Screened Porch Cost Calculator

Worked example

With these inputs:

• Porch length: 16 ft
• Porch depth: 12 ft
• Wall height to screen: 8 ft
• What already exists: Building the whole thing new
• Screen system: Traditional spline in wood frames — cheapest
• Sides being screened: 3 sides
• Who is building it: Contractor — materials and labour

Screening an existing covered porch is by far the cheapest route — the roof is the expensive part and it is already paid for. Budget for kick panels along the bottom if you have pets or children, since the lowest two feet of screen take nearly all the damage. Ranges are national and vary by region; get itemised quotes.

How it works

Prices a screened porch as a porch plus a screening system, because the screen is the part people underestimate — the framing, the spline or panel system, the door and the kick panels all add up separately from the roof.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to screen in a porch?

If the roof already exists, screening it in is the cheap version of this project — you are buying framing, the screen system and a door rather than a structure. If you are starting from an open deck or from nothing, the roof dominates the cost and the screens are a modest addition on top.

What is the cheapest way to screen a porch?

Traditional screen stapled and splined into site-built wood frames. It costs the least in materials and is well within DIY range. The trade-off is repairs: when a panel tears you re-spline that whole frame, whereas a track system lets you replace one section in minutes.

What screen material should I use?

Fibreglass is the default — cheap, easy to work and does not crease. Aluminium is more durable but dents and shows every mistake. Pet-resistant screen is roughly seven times stronger and worth it for the lower panels if you have a dog. Solar screen cuts heat noticeably but darkens the porch.

Do I need a permit to screen in a porch?

Screening an existing roofed porch often does not need one, because you are not changing the structure. Building the roof does. Rules vary a lot by jurisdiction, and some treat enclosing a porch as adding conditioned-adjacent space — worth one phone call to the building department before you start.

Should I add kick panels?

If you have pets or young children, yes. The bottom 18 to 24 inches of screen takes almost all the damage — paws, toys, mower debris, feet. A solid kick panel in that zone means you replace a scuffed board occasionally instead of re-screening every season.