Patio Enclosures in Carrollton, TX

A patio enclosure is a covered patio walled in with insect screen: the breeze and the view stay, the mosquitoes, pollen and blown leaves do not. In Carrollton the build turns on patios that are often original to a 1970s or 1980s house, Blackland clay under the slab, decades-old trees, and a permit check with the city before any panel is ordered.

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Can you screen in an original Carrollton patio cover?

Often, but the cover gets inspected before the screen is ordered. Almost three-quarters of the homes standing in Carrollton in 1980 had been built during the 1970s, and the housing stock as a whole runs from 1970s through 1990s subdivisions. In neighborhoods of that age the original patio and fencing are often due for replacement.

A screen frame shows every bit of movement, so we look at the posts, the tie-in at the house and the slab first. If the posts are undersized or the roof has sagged, a new patio cover comes before the screen. If the cover is sound, screening it is a simple job.

Our patio enclosures page covers screen types, doors and pet-resistant mesh. The first item on our list of patio enclosure mistakes that cost money in DFW is anchoring a frame to a slab that is still moving, which is the main risk on a patio that is forty or fifty years old.

What does Blackland clay do to the slab under a Carrollton enclosure?

Carrollton sits on Blackland Prairie ground: deep, dark clay that swells in a wet spring and shrinks hard by August. An old slab on this clay has usually moved more than once, and a screen wall sits right on top of that slab.

The weak point is the bottom rail. If the slab has lifted or settled unevenly, a straight rail leaves a gap at the floor, and a gap lets in exactly the mosquitoes you paid to keep out. We fit the rail to the slab as it is and allow for seasonal movement rather than forcing it flat.

Where a slab has to be extended or replaced, control joints go in on purpose, not wherever the pour happens to end, so the clay’s movement shows up at a joint instead of across the middle. Walling in a patio also changes where its rainwater goes, so the grade and the downspouts are checked so that water runs away from the house, not against the new wall.

The Elm Fork of the Trinity River forms the city’s west side and puts part of Carrollton near floodplain. On a lot in that area it is worth checking the flood maps before any slab work is planned.

What does a screen room keep out under Carrollton’s older trees?

Mosquitoes first, and without spraying anything. A screen room also stops pollen and most windblown debris, which matters more on a lot with decades-old trees than on a bare new one. Most Carrollton backyards have those trees, along with established fence lines.

Along the Elm Fork the river is flanked by a timbered strip of elm, oak and willow, and older trees from that same mix stand on many lots. Where an older oak survives, it is an asset. Its root zone is marked before any digging, and its shade goes into the layout. Under that canopy the screen keeps leaves and spring catkins off the patio floor.

An established fence line also decides how the crew and material get to the backyard, so we check the gate and the path at the first visit. Our post on what a screened enclosure keeps out in Texas lists what mesh stops, what it only partly stops, and the one thing it never does.

Screen room, sunroom or all-season room: which fits a Carrollton patio?

Start with the complaint. If it is bugs on spring and fall evenings, a screen room solves it and keeps the open air. If it is heat in August, screen does nothing, because mesh does not stop temperature.

A screen room: open air, no bugs, best under a sound existing cover.
Removable or sliding panels: block cold wind and add months of use without a full glass room.
A sunroom: glass walls under a solid roof.
An all-season room: insulated walls, roof and glazing tied into heating and cooling, for both August and January.

In Carrollton, enclosures and sunrooms both draw a lot of interest, and the two are often the same decision at different budgets. On an older patio with mature shade, a screen room is usually the right first step, and a sunroom is the upgrade if the room ends up getting used year round.

Do I need a Carrollton permit, and what does an enclosure cost?

An enclosure attaches to the house and often picks up fans or lighting, so check with the City of Carrollton before work starts. We confirm the requirements with the city for each job and handle whatever filing and inspection it calls for. Our permit guide explains how that usually goes.

We do not publish a price range for enclosures. The cost turns on the number of openings, standard or pet-resistant screen, doors, knee walls, and whether the cover or slab needs work first. On a Carrollton patio from the 1970s or 1980s, that last item decides more than the screen does.

Every Carrollton project starts with a free design visit, where the cover, the slab and the trees come before any screen color. You leave it with a firm number for your patio, not a guess from a website.

Questions from Carrollton homeowners

We do not quote a figure without seeing the patio. Price turns on the number of openings, the screen type, doors, knee walls, and whether the cover or slab needs work first. On a Carrollton patio original to a 1970s house, that repair question usually matters more than the screen. The free design visit gives you a firm number.

Plan on checking with the City of Carrollton before the work starts, because an enclosure attaches to the house and often carries electrical for fans and lights. We confirm the requirements with the city for each job and handle the filing and inspection that go with it, so you are not left to sort that out yourself.

Usually, if the cover is sound and tied properly into the house. Many Carrollton covers are original to a 1970s or 1980s home, so we check the posts, the tie-in and the slab before any mesh is ordered. If the posts are undersized or the roof has sagged, a new cover comes first, then the screen.

It can. Blackland clay swells in a wet spring and shrinks by August, and an old slab moves with it. A straight bottom rail on an uneven slab leaves a gap that lets insects in. We fit the rail to the slab as it is and allow for that seasonal movement, and any new slab gets control joints placed on purpose.

No. Screen stops mosquitoes, pollen and debris, but it does not stop temperature, so a screen room on an August afternoon is about as hot as the yard. In the morning and evening, in the shade of an older tree, it is pleasant. If you want the room in August, look at a sunroom or an all-season room with glass and insulation.

More in Carrollton: Patio Enclosures across Dallas–Fort Worth · all of Carrollton