Family Screened In Their Open Porch and Extended the Space With a Curved Flagstone Patio
The back of the house already had a covered porch, but the family’s outdoor setup stopped at the edge of the concrete slab. The porch remained open to the backyard on three sides, while the lawn beside it left no finished space for moving dining or seating beyond the roof.
Reddit user u/Monroe4123 changed both areas without replacing the porch or pouring another concrete slab. Large screen panels enclosed the space beneath the existing roof, while a curved flagstone patio extended from the new screen door along the house. He handled the labor himself and reported spending about $1,000 on the patio portion.
Covered Porch Was Still Open on Three Sides
Dining chairs, a grill, lounge seating, and an umbrella all fit beneath the existing gable roof. Two dark wood posts support the front corners, leaving the full front and both ends open to the lawn.
Much of what makes the porch useful was already here. The slab, roof, gutters, fan, lights, and access from the house could stay, shifting the project toward enclosing the perimeter instead of rebuilding the structure.
Open Sides Kept the Yard Inside the Seating Area
Looking out from beneath the roof shows the size of the openings Monroe4123 wanted to cover. One post frames the view, with no railing, wall, or screen between the concrete and grass.
His plan called for large screen panes rather than a grid of small framed sections. Cedar was chosen to match the porch posts already supporting the roof.
Cedar Posts Divided the New Screen Openings
Furniture came off the slab as new vertical posts went into place. The original corner posts remain, while narrower cedar members create attachment points for the screen system and the future door.
Monroe4123 anchored the new posts with pins screwed into their bottoms and set into holes drilled in the concrete. He also secured the tops after positioning them beneath the existing structure.
Wide Openings Stayed Between the New Posts
Extra framing did not turn the porch into a wall of small rectangles. The posts sit several feet apart, preserving broad openings across the yard-facing side.
String lights and the ceiling fan remained above the work, another sign that the enclosure was being fitted into the porch rather than replacing what was already there.
Screen Door Took Over One End of the Porch
One side required more framing because it also needed an entrance. Monroe4123 used treated lumber where the new work meets the house, aiming to bring the frame close to the existing exterior.
The door sits between two vertical members, with a screened lower section and a larger screened opening above. Its location becomes more important once the patio project starts outside.
Screen Mesh Spanned the Full-Height Openings
Black mesh begins filling the new frames from the concrete slab toward the roof beam. Monroe4123 used a Screeneze system for the enclosure, solving the problem he had encountered while looking for a way to make the panes as large as he wanted.
At night, the effect is easy to see. String lights remain visible through the mesh while the dark screen recedes against the yard.
Finished Screens Kept the Porch Connected to the Backyard
Once the mesh reaches every opening, the original covered slab reads as an enclosed outdoor room. Cedar posts provide the divisions, yet the screen spans are large enough that views across the lawn remain open.
The exterior also gained matching trim. Monroe4123 found extra Hardie board and used it to tie the new enclosure into the siding already on the house.
Screened Porch Still Reads as Part of the Original House
From the opposite corner, the screens sit under the original gable and follow its footprint to the slab edge. Gutters and downspouts remain outside the enclosure rather than becoming part of the screened room.
The dark mesh changes the porch without hiding the gray siding, white roof trim, or cedar supports behind another solid exterior wall.
Curved Line Marked Out the Second Half of the Project
Work then moved past the screen door. Monroe4123 cut a curved outline through the lawn beside the house, starting near the porch and sweeping around the area used for the grill.
The first outline did not survive for long. He expanded the footprint before excavation, giving the patio more depth away from the brick foundation.
Red Clay Came Out From Inside the Expanded Curve
Removing the sod exposed dense red clay across the patio footprint. Excavation follows the curved lawn edge on one side and the brick foundation on the other, creating a broad bed rather than a narrow path.
Monroe4123 described digging through the red clay and sod as one of the harder parts of the job. The clay also meant he did not excavate as deep as he otherwise might have.
Flagstone Arrived in Irregular Slabs
Pallets of NC flagstone supplied the surface, paired with a pile of sand for the base. Monroe4123 ended up buying another half pallet after starting the layout and said the stone cost less than he expected.
He identified the stone as flagstone sold under the name “Mountain Mist,” while noting that names can change between retailers.
Large Stones Set the Patio Shape First
Broad slabs went down across the excavated bed with smaller pieces filling spaces between them. Instead of forcing the material into a rectangular grid, the irregular edges of the stone carry through the curved patio footprint.
Underneath, Monroe4123 used black garden barrier and sand. He also built a slope into the base with drainage in mind.
Smaller Pieces Closed the Gaps Between Flagstones
More pieces fill the center as the layout approaches the screen door. The joints vary in width because each natural slab has a different outline, producing a fitted surface without repeating paver sizes.
River gravel was first used to help compact and set the stones. After seeing the finished layout, Monroe4123 decided to grout the joints for his daughters’ safety.
Flagstone Connected the Screen Door to the Rest of the Yard
Filled joints turn the loose stone layout into a finished patio that runs from the screened porch toward the grill and dining table. Its curved outer edge keeps a section of lawn between the patio and the rest of the backyard instead of paving the full width.
The two projects now meet at the porch entrance. Opening the screen door leads onto stone rather than grass, extending the outdoor setup past the original concrete slab.
Patio Added a Second Seating Zone Outside the Screens
With the table, grills, and umbrella back in place, the flagstone area functions apart from the furnished porch. The curved edge gives the dining setup more hard surface without turning the entire rear wall of the house into one rectangular patio.
The screened section remains visible at one end, so the backyard now has a covered room behind mesh and an uncovered stone area beside it.
Porch and Patio Work as Two Connected Spaces After Dark
String lights run across the screened porch while the flagstone patio creates a second place for the family to gather outside. From the patio, the mesh keeps the furnished room in view instead of cutting it off from the backyard.
Extra cedar from the enclosure found another use inside, where it became the wood wall behind the television. The addition gives the family a spot for seating and watching TV within the screened space.
Image credis go to Reddit user u/Monroe4123.