Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Twenty years of the same good questions from homeowners researching screen enclosures, roll-down screens, and pergolas. Straight answers below — including the ones about doing it yourself. If yours isn't here, call us and ask.
Getting Started & Estimates
Yes — genuinely free, with no obligation and no deposit required to get a number. We come out to your property, walk the space with you, take real measurements, and talk through what you're picturing. You'll typically hear from us within 24 hours of reaching out, and you'll have a detailed written estimate within 48 hours of the visit. If you decide we're not the right fit, that's the end of it — no follow-up pressure.
We don't quote from a price-per-square-foot table, and we won't give you a real number over the phone from a photo. Every estimate comes out of an on-site consultation, because the same twenty-foot span can price very differently depending on your roofline, your slab, your exposure, and what the engineering requires at your specific address. You'll get an itemized estimate covering the structure, the finish, the screen or roof system, and any accessories — so you can see exactly what you're comparing when you look at another bid.
Size is the obvious factor, but it's rarely the biggest one. Roof type matters most on pergolas — a fixed roof and a motorized louvered roof are fundamentally different structures. Beyond that: finish selection, screen or mesh type, how much engineering your wind exposure demands, whether we're attaching to your existing structure or setting independent footings, and add-ons like lighting, fans, or privacy screens. We'll show you where the money is going and where there's room to flex if you need it.
Choosing the Right Product
The short version: a screen enclosure is permanent, full coverage — it encloses a pool deck or patio so you can use the space without bugs, leaves, or palm debris. Roll-down screens are on-demand — they seal an opening in seconds and retract completely when you want the open view back. A pergola is about shade and structure — it defines an outdoor room, with a fixed or motorized louvered roof overhead. Plenty of our projects combine them; a pergola over the kitchen area with roll-down screens on the windward side is a very common pairing.
Four options, and the right one depends entirely on how you use the space. Standard Screen is the everyday choice — best airflow, good visibility. Super Screen is heavier duty and stands up to pets and storm debris, which matters on wooded lots and golf-course homes. Picture-Frame Clear View is what you want if the view is the reason you bought the house — near-invisible sightlines, worth every dollar on waterfront. No-See-Um is a fine weave for dusk entertaining and canal-front homes where the tiny biters are the real problem. We bring samples so you can hold them up against your actual view before deciding.
The roof blades rotate. Open them for dappled light, angle them for shade as the sun moves across the afternoon, or close them completely for a watertight roof — controlled from a remote, a wall switch, or your phone, including scheduled presets. Most systems we install can be set to close automatically at the first drop of rain. Whether it's worth it comes down to honest use: a fixed roof is a shade structure you'll enjoy on nice days, while a louvered roof turns the space into a room you use most of the year. It's the upgrade clients most often tell us changed how much they actually use the yard.
More on this: Renaissance Patio — pergola & patio roof systems
Manual crank or pull-down systems are reliable, cost less, and need no power — a sensible fit for smaller openings you close occasionally. Motorized is the right answer for large or two-story spans and for anything you'll operate daily, because nobody cranks a twenty-foot screen twice a day for long. Motorized adds remote, wall switch, or app control, and you can add a wind sensor that retracts the screen automatically before a gust can damage it. If your opening is borderline, we'll tell you honestly which way we'd go and why.
Brands & Systems We Install
We're a fabricator and installer, not a manufacturer of the motorized systems — so we're deliberate about whose equipment we put on your house. For roll-down screens we install MagnaTrack by Progressive Screens, SunPro, and Fenetex. For premium pergolas and patio roofs we install Renaissance Patio Products. We carry three screen brands rather than one specifically so we can match the system to your opening instead of selling you whatever we happen to stock. Their sites are worth a look if you like to research before you buy — we'd rather you arrive at the consultation with informed questions.
More on this: Progressive Screens (MagnaTrack) SunPro motorized screens Fenetex retractable screens Renaissance Patio Products
It's the failure mode that's different. A conventional fixed-track or zipper screen holds the fabric in a rigid channel, so when wind pushes on a large screen, something has to give — the fabric bellows, binds, or pops out of the track, and you're calling somebody. MagnaTrack holds the edges with opposing neodymium magnets built into the track housing instead. Under wind load the magnets separate to let the screen breathe, then pull it back into alignment when the gust passes. It's self-correcting rather than rigid, which is why it's the system we reach for on wide or exposed openings. It also uses no zippers, which removes the other common wear point.
More on this: Progressive Screens — how the MagnaTrack system works
Wider than most people expect. SunPro builds motorized screens from about 3 feet up to 30 feet wide, with heights up to roughly 22 feet, which covers the large majority of lanai and garage openings in one uninterrupted unit. Past that, or where a structural post lands mid-opening, we'll split the run into two units and align them so the seam falls somewhere sensible. The honest constraint usually isn't the manufacturer's maximum — it's your header and what it's attached to, since that's what carries the load.
