Illustrative renderPlanning · 6 min read
Pool enclosure, screened lanai or screen room: choosing the right project
What’s overhead now and how you’ll use the space decide which screened project fits—and when you need something other than screen.
Guides
Learning center
Plain-English guides to planning, choosing and maintaining a screen enclosure in Central Florida. Technical statements are checked against primary sources such as Florida law and the building code.
Illustrative render
Illustrative renderMaterials · 7 min read
Standard, fine-mesh, privacy and pet-resistant screen: practical tradeoffs
Standard, fine-mesh, tear-resistant and privacy screens compared: visibility, airflow, insects, durability and engineering.
Illustrative renderCondition · 7 min read
Rescreening, frame repair or enclosure replacement: what should be assessed first?
Assess in the right order—safety, structure, doors and fasteners, then screen—before paying for new screen.
Illustrative renderBudget · 8 min read
What affects enclosure cost and scope
Dimensions, roof shape, spans, screen choice, foundations, access and permits—and how to compare estimates fairly.
Glossary
Parts of an enclosure
The words you’ll hear during an estimate, and what they refer to.
Diagram- House attachment
- Where the enclosure connects to the home, usually along the roof edge, often through a heavy-duty gutter designed to carry the enclosure.
- Beam
- A main roof member spanning from the house side to the outer wall.
- Purlin
- A smaller roof member running between beams; screen panels span between purlins.
- Upright
- A vertical post in the wall, anchored at its base to the deck or footing.
- Chair rail
- A horizontal wall member at about seated height; it stiffens the wall and divides upper and lower panels.
- Kick plate
- A solid aluminum panel along the bottom of a wall or door that protects the lowest screen.
- Bracing and cables
- Diagonal members or tensioned cables that keep the frame from racking in wind.
- Spline
- The rubber cord pressed into a frame channel to hold screen in place.
- Footing
- The concrete the enclosure walls are anchored to, whether a slab edge or a separate footing.
- Closer
- Hardware that pulls a door shut; on pool-barrier doors, part of the self-closing requirement.
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