Award of Excellence, Outdoor Living Over $100,000
David Wiener and his wife, Mary, enjoy views of the Bulle Rock Golf Course, the Susquehanna River and even the Chesapeake Bay from their Havre de Grace home.
But to make the most of the surrounding scenery, the house needed an outdoor living space, Wiener says.
Wiener contacted T.W. Ellis, a Forest Hill-based company that worked on Weiner's previous home, to design and build a two-level, 50-by-16-foot outdoor addition on the back of the house.
The addition's rear covered porch includes a screened room where the Wieners can enjoy meals, insect-free, says Tim Ellis, who owns the company with his brother, Barry Ellis. A black aluminum standing seam roof extends across the entire level. Balusters, also made of black aluminum, tie the overall look together, Tim Ellis says.
All decking and railing are Trex-manufactured, and the trim wrap is made by Azek PVC, meaning the entire deck is low maintenance for the homeowners, he says.
"[Wiener] just has to pull his garden hose out and spray it down," Ellis says.
In the middle of the covered porch, stairs descend toward a landing. The stairs then split, giving the Wieners two options for entering and exiting the porch from their yard.
Underneath, Ellis used a special water drainage system to collect and then divert rainwater into the gutter system. The system keeps the area under the porch, which houses a grill, tables, chairs and ceiling fans, dry and ready for entertaining, he says.
"That way, you totally maximize those two outdoor spaces," Ellis says.
Wiener says he and his wife love the new addition, which was completed in late 2013.
"It's a summer living space, and it gives you another couple rooms in the house," he says.