Screen Enclosure Roof Designs Vary By Region

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and there's more than one way to get a roof on your enclosure.  Commonly in south florida areas, like naples, fort myers, sarasonta, west palm beach, is a Mansard roof.  Mansard roofs have an angle up on the sides, then a flat part.  

Common Mansard Roof Screen Enclosure

In the central florida area like orlando, or lessburg a dome roof screen enclosure is most common.  Dome roofs simply look like a dome -- no brainer their.

Gable Roof Pool Enclosure

Dome roof screen enclosures common around Orlando Florida

There is no 'best' design for the roof.  It is simply choice.  Mansards look nice on some home.  On other homes a dome looks best.  Gable roofs, commonly called A-frames are done to accentuate an A-frame horse.  

With complex large homes, a custom roof can be done on the pool enclosure to compliment the house.  Any excellent screen enclosure contractor should be able build a suitable roof that will look sharp.  

Photo source: Gulf Coast Aluminum who covers an area from Naples to Venice wih Fort Myers & Port charlotte.

Stem Walls & Retaining Walls For Screen Enclosure

If your back yard has some slope, and you want to add a screen enclosures, chances are that you will need a stem wall built up.  A stem wall is simply a concrete block retaining wall that is put in placed to the level out the slab.

Below the block retaining wall is footer,with rebar sticking up vertically through the block.  The retaining will have an inspection or two beyond the standard screen enclosure inspections.  Once the stem wall is in place and the slab is poured, its time to build your enclosure.  This post from Gulf Coast Aluminum explains the process in detail.


ScreenEnclosureGuide.com is another great resource with more information on the screen enclosure construction process.

Who Designed this Enclosure?

This happens all the time, you buy the house of your dreams and when you finally have the time to relax and enjoy your outdoor patio you with there was more space between the walls and the pool. Some enclosure designs have you awkwardly tight roping around the edge of your pool, a few extra feet can make a huge difference. Usually an expansion can be done without the need to replace the entire enclosure and can exponentially increase your enjoyment of the patio.

No space around the backside of the screen enclosure.

Refresh Your Dull Enclosure

The Florida sun is not kind to screen enclosureshttp://flscreens.com. Years of UV rays will have an enclosure looking like an eyesore. Many people opt to just replace them with a new one but smart consumers can save thousands with an enclosure repaint. Make sure your contractor powerwashes sands and uses spray on acrylic paint for best results. Top level service providers will usually not paint without a full rescreen and fastener replacement. If you paint over a rusty fastener expect the rust to show through the new paint after a short while! Painting is also a much quicker option than replacement as a permit is not required and well run company can usually get to a job like this within one to two weeks.  Imagine how much money the owner of this enclosure saved by opting to paint instead of replace!

If there were 2 main take aways they should be that:

1) Your screen enclosure can be repainted and look new again.

2) A repaint must be done with a fasteners replacement and rescreen of pool enclosure.

Project by Gulf Coast Aluminum 239-935-8575

Condominium Carports In Florida: Planning Tips For Lower Bids & Success

Many condos are initially built with out carports, however after a few years many board members and owners decide they are needed to keep the beat sun off of the cars paint and provide a nice covered spot to enter and exist the car during a rain storm.  

The planning phase usually takes quite some time as it takes a while for everyone on the board to come to a 'meeting of minds'.  During this phase it will be time to get bids.  You should get a few bids from the most reputable contractors in this trade.... You might find it difficult to get bids as many of the top contractors are busy and condominium projects have a very low rate of coming to fruition.  

If you are planning have your project go smoothly it is best if you get engineered plans before you get your bids.  Doing this requires spending a few thousand dollars up front but can save you headaches in the long run.  It also ensures that all bidders are bidding to the same specs and leaves no room for hidden surprises.  Once you have shown a vested interest in the project, and that it is more then just an 'idea', the reputable contractors will take your bid request more serious and deliver a more sharpened often lower proposal on your bid as the 'catch all' pricing is no longer necessary.

One of the largest carport contractors in Southwest Florida, Gulf Coast Aluminum, who does over 1000 parking spots per year and is often the 'white label sub-contractor' for other contractor firms says that they charge a fee for carport construction quotes when engineering has not been completed, and waive the fee if engineering is completed.  

Another often overlooked aspect of the planning phase is timing.  Ideally it is best if the carports are scheduled for the summer months when the building are less populated.  This ensures that the work crews have more room to get things done, that parking remains in tact for all occupants and that there are no delays as a result of cars in the work area.  

You can find a great source for aluminum carport contractors who specialize in these types of projects here: http://screenenclosureguide.com/contractor-network