Types of Pool Screen Enclosure Explained

Screen enclosures are usually described by their roof shape, and that shape determines headroom, cost, how the structure sheds debris and how it sits against the house. The four you will encounter in Central Florida are flat or shed, mansard, gable and dome. This is about the structure — for what to put in it, see mesh types compared.

Flat and shed roof

The simplest and least expensive. A single plane, either level or gently sloped away from the house. Common on smaller enclosures and on screened porches and lanais attached directly to a wall.

The trade-off is headroom and drainage. A low flat roof over a pool feels enclosed, and debris tends to sit rather than slide off, which matters a great deal under tree canopy.

Mansard

The most common pool cage shape in Florida. Angled sections rise from the walls to a flat centre section, so you get considerably more height over the pool without the cost of a full pitched structure.

It is the sensible default for most houses: better headroom than a flat roof, better debris shedding on the angled sections, and moderate cost. If you have a conventional Florida pool cage, it is almost certainly a mansard.

Gable

A true pitched roof with a ridge, like a house roof. Substantially more height at the centre, a more architectural look, and much better debris shedding.

It costs more — more material, more complex framing, more labour — and it suits two-storey houses and larger properties where a low cage would look wrong. On a modest single-storey house it can look out of proportion.

Dome

Curved sections forming a rounded roof. The most distinctive and the most expensive, and the most involved to rescreen because of the number of curved panels.

Worth knowing before you buy one: every future rescreen on a dome costs more than the equivalent mansard, because panel count and complexity are higher for the same footprint.

How to tell what you have

Stand back and look at the roof line against the sky. One flat plane is a flat or shed roof. Angled sides rising to a flat top is a mansard. A ridge running down the middle is a gable. Curves are a dome.

It is worth knowing when you call for a quote, because it affects panel count and therefore price more than the footprint does.

Choosing for a new build

Match the house rather than the catalogue. A gable on a single-storey ranch usually looks wrong; a flat roof on a two-storey house usually looks mean. Mansard suits most Florida houses, which is why most Florida houses have one.

Then think about trees. If you are under canopy, the shedding advantage of angled and pitched roofs is worth real money over the life of the enclosure.