Here are some updates on the addition we are building in Beltsville. We have taken pictures throughout the project to give you a step by step walkthrough of the process of replacing this screen porch with a two story addition.

Here you can see as construction begins, the old screen porch beginning to come down, and the first wall of the addition being raised.

With the screen room removed, you can see where the two story addition will sit. The wall with the half-round window will be completely removed, to allow full access into the new room on the first floor, while on the second story, the triple window will be made into a doorway to allow access from the master bedroom. Now the addition is framed, without making any openings in the existing house:

Here is a shot from inside the framed addition of the wall to come down:

Here is the same wall from inside the existing house. The addition is now insulated, with all the electric, plumbing, and fire sprinklers installed, so we are ready to begin tearing out the wall to allow access to the addition.

The first step is to build a temporary plastic wall so any dust and debris we create during demolition remains in the new addition, and out of the house, here is a look at the completed wall:

Here is a shot of the wall coming down, from inside the addition. The temporary wall studs also act as temporary support for the second floor and roof above; as we remove the load bearing wall that previously supported them.

Here is a look at the wall after it is removed, and an engineered lumber beam has been set in its place to carry the loads of the house. There is now an 18’ wide opening connecting the addition to the house, to allow for a prefect and usable merger of old and new spaces.

Now a little drywall, trim and paint, and we have the finished product:

Here is another shot of the opening from inside the existing house:

And a view of the new addition space alone:

Finally, here is a shot of the exterior complete:

Keep checking back in for more updates on different projects, and remember if you’re looking for a deck builder, screen porch builder, or if your thinking of adding an addition to your home, call McWhorter Outdoor Living today to set up your free in home design consultation today.

Follow us from concept to completion to see how our process works.

Thinking about building an addition to your home? There is no substitute for accurate, detailed plans. At McWhorter Outdoor Living, our 3D design software makes building your new addition easy – you can actually see the physical space with real textures, lighting, etc. Check out our design process below to get some inspiration for your own space!

Here are some original sketches of our Beltsville Addition project. Before the first nail is driven we can tweak window locations and room sizes to show you what the addition will look like on your house.

Here is a 3D rendering of this 2-story addition on this homeowner’s house. This is a great tool to show how the addition will affect the overall look of the back of the house.

Here you can see a prospective view of the first floor walls, including the addition. The homeowner can really get an idea of the space that the new addition will create.

Keep following us for more updates on this project and see how the design translates to from the jobsite to final construction of the addition.

We’ve been busy these past few months! Check out our progress as we build a cedar screen room using part the frame of the homeowners original deck.

This particular project features a screened-in porch and a curved patio with a unique arched bench. Also, in the before and after photos above you will notice the staircase location to the deck has been relocated to make better use of the backyard space.

In the images below, you will see the original deck design as well as an image of the deck frame after the decking was removed.

Once the decking was removed, we extended the surface area of the new deck to bring it up to code and to make room for the new screen room.

Below are some images of the new completed screen room and deck with brand new decking and handrails.

Also, check out this shot from inside the new screen porch. Notice the removable aluminum framed screen panels, textured plywood ceiling with exposed rafters and the new ceiling fan/light.

Here is a detailed shot of the curved bench on the new deck.

And lastly, here is the view of the screened porch. Notice the roof lines and room location were designed to mirror the bump out on the front of the house, so the screen room looks like part of the original plans for the house.

Ready to redo your backyard? Check out our photo gallery for more images and design inspiration for your screen room or patio and give McWhorter Outdoor Living a call at (410) 984-5813 to setup your FREE estimate.

1. Any addition, deck, etc. can be built at any time of the year, in any temperature
2. It’s our offseason! You can take advantage of less crowded schedules to get a better price without the
wait
3. Get the extra living space before the holidays to enjoy with family and friends
4. Your new space will be ready and waiting when the spring weather gets here, no waiting
5. Get this year’s pricing! Manufacturer’s price increases always come in spring during the height of the
season; avoid the extra 10% cost

As most everyone is aware by now, there have been wood alternatives available for decking and outdoor projects for some time now. What can be confusing however is the overwhelming number of different brands and products that are available today. As a professional deck builder, McWhorter Outdoor Living has been here for all the changes, and worked with all the materials out there, and would like to share some of our opinions with homeowners trying to make sense of what is available in the low-maintenance decking market. 

 Available Low-Maintenance products on the market today are mainly divided into 3 categories:

1. Composite Decking

Composite decking was the first to replace wood, and while it eliminates a lot of the maintenance required with a wood deck, it still has major problems with fading, staining, and scratching. Composites are still half wood and all those wood fibers will soak up anything you drop on them. Ketchup, grease, leaves, berries, etc will permanently stain a composite deck. The wood chips also fade and weather just like your old wood deck, so the dark red composite deck you have today, will be a light red-speckled white deck after two of three summers. The soft composites will also scratch if you drag anything heavy over them, shift a chair, wear high heel shoes, etc.

