patio and porches
A Short Guide for Designing the Perfect Enclosure for Your Home




An enclosed outdoor living space will always be a great addition to any home. It lets you use more of the outdoor space that you already have. And, it improves the quality of the space by keeping bugs out and providing some protection from the elements.
But, check out this guide first before you jump into getting one for your home. It gives you the most important considerations in deciding which enclosures are right for your home.
Whether it’s for all-year-round swimming, cooking outdoors, or relaxing on your patio, we can design an outdoor screen enclosure that suits your specific lifestyle and needs. Contact us now for a free consultation with our designers to see how an outdoor screen enclosure will look for your home.
Choose the Right Enclosure for your Use
Screen Roof Enclosure
Screen roof enclosures are stand-alone or extended structures in a property. These use aluminum as its structural material with screens enveloping its walls and roof.
Screen roof enclosures are often constructed to keep leaves and bugs out of an area without keeping natural air and sunlight out. These are often used on patios, decks, and pool areas.
Although it does not have a solid roof, the screen still blocks off some sun to prevent direct sunlight exposure. Instead, the inside of the enclosure has gentler and softer sunshine. But, it will not be able to block rain or strong winds from getting into your enclosure.
Screen roof enclosures can be built one to two stories tall. And, these can have concrete foundations when necessary or desired by the property owner.
Under-truss Screen Enclosures
As its name implies, under-truss screen enclosures are constructed around areas under the roofline of a home. Such areas include verandas, roofed balconies, attached roofed patios, and porches. These are often called screened-in lanais due to how any under-roof screen enclosures in a home transform into an open-air living room.
Under-truss screen enclosures do not need structural work since it’s all done under the roof and on an existing footprint of a larger structure. All the framing installed is for putting up the screen and other enclosure elements. There will be some challenges when it comes to building around existing structural elements. But, these are only a minor challenge for any competent outdoor enclosure contractor.
These under-truss enclosures cost less than standalone enclosures. They have a shorter construction time since it uses the footprint and structure of the house to support itself. Moreover, it usually involves little to no paperwork for most locations since it’s not considered an additional structure.
Solid Roof Screen Enclosures
These are constructed in a similar manner as a screen roof enclosure. The only difference is that they need stronger structural support for the heavier roof material. Roofing is made of polycarbonate sheets or traditional roofing material.
Unlike under-truss screen enclosures, these do not sit under the roof of your home. It could be a standalone structure in your backyard, an enclosed structure attached to your home, or an extension for your covered patio. Solid roof screen enclosures can be installed in your home to create an outdoor living area, a shaded pool enclosure, or both.
Sunroom Enclosure
If you prefer to have an outdoor enclosure where you can spend some time all year round, a sunroom enclosure might be a better option for you. Sunrooms can have glass or traditional roofing. What sets them apart from other enclosures is their use of floor-to-ceiling glass for its walls, windows, and doors. Of course, you can have some flexibility when it comes to this by installing rolling glass and screen panels. This will let you open your windows for ventilation during the warmer times of the year.
The solid walls and roofs of a sunroom enable you to spend time in it for at least three seasons of the year. With transparent or translucent roofing, it can double as a greenhouse for those who want to grow more sensitive plants in their home. And, even if you don’t plan to have any plants in it, you can stargaze during the night and bask under the sun during the day.
There are two primary types of sunroom enclosures – three season rooms and four-season rooms. These two are often mistaken to be the same. What sets them apart is that the four-season room has insulated glass and is connected to the house for heating and cooling. The three-season room can still have some insulation by using double-paned glass. But, it’s a more affordable option since there’s no need for renovating to have it connected to the house’s air conditioning.
Pick the Right Material to Cover Your Enclosure
Mesh Screen
There are two mesh screens used for enclosures – the standard mesh screen and the no-see-um screen.
As the name implies, the standard mesh screen is the one most people would use for their enclosures. It has 18 openings horizontally and 14 openings vertically for every square inch. The standard mesh screen is good enough for keeping most insects and pests out of the enclosure.
As for the no-see-um screen, it is called such because it can keep the no-see-ums from getting into your enclosure. It has 20 x 20 openings for every square inch. Some screen manufacturers use fiberglass to maximize the strength and durability of screens with such tiny openings.
Florida Glass
Florida Glass is a product from screen manufacturer Phifer. It is a fiberglass mesh laminated with vinyl. This combination of materials and lamination results in a similar look as frosted glass. It offers privacy to the enclosure and is a durable material that can last for years. And, since it’s a solid surface, it can block off dust, wind, and water from getting into an enclosure.
Since nobody wants to completely block off ventilation for your enclosure, it is best used in combination with a mesh screen. For example, in pool enclosures, these are used at the lower part of the walls for privacy and to prevent water splashing out of the enclosure.
Tuff Mesh
Also known as pet screens, it is made of heavy-duty and hard-wearing aluminum material. These still look like your typical mesh screen aside from their black color. Tuff mesh screens can resist acid, alkali, punctures, and tears. It is ideal for any home with a pet or in areas with wildlife since it will not puncture or tear the screen when their claws scratch it.


Choose the Right Location for Your Enclosure
There are three common locations for enclosures in the home – the lanai, patio, and porch.
Read on to find out the advantages of enclosing said areas in your home.
Lanais are great places for relaxation in any home. It’s at the rear of the house so you get some amount of privacy. And, the roofline of the house extends over it so you’re protected from the heat of the sun.
By installing a screen enclosure for your lanai, it keeps out insects, various pests, leaves, and other debris. You would no longer have to worry about infestations or bites. You will have an easier time keeping the area clean. And, with the right walls and windows, you can still spend time in the lanai even with strong winds or rainy weather outside.
Patios are great outdoor living spaces for any home. And, oftentimes, these are made transition areas between the house and a pool area. Unfortunately, direct sunlight and rain can prevent you from using it as much as you’d like.
This is where a screen enclosure becomes an attractive addition to any home. With screen walls enclosing it, you can enjoy the outdoors without insects and other pests bothering you. And, even if you opt for a screen roof, you still enjoy some shade as the mesh screen blocks enough sunlight to make it gentler for you.
It’s easy to add an enclosure for your porch since it already has cover from the extended roofing of your home. Adding a screen or glass enclosure to it makes it a more comfortable space for entertaining visitors to your home. And, with a porch enclosure, you can create a separate semi-public space for short visits and keep the more private spaces of your home private.
At the same time, it adds some privacy to your porch. You can prevent passersby from gazing into your windows. And, it also helps you not worry about your neighbors eyeing you when you’re out appreciating the outdoors on your porch.








Want to See How Your Home Will Look Like With a Screen Enclosure?
Reading this will never be enough to decide if a screen enclosure will look good on your lanai, patio, or porch. Contact us for an appointment and we can take a look at your home and draw up a design on paper or 3D render. We can also give you how much the different options will specifically cost for your home. Contact us today!