How to Screen in a Porch

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 01/25/22
Reviewed by
Johnathan Brewer
Johnathan Brewer
Reviewed by Johnathan Brewer
Johnathan C. Brewer II is a licensed general contractor specializing in kitchen, bath remodels, and general construction with two decades of professional experience.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Fact checked by
Emily Estep
Emily Estep
Fact checked by Emily Estep

Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics including environmental science and houseplants.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Screened In Porch DIY

Jon Lovette / Getty Images

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 2 hrs
  • Total Time: 2 hrs, 30 mins
  • Yield: Two panels covering 8 linear feet
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Estimated Cost: $100 to $150

One of the joys of fair weather seasons is relaxing on a porch and talking with friends, swinging, reading, or listening to music. But insects never seem interested in your privacy. It takes only a few mosquitos or flies to drive everyone indoors.

Instead of being an exile from your porch, lay claim to it again by screening it in. A DIY screened-in porch keeps the bugs out and removes annoying hassles while letting you enjoy your porch again. And, fortunately, screening in a porch isn't as difficult as you may think.

Basics of Screening in a Porch

Porches have flooring, a roof, posts, and often a hand railing and balusters. With so many structural elements, it may seem like a simple matter to staple down screen material across the front of your porch. While this is possible, you will obtain cleaner, more professional results by using individual wood-framed screen panels as the building blocks, and attaching those panels to the porch.

Build as few or as many screen panels as you need. You can construct the panels off-site and then move them to your porch for installation or use the porch floor as your workshop. Another advantage of building screen panels is that you can remove the screens when fall and winter set in. This helps to protect the screens, increasing their lifespan.

Costs of Screening in a Porch

If you have a sturdy porch already, adding the screens and supports to enclose it is relatively simple. Depending on the cost of materials in your area, it should cost between $100 and $150 if you plan to do the work yourself.

Enclosing or screening in an existing porch is much more affordable than building a brand new porch. If you do not have a porch or patio that can be screened in, you will have to build a brand new screened-in porch, which could cost as much as thousands of dollars, depending on what kind of porch you want.

Codes and Regulations

Many municipalities require homeowners to obtain a permit before screening in a porch. This is especially the case in historically designated zones. Alterations to the facade (or even the back) of a house in a community controlled by a housing association will nearly always require board approval.

When to Screen in a Porch

Because the screen panels do not have to be constructed on-site, much of the work can be done in a garage or workroom, making this an ideal way to get a head-start during winter months. Otherwise, spring tends to be the best time to build a screened-in porch.

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What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Speed Square
  • Circular saw
  • Cordless drill
  • Six-foot step ladder
  • Laser level
  • Carpenter's pencil
  • Staple gun

Materials

  • 9 8-foot pressure-treated two-by-twos
  • 1 48-inch by 25-foot fiberglass window screen
  • 2 1/2 inch screws
  • 3 1/2-inch Bolts and matching washers and wing nuts
  • 16 3-inch zinc corner braces

Instructions

  1. Cut Screen Panel Boards

    With the electric miter saw, cut a two-by-two in half, producing two 4-foot boards. These will be the top and bottom rails for one panel. Repeat for the second panel.

  2. Install a Nailing Board on the Floor

    Use the cordless drill to drill four pilot holes through one of the 4-foot two-by-twos. Switch to a driver bit and drive the 2 1/2-inch screws through the two-by-two and into the face of the floor.

    For a finished look, step back the board 1 1/2 inches from the leading edge of the flooring. This will allow the bottom edge of the screen panel to be flush with the outer edge of the flooring.

    Tip

    Using galvanized screws and other fasteners can prevent rust and lengthen the life of the screened-in porch.

  3. Install a Nailing Board on the Ceiling

    Similar to the nailed board on the porch floor, add a two-by-two nailing board to the ceiling. Use the plumb feature on the laser level to strike a plumb vertical line between the bottom and top boards.

  4. Measure Porch Ceiling Height

    With the tape measure, measure the height of the porch ceiling. Transfer this measurement to the 8-foot two-by-twos and cut to size.

    Tip

    Because the two 4-foot boards represent the top and bottom of the panel, subtract 1 1/2 inches from the ceiling height measurement before cutting the 8-foot boards on the miter saw.

  5. Construct the Panel Frame

    Make a rectangular screen panel frame, using two 4-foot boards at the very top and bottom and two longer boards for the vertical pieces. Construct the frame with the four metal braces and the screws included in the packet. Maintain square with the Speed Square. Repeat for the second frame.

  6. Add a Center Rail

    To provide a visual stop so that users do not walk into the screen, and for some additional structural support, add a horizontal center rail to each panel. Each rail will be cut to 45 inches on the miter saw. Place each rail at around the 40- to 48-inch high mark—wherever looks best to your eye. Secure each rail in place with four metal corner braces. Repeat for the second frame.

  7. Add the Screen Material

    Stretch the screen material across the face of a panel and then down on the sides. Keep the screen tight as you staple it down to the sides. Fiberglass screen is pliable, so you should be able to wrap it back, much like wrapping a package. Keep the screen tight and flat against all sides. Cut off excess with scissors.

  8. Create Holes for the Bolts

    Have an assistant push one of the screen panels tightly up against the floor and ceiling nailing boards. Using the six-foot step ladder, drill two holes at the top of the panel, all the way through the panel and the nailing board behind it. Back on the ground, do this again (two holes) for the floor section. Repeat for the second panel.

  9. Insert Bolts in the Screen Panels

    Have the assistant maintain pressure on the panel as you slip the four 3 1/2-inch bolts through the four holes, adding washers and wing nuts to the back. Do the same for the other panel.

Tips for Screening in a Porch

  • For the sake of appearance, if you would like to use wood that is not pressure-treated, you should treat the outside of the wood with a weatherproof coating.
  • It is vital to keep the screen material tight on the sides of the panels, as bumps may create holes through which insects can enter the screened-in porch.
  • Do not assume that the floor-to-ceiling height is the same throughout the entire porch. Instead, measure separately for each screen panel.