Lanai & Screen Enclosure Engineer Florida

Lanais and screen enclosures in Florida must be designed for the ASCE 7 design wind speed at the project location. Screen enclosures are particularly challenging structurally because of their large surface area — a screen enclosure acts like a sail in a hurricane. The structural design must address: aluminum frame member sizing, connection design (screws, bolts, and anchors), roof framing for wind uplift, and foundation connections. In coastal Florida, where design wind speeds are 160–170 mph, screen enclosures require careful engineering. Post-Ian, many screen enclosures in Lee County were destroyed — often because they were not properly engineered or were built without permits.

In Florida flood zones, a non-conversion lanai is a specific type of structure that is designed to remain open and unenclosed — it cannot be converted to conditioned space without triggering flood zone compliance requirements for the entire structure. Non-conversion lanais must have breakaway or open-lattice walls below the base flood elevation and must be documented in the permit drawings as non-conversion. Pineland Engineering designs non-conversion lanais that comply with FEMA flood zone requirements and the Florida Building Code.

Unpermitted lanais and screen enclosures are extremely common in Florida. Pineland Engineering handles after-the-fact permits for these structures regularly. The process requires a site visit, field measurements, as-built drawings, structural calculations, and permit application submission. Many unpermitted lanais can be legalized without modification; some require structural upgrades to meet current code. Contact us at (239) 233-5133 for a free assessment of your unpermitted lanai.