Dusk stops sending you indoors
Where biting insects are a real problem, this is the structure that changes the evening.
Screen Enclosures
An aluminum frame wrapped in mesh over the pool and deck. Two decisions determine how it feels to live under: the mesh, and how the frame is built.
What It Is
What is a screen enclosure?
An aluminum frame wrapped in mesh covering the pool and deck: a room without walls. It keeps insects out, keeps leaves out of the water, cuts the UV reaching the deck, and adds a barrier between the pool and the yard.
Where bugs are a real problem it is the difference between using the pool at dusk and going inside. Two decisions determine how it feels to live under: the mesh, and how the frame is built. Both are covered here, because both are where a cheap bid quietly differs from a good one.
It is the largest structure in this category. It covers the whole pool and deck, it attaches to the house, and it has to be engineered for the wind speeds where you are. That is not paperwork. It is the part that matters in a storm.
Inside the enclosure
Mansard Screen
Your options.
Mesh
18x14 standard, 20x20 no-see-um, pet, solar, or privacy. The numbers are strands per inch, across then down. More strands means smaller openings and smaller insects kept out, at the cost of a little airflow and brightness. Mix it by panel rather than choosing one for the whole cage.
Framing
Conventional posts and chair rails, or panoramic wide-span. Conventional supports every six to eight feet chop the view into segments. Panoramic beams carry load across much longer spans and remove the posts and chair rails, and it can be applied to the one wall facing your view rather than the whole enclosure.
Roof style
Mansard, gable, dome, or flat. Height and character. Taller roofs feel more open and shed rain and debris better.
Frame color
Bronze, white, and other powder-coat finishes. Darker frames visually recede and read as less of a grid. White shows dirt less.
Gutter
Standard, or an integrated wide gutter tying into the house roofline. A proper gutter is what stops roof runoff sheeting into the enclosure.
Why an enclosure.
Leaves stay out of the water
Less skimming, less vacuuming, and a filter that is not fighting debris all week.
Less UV on the deck
Cooler underfoot, and easier on furniture and finishes.
A barrier around the water
One more layer between the yard and the pool.
FAQs
The six questions we hear most about pool enclosures.
What is the difference between 18x14 and 20x20 screen?
Strand count per inch. 20x20 is the tighter weave that keeps out no-see-ums and gnats. 18x14 is more open, with better airflow and a slightly clearer view. Many enclosures use both, in different panels.
Can I get a pool cage without all the bars in the way?
Yes. Panoramic or picture-window framing uses heavier beams over longer spans and removes the intermediate posts and chair rails. It can be applied to just the wall facing your view rather than the entire enclosure.
How long does pool screen last?
Years rather than decades, with UV and salt air the main factors. UV makes the mesh brittle until it tears at the spline, and salt attacks both the mesh and the fasteners holding it. The aluminum frame outlives several rescreenings, so plan on rescreening as routine maintenance. A rinse a few times a year helps, and small tears spread, so repair them early.
Can I mix mesh types in one enclosure?
Yes, and it is usually the best answer. No-see-um low where people sit and insects bite, standard 18x14 high and across the roof for airflow and a clearer view. Protection where it matters, brightness where it does not.
Will an enclosure make the deck dark?
Standard mesh barely changes it, and cutting some UV off the deck is one of the reasons to build one. Solar screen is the exception: it blocks a large share of heat and glare and makes the enclosure noticeably darker, which is why it belongs on the one wall taking the afternoon sun rather than all of them.
What should I ask any builder?
Whose mesh, and which product? Can we mix mesh by panel? How is this engineered for wind here, and what does the permit cover? Screen looks identical on a roll and performs very differently, and it is the component you will replace first, so the difference compounds.
Other Accessory Structures
Compare all five
Pergolas
An open frame of posts, beams, and slats that defines a space and filters the sun. What separates a good one from a disappointing one is how much shade it actually casts.
Outdoor Kitchens
A built-in cooking and serving space, plumbed, wired, gassed, and finished as part of the house rather than parked beside it. The cabinets are the last decision, not the first.
Covered Entertainment Areas
Built-in Seating & Dining
Start your build
Ready to dive in?
Book a consultation with your local Oak Wells team. We bring the design expertise. You bring the backyard.