More on this: SunPro motorized screen specifications
The systems we install use Somfy and Dooya motors — the two names you'll find behind most quality motorized shading worldwide, which matters because it means parts and service still exist in ten years. Operation can be a handheld remote, a wall switch, or your phone, and these motors integrate with common smart-home platforms including voice control. Scheduled presets are straightforward: screens down at 4pm when the west sun hits, up again after sunset. If you already run a particular home automation system, tell us at the consultation and we'll confirm compatibility before anything is ordered.
More on this: SunPro — motors, controls & automation
Yes, and it's a genuinely different product from an insect screen. Fenetex builds a heavy-duty retractable screen line engineered for extreme conditions, using high-strength woven fabric rather than standard mesh, and their products carry Florida Building Commission certification. Practically speaking it's a retractable system that stays out of sight until you need it, unlike panels you store in the garage and wrestle into place. Whether it's the right call depends on your exposure and what your insurer recognizes, and we'll walk through that honestly rather than upsell you into it.
More on this: Fenetex product line & certifications
Colors, Finishes & Accessories
It depends on the product. Screen enclosure frames come in white or bronze — those are the two that suit a pool cage, and between them they sit comfortably against almost any Florida elevation. Pergolas open up considerably: our most-requested are Charcoal, Alabaster, Bronze, and Woodgrain Teak, and the woodgrain gives you the warmth of timber with none of the sanding, sealing, or rot. Renaissance bakes their finish onto the extrusion rather than painting over it, which is what makes the wider color range practical, so if you're matching existing trim, a roofline, or an HOA-approved palette, bring us the color and we'll tell you honestly whether we can hit it. Either way we'd rather leave physical samples with you than ask you to choose from a screen.
More on this: Renaissance Patio — finishes
On pergolas, that's exactly what the baked-on finish is for: Renaissance bonds the color to the aluminum under heat instead of spraying it on top, and our pergola finishes carry a lifetime finish warranty against chalking, fading, and coastal corrosion. Screen enclosure frames are a different animal — white and bronze are factory finishes on the extrusion itself, and they hold up in coastal air without any upkeep beyond an occasional rinse. The chalky, washed-out look you sometimes see a mile from the water is what happens when a cheap coating goes onto a cheap frame, which is the part we won't do.
More than most people expect — and it is far cheaper to plan it in now than to retrofit later. Integrated perimeter and beam-mounted lighting with no visible fixtures. Wired-in fan mounts for year-round comfort. Retractable side screens for wind, sun, and bugs on demand. Concealed gutters and downspouts that channel rain through the beam structure instead of sheeting off the edge. Structural allowances and gas or electrical rough-in for a grill or full outdoor kitchen. Tell us at the consultation how you picture using the space, and we'll design the provisions in from the start.
Approvals, HOA & Code
For enclosures and pergolas, nearly always yes — Florida takes attached structures seriously, and rightly so. You don't handle any of it. We produce the sealed engineering drawings, submit the application, coordinate with your municipality, and see it through to final inspection. Roll-down screens vary depending on the system and whether we're attaching to an existing structure or a new one; we'll confirm exactly what your project and municipality require during the consultation, before you commit to anything.
Yes — Al walks you through the whole thing personally. Most architectural review boards ask for the same handful of items: a drawing showing size and placement, the finish color, product specifications, and often a site plan marking setbacks. Al provides the diagrams, drawings, and forms you need so your packet goes in complete the first time, rather than leaving you to assemble it and hope. You submit it as the homeowner, since that's how nearly every association requires it, but you won't be guessing at what belongs in the envelope. One piece of advice from experience: start the HOA submission early and in parallel with the building department, because review boards often meet only once a month, and that meeting date — not our fabrication schedule — is frequently what ends up setting your start date.
Yours specifically — not a generic number off a brochure. Every structure is engineered to current Florida Building Code wind-load requirements for your address and exposure category, which is why a home on open water gets different engineering than one tucked into an inland subdivision. We build to Miami-Dade NOA standards, among the strictest in the country. If a contractor quotes you a single wind rating without knowing your address, that is worth a second look.
You can look it up yourself, and we'd encourage it — this is public information and it's the fastest way to separate a real product from a sales claim. Florida maintains a statewide product approval database searchable by manufacturer or by FL approval number. Miami-Dade runs its own Product Control section that issues the Notice of Acceptance, the NOA you'll hear referenced constantly down here, and those are searchable too. Ask any contractor for the approval number on what they're proposing. If they can't produce one, or the number doesn't match what shows up in the database, you've learned something important for free.
