How to Turn a Deck Into a Screened Room

Measure the house facade and deck space you'll carve out for the room. Create detailed drawings of the room, using various roof lines. Draw a 12-foot-square room, for example, with a basic hip roof that ties into the house roof. Use a plan to secure the screened room to house framing or roof framing, especially if you live in a windy area.

Fine-tune the plan to fit door and window openings. Move the screened room end walls to accommodate a house window already in place, for instance. Make the room wide enough to fit around a sliding glass door leading onto the deck from the house kitchen as another possibility. Draw the room to look visually pleasing from a distance, so the screened room looks original to the house.

Repair any deck gaps or holes before constructing the framework of the room. Install additional 4-inch-square support posts to hold up the extra weight of the new room, if needed.

Build the room’s skeleton framework with 2-by-4-inch boards. Use existing deck railing, if possible, to fit the room’s framing design. Take down any deck railing if fitting it into the framework proves awkward. Check for sufficient walk-around room if the screened room comes near the railing; leave at least 30 inches so moving around the screened room won’t be too cramped.

Install exterior materials. Cover the roof with ½-inch plywood, tar paper and asphalt shingles to match the house shingles. Staple screening material over framework. Cut screening generously so you can staple it in place with a leftover border of approximately 2 inches. Stretch it tightly as you staple it in place so all wrinkles are pulled out. Fold the border under and cover with a ½-inch-wide strip of wood trim.

Use heavy-duty hinges to secure the exterior door. Protect the screened room from strong winds by installing L-shaped angle iron inside the room. Secure the angle iron to the bottom perimeter of the screened room framing and the decking with screws. Install the screws with an electric screwdriver.