Building a Custom Screen Lanai in Clewiston, FL

The Project

The goal was straightforward: screen in the rear lanai of a new home and keep the finished enclosure looking like it belonged there from day one. We used a bronze frame color to work with the darker exterior accents and built the layout around a wider-than-standard 4-foot door.

Framing the Lanai Correctly

Before anything gets screened, the frame has to be right. That means taking accurate measurements, transferring level from the top to the bottom, and accounting for the reality that concrete slabs are not always perfectly flat. On this job, the slab had enough variation that the kick plate needed a small field adjustment to sit properly without forcing the frame.

That is the kind of detail that is easy to miss in a finished photo. The homeowner sees a clean enclosure. The crew sees every small correction that made the clean finish possible.

A Custom 4-Foot Screen Door

Most of our screen doors are 36 inches wide, but this homeowner wanted more room. We special ordered a 4-foot door and framed the opening around it. Because it was not a typical prehung setup, we built the surrounding frame in the field using half Z-bar and 2x3 posts.

The wider opening gives the lanai a more comfortable entry and makes it easier to move furniture, grills, and larger items in and out of the space.

Why We Switched to No-See-Um Screen

As the job progressed, we noticed how much direct sun was hitting the lanai. The original plan did not require no-see-um mesh, but we decided to use it because the tighter weave can help cut a little more glare while also offering better protection from tiny insects.

It is not a shade system, and we do not pretend that it is. But when the conditions on a job suggest a better material choice, we would rather make the adjustment than ignore what is obvious in the field.

Finishing Details Matter

Once the screen was rolled in, we sealed the frame, finished the door hardware, checked the kick plate, and inspected the enclosure for missing screws, open joints, and anything that needed another pass. The job is not done when the screen is tight. It is done when the whole enclosure has been checked.

The finished lanai used bronze framing, 24-inch kick plate, no-see-um screen, and a custom 4-foot door. The home already had seamless gutters that our family had installed previously, so the final result tied the rear of the home together as one complete exterior system.

What Makes This Kind of Build Different

Screen lanais can look simple once they are finished. The difference is in what happens before the final screen panel goes in: knowing how to lay out the frame, dealing with an uneven slab, ordering the right door, choosing the right mesh, and catching the small details before they become callbacks.

That experience comes from years in the trade. Solid Makers has been working with screen enclosures, aluminum, gutters, and related exterior work for decades, with knowledge passed down through the family and sharpened on real jobs like this one.

Planning a Screen Lanai?

If you are considering a screen lanai for your home, the best place to start is with the layout, how you plan to use the space, what kind of door access you want, and what screen material makes sense for your property.

Learn more about our screen lanai services or contact Solid Makers to talk through your project.