Do-it-Yourself Screen House Plans

Define the dimensions of the screen house. Use graph paper to draw the framework and door-opening space. Make several sketches to create the best shape to fit with your house and landscaping. The size of the overall structure in relation to other outbuildings will affect its look.

Draw the framing boards to comprise support for walls and the roof. Sketch roof framing on 16-inch centers, using 2-inch by 4-inch boards. Create the roof rafters so the center of each rafter is exactly 16 inches from the center of the next rafter. Draw wall framework with a dividing board about waist high. Plan to install screening in upper sections and lower sections so screening material is easier to cut.

Get appropriate building materials and plan how you will assemble them. Buy 2-inch by 4-inch cedar boards to use for all framing, for example. Buy ½-inch plywood to sheath the roof space before installing asphalt shingles. Plan to drill holes for bolts to hold together all sections. Attach sections with nuts and bolts so you can take it apart and move it in the future, if you wish.

Plan how you will construct the floor base. Build a rectangular floor that measures 4 inches thick, for example. Design the box to hold the concrete pour that will be made from 2-inch by 4-inch boards nailed together. As one option, make the screen house floor base 12 feet by 15 feet.

Figure out how to secure the screen house to the foundation before construction begins. For example, build the screen house framework and use an L-shaped angle iron on the foundation’s bottom perimeter boards to hold it to the concrete base.

Include finishing details in the final plan drawings. As one choice, construct the door in two separate sections so the door can be locked on the bottom and open on the top. Plan to install heavy-duty hinges so the door will not easily warp in strong winds or heavy use.