A Quality Company Can Service a Large Area.

Check out this service map from gulf coast aluminum! Having the resources and knowledge to cover an area this large is an impressive feat. Understanding the nuances of permit application and approval for all the various permitting departments in a given region is notable. Did you know that Lee County alone has four different permitting departments (City of Cape Coral, Village of Estero, Town of Fort Myers Beach and Lee County) ! Having a contractor that does lots of work in your area ensures that your project will be up to code and not get hung up in the local permitting department.

Front Entryway Screen Enclosures: Everything You need To Know

If you spent any time living in Florida you know just how quickly bugs will fly in if you leave your door open for much longer than a few minutes.  Front entryway screen enclosures add a nice touch to a home in Florida and give you the option of keeping the door open and the bugs out.

Visit The Ultimate Screen Enclosure Resource Online

ScreenEnclosureGuide.com

Simple entryway enclosures include a basic 36x80" aluminum door and frame.  They usually start cheap for a no frill design and go up from there.  Theres many options to a front entryway design that can personalize it and add style to the house:

This Screen door has a painted dolphin figurine and kickplate on the bottom.  Kickplate can be used fully to the sides of the door if reuqeted

1) Custom doors: the standard 36x80" door usually included with a basic front entryway is no frills and is the same as the door on your pool enclosure.  Upgraded screen door options usually cost $400 plus and features, designs, scrolls, or figurines.

2) Sun burst: a sunburst is an elegant hoop with spokes that goes above the screen door.  Great for arch entryways.

3) Sidelites: these ornamental metal pieces go around on the sides of the enclosure.  Usually they are just decorative but they can double for security when designed properly.

4) Kickplate: Solid metal piece that can be used around the bottom perimeter to keep out the dirt.  Also very useful if you have pets that tend to damage the screen.

Photo Source: Gulf Coast Aluminum

Solar Screen For Sun Protection In Pool Enclosure

The Florida sun beats your body with UV Rays.... no secret there.  One option that exists is solar screen.  Solar screen by Phifer goes in like regular screen except that is much more dense than standard pool cage products.  The material is quite a bit darker as it more like a canvas than a mesh.  

While effective it can be a pricey product and you get your best deal on it when doing it with a rescreen of the enclosure.  

More in depth information on solar screen and screen enclosures I recommend checking out ScreenEnclosureGuide.com

Screen Enclosure Mesh Choices and The View

Many homeowners considering adding a screen enclosure to their home are concerned with the outward visibility.  Obviously if you have lake view from your pool enclosure, you don't want to ruin it.  With a few different choices out there such as phifer 18/14 screen, phifer 20/20 screen, Superscreen, Solar screen

How much of the view will be lost once the screen goes up?  The answer to that magic question is not much.  As you can see in this photo, the view difference is negligible with the exception of solar screen.

You learn more about the choices from the post on Gulf Coast Aluminum's website. 239-935-8575

FINALLY: Screen Enclosure help in Florida

Screen enclosures and pool enclosures are very common structures in Florida.  With all the bugs, you really can't use a pool or patio  without feeling like you are under attack... so a screen enclosure is need for outdoor living space!

Transparent information about screen screen enclosures is lacking online...

Screen enclosures primarily only exist in Florida and are a relatively  'niche structure', there isn't much information out there about them.  If you have questions about the types of screen, planning for the pool enclosure, how to chose a contractor, if you can build an enclosure, etc you were largely left in the dark or at the mercy of second hand information.

For that reason ScreenEnclosureGuide.com was launched!  This is a site to educate consumers about the structures and their specialties in Florida.  Written by a retired contractor everything is covered in a thoughtful manner.  

• Not sure if you should get a bid or get plans first?  Ken explains it all.
• How does a screen enclosure extension happen? Thats covered
• What about a sunroom to match the house?  Screen Enclosure Guide has that too.

Footings & Paver Decks

Many Florida homeowners buy homes with a beautiful pool and a paver deck.  The only thing missing is the screen enclosure.  In this case though the paver pool deck was lacking something important, a footing.  It is acceptable for a paver deck to be done without a footing, it just requires work further down the line to prepare it for an enclosure.

In this case the pavers had to be pulled up, a footer was dug for the screen enclosure, and then the footer poured and pavers put back in place.  After all of that, then a screen enclosure can be built.  For a more in depth analysis, check out this project on ScreenEnclosureGuide.com
Photo source: Gulf Coast Aluminum

Downspout On Pool Enclosure - Choose Wisely

Often overlooked when buying or building a new screen enclosure is the location of the downspout.  It is import to consider before spending thousands of hard earn dollars.  Take a look at this example; would you want a down spout splashing water into the middle of a paver area?  Determining downspout location and size before construction is critical. Downspouts come in different sizes and it is important that your contractor selects one large enough to drain the gutter or else it will overflow and splash over the side.  Ideally downspouts should be routed to a grassy area and directed away from the screen enclosure, pool cage, lanai or house.

Project by Gulf  Coast Aluminum 941-584-4575

This is a really unique screen enclosure as it is built on the second story.  It features a composite roof with aluminum railing to provide fall safety protection from the second story.  The color is bronze with a white elite panel roof.  This is a really nice project  done in Naples Florida but it could be a screen enclosure in Orlando, or west palm beach as well.  This same roofing material is also used for sun rooms throughout Florida.

For LOTS more info on screen enclosure structures, I recommend you visit ScreenEnclosureGuide.com -- the author of that site provides great info and fast responses for many questions.