Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 1/5/2005

Question
Hi Richard, nice name. I am a volunteer in Insurance Law. In a couple of months I will be the sole owner of a house in Port Richey, Florida which is on the West Coast. My wife and I plan on putting a 24'x15' pool in the backyard. Our soon to be neighbors have one and have it enclosed by a huge screen room which is around 36'x36'or larger. This baby is built so well that even the three hurricanes this past summer weren't even a scare for the owners! There is a glass sliding door from the house into our future backyard. Any help you can give me regarding how much an undertaking such as this would cost,the type of materials that should be used etc.would be greatly appreciated. Would 15K not counting the pool be about right? That huge yard would only be a headache to maintain anyway and my wife and I really LOVE backyard pools! Thanks in advance!

Answer
Richard:

Thanks for your question!

The screened pool enclosures you're talking about are aluminum-framed with vinyl screening.  They're typically custom-made for each situation, so the cost varies on each project.

Florida is full of pool enclosure companies (check the Port Richey yellow pages) and I'm sure most of them would be happy to come out and give you estimates on site.  You also might call local swimming pool contractors and ask who they'd recommend.

There's also a company in Cape Coral that does really big pool enclosures (www.abacoaluminum.com) that you might check out.

Get three or four different companies to come out and give you prices; check out their work and references; and make sure you have a good contract with no loose ends.  Don't go for the cheapest; go for the best value.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com