How to Screen Your Patio or Breezeway

It can be a challenge to screen a patio or breezeway.

Have you ever wanted, more than ever, to screen your patio or breezeway after spending some otherwise down time slapping away mosquitoes, flies and bees? It can be done. If so, the following information will provide you with an idea of what this project entails.

Instructions

1. Plan your project first. Measure the area that will need to be enclosed. Locate the door position and indicate which panels are to be open and which are to be closed for privacy or protection from wind and weather.

2. Build panel frames or get a contractor to do this step for you. Know the exact measurements of the frames you need and how to construct them. Also, consider purchasing a privacy panel and a door panel, complete with door and hardware.

3. Paint the frames (that is, if you have created the panel frames from scratch), or include this step in the list of things you would like the contractor to do for you. Paint a good outside coat, followed by two finish coats of an exterior non-chalking paint in the color you like.

4. Apply screening to frames if you are doing this yourself. After the paint dries, place the screening over the frame. A stapling gun is best used for this job.

5. Stand the panels up, and clamp together two at a time. Once again you will be doing this step if you are not hiring an outside contractor. If you have a roofless patio, consider erecting a custom-designed roof to fit the panels.

6. Check the patio or breezeway floor with a carpenter's level before fastening screens to the existing porch or patio.

7. Layout your patio floor if covering the area with a ready-mixed concrete. Be sure it is square, and all measurements are taken. Use string lines to help establish the corners. With the string lines in place, you can dig the footing and build forms without losing the corner locations.

8. Install screening by attaching the first panel to the house, making certain it is vertical. Locate and drill holes to hold the panels down. You will continue around the edge of the patio fitting hold-down bolts and bolting panels together.

9. When all the panels are up, you will frame your roof beginning along a frame or brick wall, then securing it. Various roof tops are used to complete this project, such as shingles for a low-sloping roof.

10. Seal roof joints. The simplest joint to seal is that between the patio roof and wood siding.

Tips & Warnings

• Modular screen panels made of either galvanized, fiberglass or aluminum will be needed. The choice is up to you. Most old patios require at least six panels and about nine or 10 for breezeways. Work out the number of panels needed and the lumber required. A sales clerk can help you with the kind of cut you will need and how much to buy.

• Don't attempt this project if you have never done anything like this before. There are too many detailed steps required to complete this project to mention here. However, this simple overview lets you know what to expect if you should hire a contractor to complete this job for you.