Member of the West Michigan Better Business Bureau since 1981. Licensed and insured for over half a century.
The Porch Man and company have been designing, manufacturing, and installing custom screen and glass porch enclosures throughout West Michigan for over 50 years. A small Grand Rapids company with a friendly, no-pressure, mom 'n' pop atmosphere. Founded by Howard Andrews, it is now owned and run by Craig Priebe, his nephew.
Screen and glass porch enclosures are based on precise measurement of the individual porch. The screen frames are aluminum extrusions from our very own die designs. The extrusions are all powder coated in the same plant, meaning every part of your porch enclosure will have a consistent finish. Screen frame colors are available in white, bronze, and sandstone.
Wood framed screen porches often require staples to install screen cloth, and nails and trim to cover the edges. Our extruded porch frames are cleaner in appearance, and do not require scraping and painting. They won't rot or warp, and replacement screens are simply rolled into a groove. When customers see our product, they tell us to rip out the old, and start from scratch.
First we accurately measure your porch. Then we build the frames in our factory on carpeted work tables. Our trucks are equipped with carpeted racks to protect the frames' finish during transport. For screen porches high off the ground we build sturdy and attractive guard rails that meet state and local building code. As you can see in the close-up cross-section picture below on the right, the spindle attachment is secure and rattle-free.
Experience has taught us that for Michigan's climate of now, sleet, and strong gusts off the big lake, standard fiberglass screens do not hold up as well as aluminum screen. Better yet is high strength fiberglass which resists dents and bird beak damage compared to aluminum. We have also used stainless steel, copper, and pet screen over the years. We install our screens after the frames are secured, and 'tune' them to a drum tight fit. In the bug-free comfort of your screen room, you will be able to hear the June bugs bounce off.
The aluminum screening is charcoal in color, and the high strength fiberglass is a shade darker. Visibility is glare free and very good. Many customers do not realize that the screening is installed until we show them. In fact, on more than one occasion, workers on new home construction have inadvertently tosses building materials out the porch not realizing that there was a screen there (oops!).
While screen enclosures are 90% of our work, once the cool weather sets in, many customers start thinking of a glassed in, three-season porch enclosure. Horizontal sliding windows that are easy to operate, and lower glass panels or solid aluminum knee wall panels are options. Made from aluminum extrusions in the same factory as our screen frames, the colors match exact, and can extend your porch season from early spring well into late fall. The windows can be made with a removable screen insert for easy repairs.