What Is a Screen Room?
Have you ever sat out on your patio, deck, or poolside and found yourself swatting at mosquitoes or shooing away flies? These airborne nuisances can suck the life out of any good time. How about sweeping? If you have a lot of trees on your property, keeping the ground clean is a never-ending battle, with leaves, branches, and bird droppings being deposited daily. One way to enhance your outdoor living space is to put a little something between you and the elements, and a screen room is the most affordable way to accomplish this. But what is a screen room? A cage-like structure that encloses a pool? A patio cover with added screens on three sides? A traditional room addition with screens instead of windows? Yes, yes, and yes. Screen rooms come in many variations, which makes them an exceptionally versatile home improvement. Whether you want to augment an existing porch or patio cover, or build something from scratch, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Let’s explore some of the most popular.
Pool enclosures
These structures are the most cage-like of the screen room options. Their frames are made of aluminum that can be quickly assembled to just about any configuration. The point with most pool enclosures is to keep out the bugs and falling leaves while allowing in plenty of light. To accomplish this, the screen panels are usually as large as possible and compose the entire structure, including the roof, although doors can and usually are added. In addition to providing protection from insects and other debris, pool enclosures increase security around a pool. They also help block out harmful UV rays.
Retrofits
If you have an existing porch or patio cover that already has a roof but is exposed on three sides, you have the option of adding screens to create an enclosure that provides not only insect protection, but also wind mitigation and enhanced privacy. A project of this sort is very affordable and can be finished in just one day if no additional work needs to be done to repair the existing structure. Screens can be either fixed or retractable. The advantage of fixed screens is that the needed framework makes them more wind resistant. The advantage of retractable screens is the flexibility to maximize exposure or protection depending on the conditions.
New Construction
Screen rooms can also be built from scratch. These are much more substantial than cage-like enclosures and boast solid roofs with either open or framed walled. Open-walled structures have retractable screens operated by either a hand crank or motor. Walled structures are essentially three-season rooms with screens set into window frames and are often offered in the same styles as sunrooms. If you’re on the fence about whether to build a sunroom or a screen room, you can opt for an upgradeable model with screens that can be swapped out later with glass windows to create a full sunroom.
Screen Types
Of course, no screen room discussion would be complete without exploring the titular component of a screen room—the screens themselves. Screen meshes come in a variety of materials and weaves. Choosing the one that’s right for you will depend on your screening priorities. Denser weaves are better for privacy, wind abatement, and keeping small insects like no-see-ums out of your enclosure. A more open weave allows in more light while still reducing glare. If you have a lot of potted plants on your porch or patio, this may be the better option. Screen materials include fiberglass, aluminum, and premium metals such as bronze and copper.
The Company to Turn to for Premium Screen Rooms
If you’re thinking about adding a screen room to your home, the company to turn to in San Diego County is Pacific Patio. As a proud TEMO dealer, we offer the company’s entire line of screen rooms, including retrofits, from-scratch, and upgradable options. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more. We also offer and install sunrooms, pergolas, and garden arbors.
