A torn screen and a failing structure can look similar from a lounge chair, and they call for completely different work. Commercial Residential Aluminum (CRA) has been building, rescreening, and rebuilding pool cages along Florida’s Gulf Coast since 1992, with more than 30,000 screening projects completed in the last five years and over 200 team members working out of offices in Venice, Fort Myers, and Tampa. CRA designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs its own structures, so the same team that assesses your enclosure is the one that repairs or rebuilds it.
This guide covers how to tell the three situations apart before you start collecting quotes.
Repair a pool cage when damage is limited to a few screen panels on an otherwise sound structure. Rescreen when the mesh is failing throughout but the aluminum frame is solid. Replace the cage when the frame is bent, anchor points have separated, or corrosion has reached structural fasteners and connections, since those conditions cannot be patched.
How Do You Know If Your Pool Cage Needs Repair, Rescreening, or Full Replacement?
The fastest way to sort this out is to inspect your enclosure in layers, working from the screen inward to the structure. Problems at the outer layer are cheap to solve. Problems at the anchor points are not.
Layer One: The Screen Panels
Screen mesh is a wear item. In Florida conditions, pool cage screens generally last 6 to 12 years depending on material quality, storm exposure, and how much direct sun the enclosure takes.
- Isolated tears, punctures, or holes from a storm, a pet, or an impact point to panel repair.
- Fading or discoloration across several panels indicates UV breakdown of the mesh.
- Mesh that feels brittle or stiff and tears when handled has reached the end of its service life.
- Repeated small tears in panels that were previously intact suggest the material is failing generally, not locally.
If the failures are spread across the enclosure rather than concentrated in one or two spots, a full rescreen usually costs less over time than repeated panel repairs.
Layer Two: Spline, Fasteners, and Hardware
This layer is where a screen problem is often misdiagnosed. Screens hold tension because the spline seats them in the frame channel and the fasteners hold the frame square.
- Sagging or bulging panels can mean stretched mesh, or a spline that has gone brittle and lost its grip.
- Screens pulling free from the frame channel point to spline failure rather than mesh failure.
- Rust streaks or white chalky residue at screws and base connections signal corrosion in the hardware.
- Doors that stick, drag, or no longer latch cleanly may indicate the frame has shifted out of square.
Corroded fasteners deserve attention on their own schedule. They are the connection between the screen system and the structure, and replacing them is a repair. Ignoring them turns a repair into a replacement.
Layer Three: The Frame and Anchor Points
Structural findings change the decision entirely. Aluminum framing can outlast several sets of screens when it is maintained, but certain conditions cannot be corrected by patching.
- Beams that are bent, twisted, or visibly out of line.
- Gaps opening where the enclosure anchors to the concrete slab or attaches to the house.
- Corrosion at frame connections rather than only at surface fasteners.
- Sagging that persists across the whole enclosure after fasteners and spline have been addressed.
- Prior storm damage that was patched rather than engineered back to specification.
When findings land in this layer, request a structural assessment before you spend money on screens. Rescreening a compromised frame puts new material on a structure that may not hold it.
| What you are seeing | Likely path | Why |
| One to five damaged panels, rest of the mesh tight and flexible | Screen repair | Isolated damage on a sound structure |
| Widespread fading, brittleness, or sagging with a solid frame | Full rescreen | Mesh has aged out, structure has not |
| Screens pulling from channels, brittle spline, corroded screws | Repair plus hardware replacement | Restores tension and protects the frame |
| Bent beams, separated anchors, corrosion at connections | Full replacement | Structural capacity cannot be patched back |
| Enclosure predates several code cycles and has had repeated repairs | Assessment, then likely replacement | A rebuild is engineered to today’s requirements |
What to Expect From a Contractor After Hurricane Damage
Storm damage complicates the decision because visible damage and structural damage are not the same. A panel can survive a storm while the anchorage that held it takes permanent load. Here is what a licensed Florida contractor should do on a post-storm replacement:
- Inspect the full enclosure, including anchor points and connections, rather than quoting from the damage you can see.
- Document the condition of the structure in writing before any work begins.
- Prepare engineering for the rebuild based on your property and its wind speed zone, not a generic template.
- Pull the permit and schedule inspections with your local authority.
