Most contractors will not give you a number over the phone. We publish ours, so here it is.
Pool cage installation in Southwest Florida starts at $11 per square foot for a standard enclosure, or $12.50 per square foot for open-view panoramic. Both figures are starting rates. Upgrades layer on top.
That answers the question, but it does not tell you what your cage will cost, because the square footage on a pool cage quote is not the number most people assume. That part is worth understanding before you compare quotes, because it is where confusion and lowball pricing both live.
Square Footage Means Screened Surface, Not Pool Deck
This is the single biggest misunderstanding in pool cage pricing.
When you hear “per square foot” for flooring or roofing, it means floor area. For a screen enclosure it means the surface area of the structure itself: the walls plus the roof. You are buying screen, aluminum and labour to cover a three-dimensional shape, not to cover the ground.
Here is how it works out. Take a cage measuring 20 feet wide by 30 feet long by 8 feet tall:
- Two side walls: 20 x 8, twice, is 320 sq ft
- Rear wall: 30 x 8 is 240 sq ft
- Roof, including a 2 foot overhang: 22 x 30 is 660 sq ft
- Total screened surface: 1,220 sq ft
The pool deck underneath is 600 sq ft. The enclosure is 1,220 sq ft. It is slightly more than double, and the ratio shifts further as the cage gets taller.
So if a contractor quotes you “$X per square foot,” the first question is which square footage they mean. A rate that looks cheap against deck area and a rate that looks expensive against surface area can be the exact same price.
Worked Examples
Real totals from our own calculator, for three common cage sizes. These use standard 18/14 screen, a mansard roof and the 5 inch super gutter that comes included.
| Cage size (W x L x H) | Screened surface | Standard | Panoramic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 x 30 x 8 ft | 1,220 sq ft | $13,420 to $14,762 | $15,250 to $16,775 |
| 25 x 40 x 10 ft | 1,980 sq ft | $21,780 to $23,958 | $24,750 to $27,225 |
| 30 x 50 x 12 ft | 2,920 sq ft | $32,120 to $35,332 | $36,500 to $40,150 |
The bottom of each range is the calculated price. The top is 10% higher, which covers the things that only become visible once we are on site: footer conditions, slab edge quality, access for materials, and whatever the previous installer did.
We quote the floor as the actual floor. If your job comes in at the bottom of the range, that is the price.
What Is Included at the Base Rate
Both packages include:
- Aluminum framing engineered to current wind load requirements for your address
- 18/14 standard screen mesh
- Mansard roof design
- 5 inch super gutter
- Permit and inspections
The difference between the two packages is the wall design. Standard uses conventional framing. Panoramic uses open-view wall panels with fewer vertical members, which costs more per square foot because the spans are longer and the structure has to carry more with less.
What Adds Cost
In rough order of how often it comes up:
Screen upgrades, around $500. Moving from 18/14 standard to 20/20 no-see-um, or to a pet-resistant mesh. Worth it if you have no-see-um problems or pets that go at the screens.
Larger super gutter. The 5 inch is included. Seven and ten inch options cost more and are worth it on larger roof areas where water volume is genuinely higher.
Doors. Screen doors and pet doors are priced individually.
Location. This is the one that does not show up as a line item on a calculator but is real. Barrier island and canal-front properties need stainless fasteners and, on the islands, heavier structure to meet higher wind loading. A Siesta Key cage genuinely costs more than the same cage six miles inland, and any contractor quoting both at the same rate has not accounted for the location.
Roof style. Mansard is included. Flat and custom shapes price differently.
Why Cheap Quotes Are Usually Cheap for a Reason
If a quote comes in far under these numbers, one of a few things is generally true:
- The fasteners are not stainless. This is the most common corner cut and the most expensive one near salt water, because screws fail long before aluminum does and the connections are what carry storm load.
- The permit is not included, or not being pulled at all. An unpermitted enclosure surfaces when you sell the house, and an insurer can decline to cover it after a storm.
- The structure is engineered to the minimum. Legal, but it is the difference between a cage that survives a storm and one that does not.
- The square footage being quoted is deck area, and the real total will arrive later.
We have written separately about why the cheapest quote often costs the most.
Rescreening Is a Different Calculation Entirely
Everything above is for a new enclosure. If your frame is sound and only the screen has failed, you are looking at a much smaller number, because you are buying mesh, spline and labour rather than a structure.
The decision between the two is not always obvious, and getting it wrong is expensive in both directions. We cover how to assess it in rescreening versus full replacement.
Get Your Actual Number
The rates above are real, but your cage is not one of our three examples. Put your own dimensions into the cost estimator and it will give you a range in about a minute, with no contact details required to see the number.
If you would rather have someone measure it properly, schedule a free on-site estimate. We cover Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee, Lee and Collier counties.
