A screened porch might be the best square footage you can add to a home in the Pensacola area. It’s the difference between enjoying your backyard from May through October and surrendering it to mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and 4 p.m. downpours. But “screened-in porch cost” covers three very different projects with three very different price tags, and knowing which one you’re actually pricing is half the battle.
Cat5 Exteriors & Construction builds screened porches, covered decks, and outdoor living spaces across Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, from our shop at 4605 W. Jackson St. in Pensacola. Here’s how the numbers really break down in 2026.
Screening an existing covered porch: roughly $2,500–$6,500. If you already have a roof and a slab or deck, this is the fast, affordable win. The range depends on square footage, the screen system and mesh you choose, and how many doors you want. Most of these are done in a few days.
Converting an open deck or patio with a new roof and screens: roughly $15,000–$35,000. This is the most common project we quote around Pensacola: taking the deck or patio you already use half the year and making it usable all year. The jump in price comes from the roof — a structure that has to tie into your home correctly and carry Gulf Coast wind loads, which means engineering, permits, and inspections.
Building a new screened porch from scratch: roughly $25,000–$60,000+. Foundation or footings, framing, roof, screens, and finishes, built as a new addition to the home. Size, roof style, and finish level (tongue-and-groove ceilings, fans, lighting, outdoor kitchens) set where you land in the range.
12×14 existing porch, screened with a door (common on Warrington and Ferry Pass ranch homes): roughly $3,000–$5,000
14×20 deck conversion with a shed roof, screens, fan, and lighting (typical Pace or Navarre backyard): roughly $18,000–$28,000
16×24 new gable-roof screened porch with tongue-and-groove ceiling (Gulf Breeze, Perdido Key): roughly $35,000–$55,000+
Waterfront projects trend toward the top of every range because we spec tighter mesh, heavier corrosion protection, and stronger anchoring for direct exposure.
The roof connection. This is where the money goes and where cheap builds fail. Tying a porch roof into your home the right way — through-bolted, properly flashed, engineered for wind uplift — protects both the porch and the wall behind it. Ledgers lag-screwed on without flashing quietly rot the house framing; we open up walls like that every year.
Wind engineering and permits. A roofed porch in our wind zone needs footings sized for uplift, rated hardware at every connection, and a permit with inspections in either county. It’s not optional, and it’s what keeps the structure attached to your house in a named storm. How we handle permitting is covered on our contractor FAQ page.
Screen choice matters more here than most places. Standard fiberglass mesh is fine inland. Near the water in Gulf Breeze, Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, and Navarre, tighter no-see-um mesh (20×20) is worth every penny. Pet-resistant screening and heavier Super Screen products cost more and shrug off dogs, kids, and windblown debris. Motorized retractable screens are the premium option — walls that disappear on nice evenings.
What’s under your feet. A porch over an existing slab is cheaper than one needing new footings. If we’re converting a deck, the framing below has to be sound enough to carry a roof; if it isn’t, we’ll tell you before we build on it, not after.
Finish level. Bare rafters with screen is one budget; tongue-and-groove ceiling, ceiling fans, recessed lighting, and a TV wall is another. Neither is wrong — but decide before the quote so you’re comparing the same porch.
Sometimes the best answer isn’t a traditional screened porch. A covered composite deck with retractable screens gives you the same protection with a different look. A motorized louvered pergola with screen tracks opens fully to the sky on perfect evenings and seals against rain in seconds — the closest thing to an outdoor room you can build.
Because Cat5 builds decks, pergolas, porches, and the concrete under all of them in-house, we’ll price your yard against all three options instead of selling you the only thing we build. Often the right answer is a combination: new stamped patio, roof over half, screens around it.
Does a screened porch need a permit in Pensacola? If it has a roof or attaches to the house, yes — Escambia and Santa Rosa both require permits and wind-load compliance. Simple re-screening of an existing porch typically doesn’t.
How long does it take to build? Re-screening: a few days. Deck conversions and new porches: typically two to four weeks once permits are approved, depending on scope.
Will it survive a hurricane? Built right — engineered footings, rated connections, flashed and bolted ledger — the structure is designed for our wind zone. Screens themselves are the sacrificial layer; mesh panels are inexpensive to replace after a storm, which is exactly how the system is supposed to work.
Does a screened porch add home value? In this climate, outdoor living space is one of the most requested features on Pensacola-area listings. It won’t return dollar-for-dollar like few projects do, but it’s consistently one of the most-used additions we build, and documented, permitted construction matters at resale.
Do you offer financing? Ask during your estimate — we’ll walk through the options.
The ranges above get you budgeting; a real number takes a walk around your slab, deck, or yard. Cat5 Exteriors & Construction designs and builds screened porches, covered decks, and outdoor living spaces across Pensacola, East Hill, Warrington, Ferry Pass, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, Cantonment, Beulah, Pace, Milton, and Navarre — engineered for storm season, permitted, and backed by a written workmanship warranty.
We’ll look at what you have, show you every option that fits your budget, and give you a free, itemized written estimate. Call (850) 943-4333 or request a free estimate online. Open 24 hours, Monday through Saturday.