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A well-constructed and well-maintained sunroom can last as long as the rest of your house. If you build the sunroom to the same standards using the same quality materials as the house and perform regular maintenance to ensure the room stays in top condition, it can bring you decades of enjoyment.

The cost to screen in a porch depends on whether you are adding screens to an existing structure or building a new one from scratch. Adding screens to an existing porch costs about $5 to $7 per square foot, with a national average cost of around $2,800. For example, screening a 12-by-12-foot (144-square-foot) porch would likely cost between $700 and $1,000. If you are building a new screened-in porch, the cost is substantially higher. A new 12-by-12-foot screened-in porch can cost between $6,400 and $18,300, while a new 14-by-16-foot one averages around $11,000. The final price will vary based on the size of the porch, labor costs, and the materials you choose.

A Florida room is a home addition that has finished walls with windows lining the perimeter, while a screened-in porch, also known as an Arizona room, lacks windows and instead has screens to maintain constant ventilation. Florida rooms provide longer enjoyment throughout the year because they’re closed off and will naturally get heated from the sun, while a screened-in porch will just be the same temperature as the ambient air.

With proper maintenance, the average life span of a screened-in porch is six to eight years for the screens themselves, but the foundation and structure can last for 50 to 100 years. To keep your screened-in porch in good shape, clean your porch screens regularly, patch holes, re-seal the wood as needed, and address any foundational issues right away.