Screened Porches & Sunrooms · Upstate South Carolina
Screened Porch vs Sunroom in South Carolina
A screened porch runs $20–$112 per square foot in Upstate SC — about $21,173–$25,498 for a 15×20. A sunroom costs meaningfully more because it is glazed, insulated and usually conditioned: it is a room, where a screened porch is shelter. The right answer depends on whether you want more months of use or more square feet of outdoors.
Screened Porches & Sunrooms Cost by Scope
Computed from the same pricing engine as our calculators — run your own numbers to change size, materials or site conditions.
| Scope | Typical Cost | Size | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen an existing deck or porch | $5,122–$6,169 | 250 sq ft | The cheapest route by far: the floor and often the roof already exist, so the work is posts, screening and a door. |
| New screened porch, 300 sq ft | $21,173–$25,498 | 300 sq ft | Built from the ground up — footings, floor, roof tied into the house, screening, ceiling and a fan. |
| Upgraded outdoor room, 400 sq ft | $37,337–$44,965 | 400 sq ft | Finished ceiling, better screen system, upgraded lighting and often a fireplace or outdoor kitchen allowance. |
What Moves the Price
- Whether a floor and roof already exist. Screening an existing covered deck is the single biggest cost saving available.
- Roof design. A shed roof off the back wall is simplest; tying a hip or gable into the existing roof costs more and looks better.
- Wall system, which is the real difference between the two options: screen, single glazing, or insulated glass.
- Climate control. A fan and shade, versus a mini-split and insulation, is the line between three-season and year-round.
- Foundation. Deck-supported, slab-on-grade or a raised floor structure each price differently.
How the two compare
Screened porch. $20–$112 per square foot. Comfortable roughly March through November here — shade, breeze and no insects. It reads as outdoor space, and it does not add conditioned square footage.
Sunroom. More per square foot than a porch and closer to addition pricing once it is insulated and conditioned, because that is effectively what it is. Usable all twelve months, keeps pollen and rain out entirely, and can count as living space.
The practical test: if you want somewhere to sit on summer evenings, a screened porch does it for less. If you want a room you can use in January and heat like the rest of the house, you want a sunroom, and you should budget it like an addition.
What most Upstate homeowners choose
More often a screened porch, for two reasons: the shoulder seasons here are long and pleasant, and converting an existing deck keeps the cost well below a glazed room. Sunrooms make sense when the space needs to be part of the house year-round — a breakfast room, an office, a place with furniture that cannot take humidity.
Screened Porches & Sunrooms Questions
Is a sunroom more expensive than a screened porch?
Yes, generally by a wide margin. A new screened porch of 300 sq ft runs about $21,173–$25,498. A sunroom of the same size is insulated, glazed and usually conditioned, which pushes it toward room-addition pricing of $196–$425 per square foot.
Can I screen in a deck I already have?
Often yes, and it is the best value in outdoor living — roughly $20–$25 per square foot when the floor and roof are already there. The deck framing has to be sound and able to carry a roof if one is being added.
Does a screened porch add square footage to my house?
Not conditioned square footage, no. It adds usable space and appeal but is normally valued as porch area rather than living area. A sunroom that is insulated and conditioned can count, which is part of why it costs more.
Do screened porches need permits in South Carolina?
Yes — a roofed structure attached to the house is permitted work, reviewed for footings, framing and attachment. Greenville County Building Safety handles that locally, and setbacks apply as they would to any addition.
Can a screened porch be converted to a sunroom later?
Sometimes, if the foundation, framing and roof were built to carry glazing and insulation. If year-round use is a possibility, it is much cheaper to build for it at the start than to retrofit.
Permits & codes: Greenville County Building Safety · SC Building Codes Council
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