We are in the Tampa area and we don't have a cage. We have a 6 ft. pvc privacy fence surrounding our yard. We did a barrier fence around the pool because of our children (ages 3 and 8). The pool warms up quicker than most of our neighbors with cages and people comment all the time how they like the "openness".

No cage here in Pasco County, north of Tampa. It just wouldn't work with our natural pool design and would have limited our landscaping options. My pool is already at 84 degrees- wouldn't have it any other way. When I am poolside, I want to be truly "outdoors".

We're getting our pool built right now and opted to cut down the two closest trees that were likely to drop lots of leaves instead of getting a cage. I think it's a Florida thing to have the pool cage-- and when I thought about it, I realized I wanted to have the outside pool experience and not be under a screen...

Here in South Florida we have no cage. Had one on my last pool that was ripped off the house in Francis and Jean. After that experience, I vowed to never have one again. The new ones look to be of much better construction, but I still don't trust them to withstand a high 2 or low 3 storm.

The cagesless look is very nice and if you have a natural looking pool with water features it really blends into the yard nicely. On the downside, at least where I live, you will not be swimming at night in the summer due to the mosquitoes. However, I can count on one hand all the times we swam at night at my home that had the cage. And using the spa at night in the summer in South Florida is just a miserable experience anyhow. Luckily, I have veranda's on my home that are screened so we have screened out door space where we can hang out at night. If you go cageless, I would at least try to have some area of your home that is screened. We have friends that lost their enclosure and they created a smaller screen room off their back porch that include some of the overhang from the house. It came out really nice and it won't be a big loss if a 'cane comes along and takes it down. In all three SouFla hurricane's I did not lose one screen on my veranda's.

I agree with kitchenshock. If you are going to sit outside, you need to be in a screened lanai or something, if you do not enclose your pool. The mosquitos will eat you alive. It also keeps out the swarms of love bugs twice a year. I cannot tolerate the smell of repellants. We weren't screened at our last home and it was awful. I stayed indoors in the evening.

I went with the cage. It is white and very attractive with a custom design. I like the fact that the pool area seems like an outdoor living area but also part of the house. It definitely added another 1,700 square feet to the house. I have lots of landscaping on both the inside and outside of the screen. So, really it's just a big mosquito barrier. My lot is very deep, so I still have 30 feet of backyard behind my pool area. If I had a small lot, I may have done something different. A cage will also cost you anywhere from 10k to 30k and you pay property taxes on it.

We don't have a privacy fence. It's against our deed restrictions to erect a privacy fence behind a preserve or lake front lot. If you live in a community, you might want to check your homeowner's documents before you fence.

We have a white cage with lots of plants inside and outside.
While we took two big oaks down, all our neighbors have oaks and I didn't want my poor husband having to scoop out all their leaves. Last summer I often got up at night and went for a swim, just me and the moon, no bugs. My cat is in heaven, it has really enlarged his world. The screen doesn't keep our pool from heating up, in fact last year I'd had to keep the waterfall on to cool it down. It's also gator mating season here, and with the lack of rain they really out and about.

We don't have a cage. We do have a 6' privacy fence. That is just the way we wanted it, and we're very happy without the cage.

They spray for bugs here, so that is not an issue (east coast, mid-state, barrier island). I love the warmer water and open feeling. My yard is fairly small & I can't imagine trying to keep my active boys contained in a "cage". Ha. Many people I know don't have cages (especially since the past few years of storms!).

THANKS SOO much for your responses! It has given me a lot to think about. My yard sounds like Scrapula's in that it is a long lot. I spent last night and the morning drawing out my sketches and really thinking about what I want.
Tricounty pools came out and showed us a few pics. I like the idea of having a door(s) off the back of the screen with steps that go to the lower back yard. We have a slope.
The idea of not having to swat away the love but is very enticing. Good to know the screen doesn't impair the pool water from heating up :)
We have a wooded area with deep ravines in it behind our house. My neighbor put on his boots and hiked way back to check for water or whatever but found nothing.
(It is dry) so I am thinking no gators.
STILL we have Turtles crossing and such and one time I flung a black racer looking snake off my leg!
I am liking the idea of keeping the critters out of the pool. Plus there are posts about birds using the pool area as toilets so that is another plus :)
A cage will likely be 12-15K? I still think an electric pool cover would be MORE than that installed. If I have a cage we can Wait on the privacy fence.
Our HOA does allow 6 foot privacy fence in white vinyl OR natural wood, or concrete that matches the house.
I'm lucky cause I think I DO want a fence at least partially down.

Where are you at lorriekay? I live in Land O' Lakes and you're welcome to come see our setup. We have one step down from the back door to the lower park and a gravel path from that step that slopes down.

We love the way our vinyl fence looks. A lot of wooden fences that are put up around here get beat so bad by the sun and we didn't want to have to worry about restaining it all the time to keep it looking nice.

We were concerned about mosquitoes here in Land O' Lakes, but it hasn't been a problem with us as of yet. We hear the mosquito truck come by and spray all the time here as well. We sit outside by our pool all the time in the evening at dusk. The kids play on their playground and we sit and enjoy the pool. I had some neighbors over the other night and we all just sat out there, ate and talked. Never once did we get bitten. Plus, we have a fogger that takes care of the mosquitoes if we needed it. You spray it just before dusk and there is no smell to it after the spray clears. Also, we are considering one of the propane mosquito traps. We have some friends who have used it before and it covers up to an acre (sometimes more) usually. Depending on how our first swim season goes, we will decide if we need one of those.

