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ThackstonDesign + Build

Screened Porches and Outdoor Living in Alpharetta, GA

A screened porch is the highest-satisfaction project on this list and one of the least expensive, which is why we build a lot of them. Roof structure and how it ties into the house is the part that separates one that reads as original from one that reads as bolted on.

A screened porch with an open board ceiling and a plain masonry fireplace at one end.

What a project like this includes

  • Roof structure designed to tie into the existing roof rather than to sit against it
  • Foundation or pier system sized for the structure and the soil
  • Ceiling, framing and trim detailed to match the house's proportion and material
  • Screen system, doors, and the hardware that survives being used every day
  • Electrical: lighting, fans, outlets, and any heater circuit, all on a plan
  • Grilling and outdoor-kitchen rough-ins where they are in scope, including gas and drainage
  • Permit package and inspections
  • Final clean and the five-year workmanship warranty

What it usually does not

  • Decking and hardscape beyond the porch footprint unless it is in the scope
  • Landscape design and planting
  • Outdoor appliances above the allowance in your proposal
  • Screening a structure whose existing roof will not carry the change — we will tell you at Discovery

Anything on this list can be brought into scope. It is here because it is not automatically in it, and knowing that now is worth more than finding out in month three.

How this work moves through our six phases

  1. 1

    Discovery

    We walk the house and put scope and a realistic band in writing.

  2. 2

    Design AgreementPayment

    Design goes under a signed agreement with a defined fee and scope.

  3. 3

    Design & Selections

    Drawings, structural review, and every selection locked before construction.

  4. 4

    Fixed-Price ProposalPayment

    One fixed price, from the trades who will build it, with the scope attached.

  5. 5

    Construction

    One production manager, one project manager, weekly written updates.

  6. 6

    Warranty Walk

    Punch list closed, warranty handed over, and we come back at eleven months.

The whole process, in detail

What this usually involves

We publish four investment ranges and our minimum of $60,000, along with what each range typically includes and who we are honestly not the right firm for. Your own number comes from the Fixed-Price Proposal in phase four, once the drawings exist.

See the four ranges

Browsing rather than scoping? Outdoor in the portfolio is the same work photographed rather than described.

Projects featuring this work

Questions about screened porches & outdoor living

  • How long does a screened porch take?

    Design is typically four to eight weeks. Construction runs about six to twelve weeks, and it is one of the few project types where weather genuinely moves the schedule — the roof and the framing are outside.

  • What investment range does a porch usually land in?

    A screened porch is the shape of our first band, and one with an outdoor kitchen in it reaches the second. The ranges are published in full on The Right Fit.

  • Can we convert an existing deck?

    Sometimes. A deck built to carry people is not automatically built to carry a roof, so the first question is what the footings and the framing will take. We look at that at Discovery and give you a straight answer before you get attached to the idea.

  • What does the five-year workmanship warranty cover on a porch?

    Our workmanship for five years from substantial completion, including the roof tie-in and the framing. Screen material, roofing products and outdoor appliances carry their own manufacturer warranties.

Tell us about your house

Four short steps. It goes straight to Priscilla, who will call within one business day to set up a free Discovery visit.

  1. The project
  2. The house
  3. Tell us
  4. You
What you're thinking about
Which rooms are you thinking about?

Choose up to three. If it is genuinely everything, say so in the description on step three and we will take it from there.

0 of 3 chosen.

How far does it go?

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