Whether breezy evenings of spring, clear skies of summer, or relaxing sunbathes in winter, your porch offers a great space for enjoying the weather. You can enjoy the weather without leaving the comfort of your home, and it’s only possible due to the attached porch.
However, things start to get messy when the weathers are extreme and bring problems through the porch. One of the most common problems with porches is rain, wind, bugs, mosquitoes, etc., invading your personal space. Although covered with a roof, porches are not rain-proof and it can lead to a lot of problems in the rainy season.
The slippery floor due to rain blowing in, soaked furniture, and water drainage problems are uncalled with the rain. It applies to patios, porches, and balconies alike. Therefore, it’s important to keep rain from blowing on your porch during the rainy season.
We have some legitimate ways of preventing rain from intruding on your comfort zone. So let’s get into it.
9 Different Ways To Keep Rain From Blowing In On Your Porch
We will compare each way based on the pros and cons & installation requirements. Check these out:
1. Retractable Awnings
Awnings work as your porch extension to prevent raindrops from blowing in at a trajectory angle. You can choose from different types of awnings: stationary, motorized, retractable, or portable. The awnings, whichever type, provide you an unobstructed view with ease of opening up or closing the awnings depending on the type you install.
The first step is the installation of the awnings brackets. You can use two or four brackets, depending on the size of the awnings. To make sure that awnings fabric is well-protected from rain or weather, installing under the covered area is a good choice.
Retractable awnings are better than stationary awnings because they can be opened up or closed easily, depending on the requirements. The retractable awnings have a longer life span as the fabric is not always exposed to the atmosphere. You can fully retract it on sunny days to have a well-lit porch, patio, or balcony. Besides, you can also have motorized retractable awnings that can be opened or closed with a switch attached or additional remote control.
Retractable Awning, Aluminum Polyester Sun Shade Cover for Patio – on Amazon
However, you must consider the facts before installing awnings. The maintenance can be tricky, and it’s an expensive option to keep rain from blowing in on your porch.
2. Rain Curtains
The rain curtains or weather curtains are the second option for preventing the rain, snow, etc., from blowing in on your porch. These curtains are not comprehensive protection but still provide decent protection against rain or wind. Rain curtains are a great solution for DIY enthusiasts as they’re very easy to install and remove.
The weather curtains, like usual curtains, are hung on a curtain rod. The reason to choose this option is that the open and spacious feeling of the porch is not affected. Material for the weather curtains can be polyester or olefin. Olefin is more recommendable and commonly used due to the synthetic properties that make it waterproof up to a limit.
The heavy fabric also prevents wind from blowing away the curtains. They’re easy to remove and install. Besides, you can fix the curtains at the bottom of the floor with eye bolts to prevent windy weather from blowing rain in on your porch. However, the major drawback of the rain curtains is that they are not a comprehensive option for keeping rain or wind from blowing in on the porch.
3. Storm Windows
Although expensive, storm windows are the most comprehensive solution for preventing rain from blowing on your porch. The storm windows can be temporary or permanent, depending on your requirements. Usually, fiberglass is used for storm windows, which adds to this option’s durability and longevity.
Storm windows require a supporting structure or frame in your porch to be installed. Once installed, the storm windows give you a decent three-season room feel that can be well-utilized in mild weather. With the comprehensive protection, you can still enjoy the rain, sun, or snow from your porch.
Storm windows are comprehensive, don’t obstruct the outside view, and give the room feeling to the porch. These intact windows also prevent bugs and mosquitoes from hanging around you when you have time on your porch. However, it’s an expensive option, and the open space feeling of the porch will not remain there.
There are a lot of DIY ways to keep rain from blowing in on the porch, like rain curtains, stationary awnings, or Jalousie windows. However, installing the storm windows requires professionals to take care of everything.
