While many homeowners believe that major transformations have to occur in order to make a space feel more inviting and offer a higher return on investment (ROI) when they go to sell, that is simply not the case. Smaller, thoughtful changes to any space, especially an outdoor screened porch space, can truly make all the difference for both general homeowner satisfaction as well as a higher ROI. Continue reading for some of our favorite minor changes that majorly transform any outdoor space.

LIGHTING

Whether you’re looking to change up your functional lighting, exterior lighting, or decorative lighting, all will make a transformational difference to your outdoor living space. Functional and exterior lighting additions are typically more costly and time-consuming to commit to than decorative lighting. Decorative lighting is often the cheapest option and easy to swap out frequently. Below are some of our favorite lighting options within each of the three categories:

• Functional Lighting

• Ceiling Can Lights

• Ceiling Fans With Adjoined Lighting Fixtures

• Ceiling Track Lights

• Exterior Lighting

• Foot Path Lights

• Plant Lights

• Floating Pond & Pool Lights

• Decorative Lighting

• Table & Floor Lamps

• Draped String Lights

• Lanterns

SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY

The addition of smart home technology to make your outdoor space more convenient and user-friendly can dramatically transform your screened porch. While this option tends to be the most expensive out of all minor change recommendations, it can also be the most impactful to home ROI. Smart home technological additions can vary from dimmable light switches to outdoor televisions to outdoor speaker systems and more. Below are some of our favorite technological additions that could be added to your outdoor space:

• Electricity & Outlets

  If your screened porch doesn’t have electricity out to it yet, be sure to make the investment! Having electricity within your screened porch can make the entire space feel luxurious, and can typically be done cheaply.

• Can Lights & Dimmable Switches

  Can lights are great lighting solutions for smart home screened spaces because many have the technological capacity to dim based upon the wall switches that are purchased. These can be installed and programmed with fairly little cost.

• Televisions

  Outdoor televisions are just one way to make an outdoor living space feel like a true extension of your home. They add an extra layer of comfort and relaxation into the overall space, and can be done for reasonable expense.

• Surround Sound Systems

  The addition of speakers and/or surround sound systems can greatly enhance your outdoor space - but it will cost you. These additions can create the ideal space for hosting guests and having parties, but are certainly not for everyone.

• Built-In Fireplaces

  Built-in fireplaces, especially electric ones, can truly add the feel of luxury and comfort to your screened space. These are by far the most costly additions to make to your outdoor space, but they are mood-builders.

PLANTS

Plants are the solution to many home problems. Need more oxygen and cleaner air? Plants. Need something interesting to add to the corner? Plants. Need something to hang from the wall? Plants. We always recommend adding plants to your screened porch, because they can really tie an entire space together. Plus, as aforementioned, plants help clean the air and create more oxygen, so the addition of plants into a screened space is an all-around win. Below are some of our favorite screened porch plant additions:

• Pothos

  These plants are incredibly easy to grow and are very low maintenance. Additionally, due to their vining, they can work well as a floor plant or a wall plant.

• Ferns

  These plants are fairly low maintenance and look fantastic as corner accents in screened porches. While they typically work best as floor plants, there are a few variations that can be hung from the ceiling or on the wall. 

• Aloe Vera

  These plants require a bit a regular maintenance but they offer health benefits and usable ‘fruits,’ so to speak (i.e. - their internal aloe gel). These plants work best as tabletop accents, but can get large enough to become floor pieces.

• Colocasia

  These plants are also known as ‘Elephant-Ears,’ and they require regular water and sunlight. They are large, flopsy floor pieces that look great no matter where you place them.

• Succulents

  These plants require virtually no maintenance, depending on the variations that you purchase. They are easy and can be great tabletop and wall pieces. 

CUSHIONS & PILLOWS

The addition or alteration of the soft, pillowy surfaces within your screened porch can both change your enjoyment and comfort. Fortunately, pillows and seat cushions can be quite affordable if you wait until ‘off’ seasons to purchase them. Additionally, by changing the soft surfaces in your screened space frequently, it allows you to reduce dust/debris build-up and keep things seasonally-updated.

DECORATIONS

This may seem cliche, but simply changing the decorations, be they on the floor, the table, the wall, or the ceiling, can dramatically affect the overall feel and enjoyment of your screened porch space. We have other blog pieces that provide decorative ideas based upon seasonality, so we won’t dwell too much on this point, but we encourage frequent and intentional changes to decorations in order to make the space feel new, unique, and comforting.

Have you used any of these minor changes to transform your outdoor living space? Message us on social media or use our hashtags for your chance to be featured next!