2. Cellular PVC decking

PVC decking first came about when all the problems of composite decking began to surface. PVC decking has all the advantages of composite decking, but is extremely resistant to fading, staining, and scratching. It is about half the weight of composite decking, and stays much cooler to the touch than composites. The price is slightly higher, but the benefits far outweigh the cost.

3. Capped composites

One of the new products seen in the market today is a capped composite. This is a traditional composite plank that has a tough plastic coating over the top and two sides. While this coating takes care of the fading, scratching, and staining issues of uncapped composites, it still gets very hot under the sun, is extremely heavy, and is limiting to work with as it cannot be routed and does not take screws well. The price of capped composites is comparable to that of most PVC decking. 

 So, to summarize:
 

So if you are looking for a truly low-maintenance product for your deck, we would suggest a cellular PVC product such as Azek Deck, Trex Escapes, or Timbertech XLM. Be aware that there are many deck builders out there today that are still offering composite decking to keep their material costs low. These decks are going to weather, fade, and stain as bad or worse than any wood deck, and there is no way to bring them back to their original appearance.

Most importantly, call a local deck builder like McWhorter Outdoor Living who is familiar with working with these low-maintenance products, and can guide you through your selection process. Based in Clarksville, MD, McWhorter Outdoor living has been building decks, screened porches, and sunrooms in the central Maryland area for over 10 years, and we have worked with every generation of every material that is out there today. Give us a call for a free estimate, we look forward to hearing from you.

If you live in Howard County or the surrounding areas, chances are you have a wooden deck that was built with your house 15 or more years ago. Most of these decks today are almost unusable because of weathering and have become unsafe due to splinters, falling handrails and wobbly stairs. These decks are most likely far beyond the traditional repair methods of a good cleaning and staining. Once the wood grain begins to open up on decking and rails, the weathering process accelerates and the wood needs to be replaced.

The good news is, most of these deck frames are okay to reuse if a few minor modifications are done to bring them up to today's building codes. Usually, the deck frame has been kept out of the sun and most frames weather over the years, but they can be retrofitted with low-maintenance decking for a fraction of the cost of tearing them down and rebuilding.

Let McWhorter Outdoor Living — a local deck builder in Clarksville, MD — give you a FREE evaluation on your existing deck or screen room frame. We will also provide a free estimate on what it would cost to resurface the deck with PVC decking and handrail. You can even make changes to the existing frame, such as adding or subtracting square footage, moving or adding a staircase, or even adding a screened enclosure.

Please see our deck resurfacing page for more details on our entire process by clicking here, and visit our contact page to request a FREE estimate.

Let McWhorter Outdoor Living, an award winning Screen Room Builder and Designer in Clarksville, Maryland, share some of our screen room design ideas and tips.

Screen Rooms Portfolio : Click here
Our screen rooms feature: Click here
References & Testimonials: Click here

1. Use low maintenance decking and trim to minimize maintenance and match the siding and windows on your house.
To best compliment your home, any additions should be designed to appear as part of the original house, not an afterthought stuck on the back of your home. Screened rooms are noexception. With more colors and finishes available in low maintenance materials than ever,you can design your screen room to complement the décor of your home’s exterior, and looklike it has been part of your homes design all along. Let us show you samples of decking frommanufacturers like Azek and Trex for a wide variety of color options, with matching trim.

2. Focus on making the room completely insect proof, and most importantly, stink bug proof. 
One step often overlooked in screen room construction is adding fiberglass screeningbeneath the deck boards. Insects are able to crawl up from under the deck through thespaces between the deck boards. Attention should also be paid to connection pointsbetween the room and the house, where the deck, walls, and roof are attached to the house.All existing siding should be removed at these points, and properly flashed for a water andinsect proof fit.

3. Use only Aluminum framed removable screen panels.
Removable screen panels allow the screening to be pulled much tighter, and make it possibleto repair torn screens without having to disassemble parts of the room to get the screensout. Panels can be brought to your local hardware store, rescreened, and reinstalled withsimple hand tools.

4. Choose a location for your room that will make the room convenient to use.
When choosing a location for your screened porch, remember to consider what you planon using the room for. For example, if you are planning to use the room to eat dinner inevery night, choose a location that is close to the kitchen. Don’t let existing windows anddoors limit your options, doors can be added almost anywhere to give access to the room.Remember to also consider second story windows and other obstructions when choosingyour location.

5. Consider electrical and media packages to enhance the screen room.
Your screen room should be as much a part of your house as your living room or kitchen.Adding electrical and media packages to your room can make it much more convenient to use and entertain in. Consider adding ceiling fans, recess lighting, indirect lighting, cableoutlets, phone/data ports, and built in speakers to make the room a great place to relax.

Most importantly choose a screen porch builder and designer carefully. McWhorter Outdoor Living is a licensed and insured contractor specializing in outdoor living designs and construction. We have built hundreds of screen porches in the central Maryland area,(click here for our screen room portfolio) and have many local references(click here for references). Contact us today for a free estimate and design consultation.