4. Porch Screening
A porch screen is yet another great option for keeping off the rain from blowing in on the porch. Besides, the screens also do not let mosquitoes and bugs invade your porch and make it hard to sit there. Like the storm windows, you will require to have a frame or pillar structure on your porch for the installation of the screen.
Materials needed
- Screening (Amazon Link)
- Staple gun (Amazon Link)
- Scissors or any cutting tool
One upside of the porch screen over the storm windows is that the holes let the wind cross easily, making your porch an airy yet comfortable place to sit. But at the same time, some water gets in from the holes. However, it’s not that of a big problem because the amount of water coming in can be easily wiped out with a piece of cloth.
5. Plastic Sheets / Clear Waterproof Cover Tarp
You can also go for another cost-effective method to keep rain from blowing in on the porch. Plastic sheets or tarps can fit over the screens or porch frames to keep the rain away. As we mentioned in the porch screens, rain can get in from holes. With the plastic sheets, you can completely block off the rain.
The plastic sheets are cheap and can be installed by yourself. However, the downside of plastic sheets is that it’s not an aesthetically pleasing option. Like windows and screens, plastic sheets also require a structure to be installed.
6. Lean-To Roof
Lean-to-roof works like awnings, but this solution is usually fixed and not retractable. A Lean-to roof is a roofing style that has an inclination like a shed. This roof style is becoming more popular for open-house spaces like porches, greenhouses, etc. You can install plastic, fiberglass, or even concrete lean-to roofs on your porch.
The installation process of lean-to roofs is pretty much the same as installing the awning. But there are no brackets involved in the installation. You can order custom-built roofs made of wood, concrete, PVC, nylon, or even fabrics. Professional help is required to install the lean-to roof.
It’s a cost-effective solution for all kinds of open spaces like a porch, patios, balconies, etc. Depending on the material used for the lean-to roof, you can still get enough sunlight and air crossing on your porch. The biggest downside of the lean-to roofs is the permanent addition to the structure. You can’t retract or detach the roofing.
7. Mesh Blinds
COARBOR Outdoor Roll up Shades Blinds for Porch on Amazon
The material in mesh blinds is usually the same as in the porch screen, but this is an effective solution for stopping rain and other unwanted insects and pests from intruding on your house. Unlike the wood blinds, the mesh blinds are see-through protection for keeping the rain from blowing on your porch.
Although the mesh blinds are good to stop most of the rain, 100% blockage is not possible due to screen holes. However, the rain coming in is negligible and can be easily wiped out with a piece of cloth.
8. Faux Wood Blinds
Faux wood blinds are also a practical yet cost-effective solution for keeping the rain from blowing on your porch. The waterproof and durable wood blinds block the rain from coming inside in the rainy weather. Besides, the natural integration of wood blinds makes it easy to open up or close according to your needs. For instance, you can roll up the blinds when you want to have the sun on your porch.
The benefits of fake wood blinds include being a cost-effective solution yet aesthetically pleasant for the houses with big lawns. However, the fake wood blinds block the light, which can cause darkness when curtains are rolled down.
9. Glass Panels
Have you heard about retractable glass doors?
The retractable glass panels also work as glass doors, but these panels can be pulled down or rolled up like the sliding doors. The glass panels are a great option for keeping the rain away from your porch. However, this solution is not a DIY one like fake wood blinds. The professional installation after measurements and understanding the dynamics of your porch is possible.
The reason to choose glass panels is complete blockage of rain, bugs, mosquitoes, etc. when the panels are pulled down. However, it can also cause ventilation problems since no crossing of air happens when glass panels are pulled down.
Wrap-Up: Best Solution
We hope that you will be able to decide on the best solution from our list of ways to keep rain from blowing on the porch. In our opinion, porch screening is the best solution to keep the rain out of range. However, your opinion might be different. Different options discussed are for different people with different requirements. You must compare and contrast to go with a solution that matches your requirements.
Please let us know in the comments which option you think is the most practical to keep rain from blowing on the porch.
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