How to Enclose Patios

An enclosed patio provides hours of summertime enjoyment.

An outdoor patio extends the living space of a home and provides a setting for family gatherings in pleasant weather. Enclosing the patio gives people protection from insects while making the area feel like an additional room rather than an open space. With a little planning, enclosing a patio can be a rewarding do-it-yourself project for homeowners.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Graph paper
• Mesh screening or screen panels
• Treated two-by-fours
• Treated 2-by-6-inch lumber
• Hammer
• Galvanized nails
• Exterior deck screws
• Paint or stain
• Paintbrush
• Running trim

Instructions

1. Check with the planning department in your town to find out about safety code requirements and obtain a building permit if necessary. Your community may also have regulations about patio enclosures. Measure the patio carefully and draw the area to scale on graph paper, using 1 inch to represent 1 foot. Take note of the width between existing patio columns.

2. Select the screens or screen panels with qualities suitable for your patio. A mesh size of 18 by 14 (18 openings across and 14 openings down per square inch) keeps out common insects, and aluminum screening is affordable, durable and resistant to corrosion. Determine the width of the screening you will need based on the width between columns. If the columns are more than 4 feet apart, add framing to make the screen installation easier.

3. Install treated two-by-fours for a sole plate and a top plate affixed to the floor and the ceiling. Frame the area for screening with two-by-fours by cutting them to the length from the sole plate to the top plate. Nail them so they're plumb. If the columns are more than 4 feet apart, add framing. Box out the columns with 2-by-6-inch lumber if the columns are rounded or tapered to create a flat area to attach the screening. Miter the studs to match the bottom and top plates.

4. Paint or stain the framing with a paintbrush. Use exterior deck screws to attach screening or screen panels to the porch posts installed in concrete. Finish your patio enclosure by installing running trim.

Tips & Warnings

• Use black screening to prevent glare.

• Attach two-by-fours to the exterior of the house if it has siding to create a flat surface.

• Some screening kits require screwing the screen track to the porch columns and stretching the screen across the frame.

• Make sure the width between columns is 4 feet or less.

References

• Front Porch Ideas and More: Building a Screened In Porch
• Front Porch Ideas and More: Porch Screening Guide