The Porch Is the Face of the House
St. Petersburg's bungalows and ranch homes wear their porches proudly — and torn porch screens are visible from the street. Beyond looks, a screened porch is usable outdoor space nine months a year here. We repair and rescreen front and side porch enclosures: individual panels, full porch rescreens, and the trim and framing around them.
Porch-Specific Issues
- Street-visible damage. We prioritize appearance matching — mesh color and weave matched so repairs disappear.
- Older framing. Many St. Pete porches have decades-old aluminum or wood-framed screening. We work with what is there and tell you honestly when framing needs attention first.
- Historic districts. In Old Northeast, Kenwood, and other historic areas, exterior changes can have design expectations. Like-for-like screen repair is maintenance — but check your association or district guidelines before changing the look.
From Panels to Full Refresh
One torn panel by the door? Fixed in a visit. The whole porch gray and brittle? A full porch rescreen makes it look new. Send photos — porches quote well from pictures.
Our Process: Porch Assessment to Finished Repair
- Photos and assessment. Porches quote well from pictures — front, sides, close-ups of damage, and a shot showing the framing type.
- Framing check. Porch framing varies: aluminum, wood, even older steel. We check that the framing is sound enough to hold new screens — soft or rotted framing gets flagged before any screen work.
- Written quote. Panel repairs or full porch rescreen, mesh matched to existing, total fixed in writing.
- Repair or rescreen. Individual panels cut out and re-rolled, or the whole porch done at once for a uniform fresh look.
- Detail finish. Porches are street-visible, so we hold a higher appearance standard: matched mesh, clean lines, no wavy panels.
What Porch Screen Work Costs
Porches are compact, so the numbers are friendly. Individual panel repairs run the standard $150 to $400. Full porch rescreens typically land in the high hundreds to low thousands depending on porch size and whether the framing needs attention first. Wood-framed porches that need carpentry before screening add that trade's cost — we will tell you when a carpenter needs to go first. Starting ranges only; your written estimate is free and the final quote is fixed.
Curb Appeal Math
The front porch is in every listing photo and every neighbor's sightline. Torn porch screens broadcast neglect in a way that a torn pool-cage roof panel never does — nobody sees the roof, everybody sees the porch. For homeowners selling within a year, a porch rescreen is one of the cheapest high-impact fixes available: often under two thousand dollars to transform the face of the house. Even if you are not selling, it is the repair you see every time you come home.
Older Porch Framing: Wood, Aluminum, and Honesty
St. Pete's older porches were framed in whatever the era used — wood framing with stapled screen, early aluminum systems, some real oddballs. We work with all of it, with one rule: screens need sound framing. Wood that is soft or rotted cannot tension a screen — it needs a carpenter first, and we will tell you that plainly rather than screen over rot. Aluminum framing from the 70s and 80s is often perfectly serviceable; it just needs the right spline size and fresh mesh. We have seen most of the old systems and we know which ones are worth working with.
Porch vs. Lanai vs. Pool Cage
Homeowners sometimes ask why we treat these as different services — screen is screen, right? The differences are real: porches are street-visible (appearance standard is higher), lanais are living space (bug strategy matters most), pool cages are big structures (engineering and storm exposure dominate). Same trade, different priorities. We spec each one for what it actually is.
Screening an Open Porch for the First Time
An open porch with a good roof can usually take screens — we build the screen walls to fit the existing posts and roofline. It is one of the most satisfying projects in the trade: a porch you could only use in winter becomes a three-season room. Send photos of the porch and we will tell you if it is a screening candidate.