Illustrative example: a screened lanai attached to a Central Florida home

Imagine a covered lanai off the family room that goes mostly unused after sunset because of mosquitoes. The owners want to keep the sliding doors open in the evening, and their dog needs a way out to the yard.

• Screen walls fill each opening between the existing columns, divided by a chair rail at about seated height.
• A kick plate protects the bottom of each wall from chairs, the dog and the string trimmer.
• The door goes on the side facing the lawn, where the dog already heads, with a closer that pulls it shut every time.
• Panel lines follow the columns so the frame looks planned rather than added.

Illustrative render

• Slab edge: thick and sound enough to anchor the frame? Any cracks along the wall lines?
• Columns: plumb and undamaged at the base?
• Beam and soffit: a solid attachment line for the top of the frame?
• Drainage: where roof runoff lands, so it doesn’t pour along the new screen wall.

In this example nothing needs repair. If something did, it would be identified for the right trade before the scope was finalized, since an enclosure is only as good as what it attaches to.

Standard 18×14 mesh above the chair rail keeps the view and the breeze. Below it, tear-resistant screen takes the dog’s paws. Charcoal screen keeps the view into the yard as clear as possible. The screen options guide explains the tradeoffs.

Many jurisdictions treat a new screened lanai as permitted work. Permit rules differ between city and county building departments and depend on the exact scope, so we confirm what applies to your address before work begins.