Power Shades, Outdoor Fireplaces & Railings

What do power shades do?

They give an open porch walls when you want them and none when you don’t. A power shade rolls down from the beam at the push of a button and back up out of sight. There are two kinds:

Screen shadesKeep out the bugs and cut the glare, and still let the breeze through.
Clear vinyl shadesCut the wind and rainwater, so the porch stays usable on a cold or wet day.

They go on new porches and on ones that were built years ago.

This time, they installed power shades on my back porch

Joellen · Mt. Juliet · BBB review, 2025

Gray house at dusk with a covered upper porch with black railing over a stone lower level and a fire table on the patio — An upper porch over a lit patio at dusk.

Porch with electric heaters on the beams, a round iron chandelier, wicker seating and a stone fireplace with a television — Heaters on the beams beside a stone fireplace.

Gas or wood-burning fireplace?

We build both. Gas lights with a switch and leaves no ash, which suits a porch with a television over the mantel. Wood-burning gives you the crackle and the smell, and needs a proper chimney. Either way the fireplace is stone, with a hearth and a mantel, and it’s usually the reason the furniture faces the way it does.

How warm can a porch get with heaters?

Warm enough to sit out on a cold evening. Electric heaters mount high on the beams and throw heat down at the seating. On the Allison porch, 625 square feet, there are two Bromic heaters at 6,000 watts each, plus a gas fireplace, and clear vinyl shades would hold that heat in.

Do you build railings?

Yes, and we design and fabricate custom metal railings ourselves now, alongside cable rail and standard balusters, for stairs, decks, porches and balconies. The design consultation for a railing is free like everything else we draw.

White stair railing with black metal balusters running down beside a white lattice skirt — White rail with black balusters.

Wood deck stairs with white posts and cable railing against a brick house — Cable rail on a stair.

White railing around a deck under a white louvered roof on the back of a brick house — White rail under a louvered roof.

Shades, heat and railings usually go on something else we’ve built: a screen room, a patio cover or a deck.

Answers

Shade, fireplace and railing questions

What are power shades for a porch?

Power shades are screens or clear vinyl panels that roll down from the beam at the push of a button. Clear vinyl shades cut wind and rain so a porch stays usable in cold or wet weather; screen shades keep bugs out and give shade. Joellen in Mt. Juliet had us put them on her back porch.

Can I add a fireplace to my porch or patio?

Yes. We build outdoor fireplaces gas or wood-burning, in stone, with a hearth and a mantel, on porches, screen rooms and under open roofs. A television often goes above it.

How do you heat a screened porch in winter?

With a fireplace, electric heaters, or both, and clear vinyl power shades to hold the heat in. The Allison porch has two 6,000-watt, 220-volt Bromic electric heaters and a gas fireplace, which is how a 625-square-foot porch stays usable year round.

Can power shades be added to a porch I already have?

Yes. Joellen’s porch in Mt. Juliet was already built when we came back to put power shades on it. The shades mount to the beams and posts of the existing porch, with the motor and controls planned so nothing hangs in the way when they’re up.

Do you make custom metal railings?

Yes. We design and fabricate custom metal railings, as well as cable rail and standard balusters, for decks, stairs, porches and balconies. The design consultation is free.

More we build

Power shades, fireplaces and railings