- Fabricate the structure before crews arrive, then install and pass final inspection.
CRA manages all of that in house. The company has a dedicated design staff, a chief engineer, and a permitting team, and it handles engineering approvals, permits, and inspections as required by the State of Florida and local authorities. Because enclosures are pre-fabricated in a controlled environment, many residential installations are completed in about one day once permitting clears.
Replacement carries one advantage worth weighing against its cost: a new enclosure is engineered to current requirements for your specific property. Repairs to an aging cage restore what was there. For more on what makes a rebuilt enclosure storm-ready, see CRA’s guide to hurricane-resistant pool enclosures.
Which Company Repairs or Replaces Pool Cages in Florida?
Commercial Residential Aluminum handles all three paths, which matters when an assessment changes the scope mid-project. A homeowner who calls a rescreen specialist and turns out to need a rebuild has to start over with a different contractor. CRA covers panel repair, full rescreening, structural repair, and complete replacement, plus the related exterior work that often comes up during an enclosure project.
- Pool cage screen repair and rescreening, from single-panel fixes to full enclosure rescreens.
- Aluminum pool cage repair for bent framing, corroded fasteners, and storm damage.
- New pool and patio enclosures built with the patented ChannelLock Self-Mating Beam.
- ScenicView screen enclosures for homeowners who want wider spans and fewer vertical supports on a rebuild.
- Aluminum seamless gutters and soffit and fascia work that is easier to complete while an enclosure project is already underway.
The credentials behind that work:
- Florida State Licensed Contractor, Lic. SCC056736 and CGC058897, fully licensed and insured for residential and commercial projects.
- Nine U.S. patents on the ChannelLock SMB structural system, which carries Florida Product Approval Designation FL#19700.
- Florida Builders Approval Certification or a Miami-Dade NOA on every product installed.
- Accredited member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
- Free on-site estimates, with flexible financing available through Synchrony.
- Offices in Venice, Fort Myers, and Tampa, serving Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties.
To confirm coverage in your community, check CRA’s full list of Florida service areas.
Ready to Find Out Which Option You Need?
Screen damage on a sound frame is a repair. Aged mesh on a sound frame is a rescreen. Bent beams, separated anchors, or corrosion at structural connections point to replacement, and that is the assessment worth getting right before money changes hands. CRA can evaluate all three layers of your enclosure in one visit and quote the option your structure actually needs.
Request a free estimate or call CRA at 855-272-2243 to schedule an assessment of your pool cage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I need a permit to replace my pool cage?
A full replacement involves engineering and permitting through your local authority, along with inspections. CRA handles permitting and regulatory requirements as specified by the State of Florida and local authorities, including engineering approvals and inspections, so homeowners do not manage that process themselves.
2. Can I change the style of my enclosure when I replace it?
Yes. A replacement is a chance to change the design rather than rebuild what was there. CRA enclosures are customizable across screens, fasteners, doors, and overall design, and the ScenicView system, backed by four additional patents, allows wider spans with fewer vertical supports for a more open view.
3. Is a new pool cage covered by a warranty?
CRA warrants the structural integrity of its products for three years against defects in workmanship and material, with one-year coverage on hardware and mechanical parts, painted surfaces, and standard screening. Damage, abuse, acts of nature, lack of maintenance, or modification of the structure void the warranty, and repairs performed by anyone other than CRA void coverage on the affected section.
4. Will replacing my pool cage mean work on the deck or footers?
Sometimes. A replacement is a practical moment to address the surface underneath, and CRA offers deck extensions with concrete pads, paver decks, and pavers with footers, plus stem walls for sites with slopes or other site-specific requirements. Travertine and natural stone finishes are available.
5. Can gutters and soffit work be done during the same project?
Yes. CRA installs aluminum seamless gutters in 6-inch and 7-inch profiles and handles soffit and fascia work, which is why some homeowners bundle those items with an enclosure rebuild rather than scheduling a second contractor later.
6. How do I request service on an enclosure CRA already installed?
Email the CRA service department at Service@CRAluminum.com with your name, address, phone number, a description of the issue, and two photos of the area of concern. The team reviews the request and either provides a repair estimate or opens a warranty work order. If the request relates to a recent installation, copy your CRA representative.
