DH is looking more at building a pergola. It's easier to build and not as expensive. I don't think I'd really be happy with a pergola. For one thing, you don't get the shade from a pergola and when it rains, well, you're still going to get wet.

Keep in mind that I love to entertain. I love having people in for dinner and I think we'd enjoy having suppers in the room instead of staying in the house all the time. I'm looking for something with a bricked floor, a structure with good screening (b/c of the cats and I like the idea of putting a few wide and well-padded shelves along the sides of the structure for them to be comfortable; the shelves have to be wide enough for kitty butts!), a fan in the ceiling, etc. Nothing real fancy, nothing huge, big enough for a nice table and chairs, maybe a couple of lounge chairs as well, perfect for flopping down with a book. Just a nice, comfortable place to spend some time in the summer. Strictly a summer-type room, not all-season. And we'd do the work ourselves.

Either way, we'd landscape around it to try to make it look nice.

We have a wooden picnic table that is under the trees and we've been finding ourselves having suppers outside now. And when the tiki bar (remember the tiki bar?) is moved into the pool area later on this summer, we'll be able to sit there with supper, too. We have to move the pool fence to make room for the bar, clean the area out and remove the plants and shrubs to another location, then brick the floor. Then we can bring the tiki bar inside the fence.

Which do you think you would use more often? A pergola or a screened-in structure? Or nothing?

Having had both (we have a pergola at this house), I'd say you'd get a lot more use out of a screened-in porch, especially with cats who'd be able to use it more or less at will in the summer. Carrying things like food out to a porch is a lot easier, you'd more readily have electricity there, and its roof would serve to keep your downstairs cooler in the summer. DH would say it's easier to mow the lawn with a porch than a pergola.

Is your idea of a porch something like this?

http://www.summergardenbuildings.co....se-240923.html

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

Is your idea of a porch something like this?

http://www.summergardenbuildings.co....se-240923.html

Click to expand...

You might call a porch a veranda or even deck, Susan. In PA people say porch.

As in a balcony?

How about this?

http://www.nationwideltd.co.uk/glass...FZV25Qodo001Lw

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

As in a balcony?

Click to expand...

No - here are some images
Some porches are open, others screened in.

Right, i'm with you. My porch at the front of the house is screened in

Thanks for the links! I never thought to check for images for porches.

Something like this one is what I'm thinking: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CEMQ9QEwAQ

But a little simpler so that we could do the work ourselves. With kitty shelves. And yes, electricity, so that we could have a ceiling fan and be able to use some lighting. Perhaps a small fridge plugged in for drinks and such. I really think a screened room would be more useful.

That's very similar to my conservatory, but l just have a door and a couple of windows to open

http://www.selftrading.co.uk/self-bu...s-conservatory

Out here, we call them Arizona rooms.

I had to google what a Pergola was and I would vote for the screened in porch. Much better for the kitties.

I believe you would get more use out of a screened in porch.

Thanks! I'm sure a porch would be better overall, too. But I need to convince the DH! (I know that, once it's finished and we're using it, he'll be pleased. But it's trying to convince him to see it that way. )

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

That's very similar to my conservatory, but l just have a door and a couple of windows to open

http://www.selftrading.co.uk/self-bu...s-conservatory

Click to expand...

Nice, Susan! That looks so nice! You know, when you talked about a conservatory, I always thought you were talking about a greenhouse and I thought that was really cool!

Originally Posted by Winchester

Nice, Susan! That looks so nice! You know, when you talked about a conservatory, I always thought you were talking about a greenhouse and I thought that was really cool!

Click to expand...

In the summer it might as well be because it gets so hot in there. Last week it hit 90 and the summer is just starting The kids love being in there though when it's warm, especially Sophie. l spend most of my days and nights in there if i'm not watching t.v. because it's lovely and light

I would choose a porch!! Because you could enclose it if you decided.

Susan, that is very nice! I would love something like that and I am sure my cats would love it too.

I vote for porch too. I always loved sitting out on my Grandpa's! Plus you know how I am with plants now... The screened in porch would be nice for eating outside. Plus if it's something you have electricity run to and install an outdoor ceiling fan it would be nice and comfy and also help keep bugs away from it!

My Grandpa's porch backs to his garage and then another 1 1/2 sides are enclosed with lattice. In the winters he used to put a heavy plastic over those sides and store his firewood there.

The pergola would be a lot easier to build (I've built a couple myself) and one advantage to them is that you can easily step out into the yard, rather than going thru a door to get out. My DH would rather have a pergola because he's an outdoor person - he gets antsy behind screens. We're going to build something ourselves this year. We've talked about building a gazebo, which has a covered roof to stay out of the rain. The thought of building a full roof structure has me a bit intimidated, so I suspect we'll build a pergola.

But from what you've described, it sounds like you will get a lot more use out of a porch than a pergola. They have ceiling fans rated for the outdoors that are absolutely wonderful on a hot day.