Someone asked us last week whether we could “just enclose” their existing concrete patio. Simple enough question. Except “enclose” can mean about four different things, and the right answer depends entirely on what they actually want to do with the space once it’s closed in.
That’s the part people searching for “patio enclosures” usually haven’t sorted out yet. They know they want the space usable more of the year, or bug-free, or a little more protected from the afternoon sun. They don’t necessarily know that the term covers a handful of genuinely different builds with different costs, different permitting requirements, and different day-to-day experiences.
Screen Enclosures
This is the lightest option, and usually what people picture first. A screen enclosure is a frame, typically aluminum, with screening stretched across it instead of glass or solid panels. It keeps bugs and falling leaves out while letting air move through freely. In Augusta’s climate, that airflow matters. A fully sealed structure without ventilation traps heat and humidity in a way that makes a patio less usable in July, not more.
Screen enclosures are also the most forgiving option if your existing patio slab isn’t perfectly level or square. Because the structure is relatively light and doesn’t need to seal airtight, it’s more tolerant of the quirks that come with an older concrete pour.
Vinyl and Solid Panel Enclosures
One step up from screening, vinyl or solid panel systems give you removable or fixed panels instead of mesh. Some are designed to come out in warmer months and go back in for winter, which gives you a screen room in summer and a windbreak in cooler months without committing to full glass. Panel systems tend to hold up better against wind-driven rain than screening does, which matters if your patio faces the direction our afternoon storms tend to roll in from.
Glass Enclosures (Three and Four Season Rooms)
This is the enclosure option that starts to blur into “addition” territory. Glass panels, real insulation, sometimes a standalone heating or cooling source. A three season room typically skips the insulation and heavy climate control but gives you glass instead of screen, so you get views and wind protection without the bugs, usable most of the year but not built to fight a hard winter. A four season room is closer to genuinely finished living space, insulated and conditioned, which also means it’s the most expensive option and usually needs a more substantial foundation than a screen enclosure ever would.
What Actually Determines the Right Choice
Three things drive this more than personal taste:
How you actually use the space. If the appeal is morning coffee without mosquitoes, a screen enclosure gets you there for a fraction of what a glass room costs. If you want a space that functions like an extra room, screen isn’t going to get you there no matter how nice the furniture is.
Your existing patio’s foundation. A slab that’s already solid, level, and properly drained can support any of these options. A patio that was poured without much thought toward drainage might need work before you enclose it with anything more permanent than screening, since trapped moisture under a sealed structure causes problems a fully open patio never had.
How much of the year you actually want to use it. Augusta gives you a long stretch of genuinely pleasant weather, but our summers are hot enough that an unshaded, unenclosed patio sits empty for a good chunk of the year. Screen and panel enclosures extend that usable window significantly without the cost of full glass.
The Question Worth Asking Before You Call Anyone
Before you get quotes, figure out what a bad day looks like in the space you’re picturing. Bad day being bugs, bad day being wind-driven rain, bad day being July heat with no air movement. Whichever bad day bothers you most points you toward the right category of enclosure faster than any spec sheet will. From there, it’s a conversation about your specific slab, your specific yard, and what actually fits both.