Building the Porch Itself
Screen America builds custom screen porches for Johns Creek homes. We are a screen contractor rather than a dealer for a screen system, which is a distinction worth understanding before you start getting quotes here — because in this part of North Fulton most of the companies you will find are the second thing.
Retractable and Motorized: What We Don't Do
Search for screens in Johns Creek and nearly everything returned sells retractable or motorized systems — powered screens that drop into a track at the touch of a button. Those companies are dealers for a manufacturer, and if that product is what you want, they are who you want.
We do not sell them, and we will tell you that on the phone rather than after a site visit. The reason is warranty: a motorized screen is a mechanism, mechanisms fail, and a one-man company cannot stand behind a motor for the fifteen years the porch will be standing. Josh made that decision after being on the wrong end of it in 2003 and has not revisited it.
What we do instead is build the structure — footings, framing, roof, columns and fixed screen panels made to the opening. If you eventually want a powered system fitted into a porch we built, the porch will take one.
Larger Homes, and What That Changes
Johns Creek housing runs bigger and newer than most of what we work on, and it changes the job in three concrete ways.
- Spans are longer. A wider opening between columns means the header carries more, and it has to be sized rather than assumed. This is where a kit-based approach stops working.
- Two-storey elevations. A porch on a tall rear elevation has to sit correctly against the second floor, or it reads as something added later from every angle in the garden.
- Existing decks are often substantial. Frequently the request is to roof and screen a deck that is already there, which means confirming the footings and joists carry a roof load before anything is committed to.
Architectural Review
Nearly every Johns Creek neighbourhood has an HOA with an architectural review committee, and a screen porch on a rear elevation is almost always a submission. Start it early. Tell us at the assessment and we will put together what committees here usually ask for: dimensions, materials, finish colours, and where the structure sits relative to the house and the setback.
We cannot approve it and we cannot promise a timeline on their end. What we can do is stop you discovering the requirement after materials have arrived.
Worth Knowing About the Drive
We work from Ball Ground, which is a genuine drive to Johns Creek rather than a local trip. It does not change the price and it has never stopped us taking the work — North Fulton has been in our territory for years and Alpharetta and Roswell are neighbours of yours on that list. It does mean we would rather see the whole project in one visit than make three short ones, so send photographs first if you can.
Get a Free Assessment
If you are in Johns Creek and considering a screen porch, or you have a deck you want roofed and closed in, we will come and look at what you have and put a written estimate to it. No obligation.
Get a free estimate now