More on this: Florida Building Code — statewide product approval search Miami-Dade County — Product Control & NOA search
Installation & What to Expect
Design and engineering typically run 1–2 weeks once you approve the design. Municipal approval is the variable nobody controls — often 3–6 weeks depending on your jurisdiction. After approval is in hand, fabrication and installation usually take 2–4 weeks. So a pergola or enclosure is realistically a two-to-three-month project start to finish, and most of that is paperwork rather than construction. Rescreens and straightforward roll-down retrofits move considerably faster.
Our crews stage material, protect your deck and pool, and work in the smallest footprint they can manage. Most residential installs are a matter of days, not weeks. You don't need to take time off or be home throughout, though we do want you there at the start to confirm placement and at the end for the walkthrough. We haul our own debris out. And we finish with a full walkthrough — how to operate the motors, what to rinse, what to watch for — before we consider the job done.
Our own, on every job. We cut and join the extrusions in our own shop, apply the finish ourselves, and our crews deliver and install — never subcontracted out. That's why the person who measured your opening is connected to the person who installs it, and why we can stand behind the work without pointing at someone else. We're a Florida State Certified Contractor, bonded, and carry general liability and workers' comp insurance. Ask any contractor you're considering for proof of both.
Insurance & Home Value
Possibly, in both directions, and you should call your agent before you sign anything — not after. Adding a permanent structure raises the insured value of your property, which can raise your premium. Working the other way, Florida law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for verified wind-mitigation features, documented through a wind mitigation inspection on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, which stays valid for up to five years. Be careful about what qualifies, though: a standard screen enclosure is generally not treated as opening protection, while certain rated storm screen systems may be. We won't promise you a discount, because that's your carrier's call and not ours. What we will do is give you the product approval numbers and documentation your agent or inspector asks for.
More on this: Florida DFS — consumer guide to hurricane mitigation discounts (PDF) My Safe Florida Home — state inspection & grant program
Usually yes on appeal, and more variably on dollar-for-dollar recovery — anyone who quotes you a precise percentage is guessing. Outdoor living projects consistently rank well for buyer appeal and owner satisfaction in the industry research, and in Florida specifically a usable screened or shaded outdoor space reads to buyers as living area rather than decoration. The bigger factor is one people overlook: a permitted, engineered, code-compliant structure with paperwork behind it appraises and inspects very differently from an unpermitted one a previous owner threw up. Unpermitted work routinely turns into a problem at closing. That's a real part of the value of doing it properly the first time.
More on this: National Association of REALTORS® — Remodeling Impact Report
For the DIY-Minded
Honestly? A small manual screen on a square, plumb opening is a reasonable weekend project if you're handy. Past that, here's what catches people. The tracks have to be dead parallel and plumb — a quarter inch of taper over a twelve-foot drop will bind the fabric or let it walk out of the track. The fabric has to be tensioned correctly on the roller or it telescopes to one side over a season. Motorized units need a proper limit-switch setup so the motor stops where it should. And the header has to be structurally attached to something real, not just fascia board — that's the connection that fails in wind, and it fails all at once. Worth knowing too: most manufacturer warranties on motors and fabric are void on self-installs. We're glad to talk it through either way; if you're going to do it yourself, we'd rather you do it right.
Yes, and plenty of homeowners do — it's one of the more DIY-friendly jobs in this trade. You're pulling the old spline, laying new mesh, and rolling fresh spline into the channel. Two things decide whether it still looks good a year later: tension and spline size. Too tight and you'll dimple the frame and stress the corners; too loose and it ripples and flaps in wind. Use the spline size that matches your channel rather than whatever's on the shelf, and do the large panels with a second set of hands. Where we'd tell you to call instead of climbing up there: chalky white powder at the fasteners, cracking at the corners, or any bowing in the uprights. That's the frame talking, and new screen stretched over a failing frame is money spent twice. We'll assess the frame and tell you straight whether it's worth rescreening or replacing.
Warranty & Maintenance
Two layers. There's our workmanship on the structure and the installation, and there's the manufacturer's warranty on the products themselves — motors, hardware, screen systems, and louvered roof components from the brands we install. Those terms are set by the manufacturer and vary by system; SunPro, for instance, publishes lifetime coverage on hardware, up to 15 years on fabric depending on the brand, and 5 years on motors and controls. On pergolas specifically, that's a 10-year structural warranty and a lifetime finish warranty covering chalking, fading, and coastal corrosion. Exact terms depend on the system you choose, and they are spelled out in writing on your estimate rather than promised verbally and forgotten. If something isn't right afterward, you call the same number you called the first time.
More on this: SunPro — published warranty terms
Very little — that's most of the point of aluminum. Rinse the frame and screens a few times a year, more often if you're on salt water, and hose out the tracks on roll-down and louvered systems so grit doesn't build up in them. Once a year, run the motors through a full cycle and check the hardware. That is genuinely the whole list. No sanding, no staining, no sealing, no rot, no termites. If you've owned a wood pergola before, this is the part you'll appreciate most.