I think it is all personal preference. I grew up with unscreened pools and I do think that it somewhat has become a "Florida thing" to put up cages. One pool builder acually gave us a pat on the back and said, "Good for you!" when we told them we didn't want to do a cage almost like we were being rebellious or something, going against the norm. Don't get me wrong, I like the way most screens look, but I like the open look better and the fact that I won't be staring our my window during the next hurricane, praying that my cage doesn't get blown away. ;)

There seem to be pros and cons to both screens and screenless... but when we were deciding, a number of people who did have screens said the water under the screen stays a few degrees colder than an un-screened pool... and most people recommended getting it heated because otherwise you might not use it as much...

We've had our pool for 20 years with no screen and love it. Our backyard has a 4 ft. fence around it.
Think about the nicest resort pools you've been at or have seen in pictures. They don't have screens. We're lucky enough to live in Florida and we can have that tropical look with palm trees and lush foliage all around, you can't have that with a screen. Just something to think about.

I beg to differ about not having a tropical look when you have a screen. We have palms inside and outside of the screen and it looks very tropical. You can't make a blanket statement like that. That's like me saying that you can't have a tropical yard with a fence around it. Using your hotel example, the nicest resorts don't put a fence around their pool area. It's a ridiculous comparison. Screens and fences are personal preference.

Scrapula.. that is exactly what I want to do. Have a simple step off the back door of the cage. Did your pool builder put the step(s)in when your pool was built? Then I plan on putting pavers or whatever with a path to the kids swingset in the farthest part and a little patio area with pavers behind the pool cage. I want to set my BBQ up there too. The pavers (in the back) I plan on doing myself.
the mosquitos love me!! I am the one to Always be bitten (not my son or my husband) and I am very sensitive to the bites. The itch and are painful to me for days.
I can't be in my backyard at night or even the evening without getting bitten.
yikes! In CA there are no cages. We had no idea people had pool cages until we came to FL.

Our PB built a retaining wall, which gave us a level surface to the sloped lot. He put in concrete pads for each door (we have one in the back and one on each side). Our landscapers laid the pavers and created the path.

The handles to the doors are very high up, so kids can't reach them. You might have to let them out. Florida law says that you have to put up a barrier around the pool. A screened enclosure is allowed, or you can put up a fence that is at least 4 feet high. So, the handles for the doors need to be 4 feet high as well because that is an access point. Many communities have deed restrictions that don't allow fences, particularly on golf course and nature preserve lots, so you see an abundance of enclosed pools.

Both my husband and I get bit outside. While the pool was being built, we had to limit our time outside. The county sprays for mosquitos, but it doesn't help much with preserve lots. There's always a lot of standing water in the woods once the rainy season gets here.

Our enclosed area is about 1,800 square feet. The screen is 15 feet high where it meets the roof. You don't really notice that it is there. We have built-in planters and you cannot even see the screen in some areas. It does a good job of diffusing the sun. For instance, when I step on the pavers outside they are noticeably warmer than the ones inside. The pool will be a few degrees cooler too, but you will welcome it during the summer. You might want to consider solar to extend the season. Our next door neighbor has a solar heater and they've been swimming for over a month now.

I hope this answers all your questions. I'll be out of town until Friday. You can click on my user name and send me a personal email if you have any other questions and I'll see them on Friday. This thread will probably be buried by then and I won't see it.

My parents have a huge screen cage, very large and very custom. It's a must where they are because they are on acreage and have oak trees that canopy their pool. The leaves that gather at the top of their screen and at the surface of their gutters would all be in their pool if the screen was not there. However, we do sit out there on occasion and due to their wooded area, the no-see-ums still make their way through the screen and into the pool area. So depending on your location, a screen may not keep ALL the pests out. My parent's house is a perfect example.

I think it's all about the bugs.
My DH is now residing at our new home in St. Pete and very few folks have cages in our neighborhood. We get a nice sea breeze living on the east side of Boca Ciega Bay. He can walk the dog and cruise around the neighborhood at dusk with no bites.
Our good friends live on the other side of St. Pete, on the west side of Tampa Bay and north of downtown. There is a large sanctuary up there with lots of banyan trees and a neat kayaking "trail", but everyone up there has to have cages and they do not go outside at dusk. My DH went up there for dinner the other night and got eaten alive by no-see-ums.
If you are trying to decide, I would look around the neighborhood and see what everyone else has done. Then hang around outside at dusk (during various seasons, if possible) and see how pleasant it is.
Another option, of course, is to get one of those propane-powered bug attractor devices. We had friends in Maryland with a pool right next to a deep forest. They couldn't even grill on the deck until they got one of those. They said it took about a week at the beginning of the season to clear the mosquitoes for about 1/2 coverage around the pool and backyard, and then they ran it continuously, changing the tank about once a month, throughout the summer. Not for the environmentally conscious, however (Ithink).

Wow, scrapula, I didn't mean to tick you off. Yes, you can have palms and such inside a screen but I don't think it's the same kind of look. I was trying to get the OP to envision a certain kind of look. Fences and screens ARE a personal preference but with a pool we have to have one or the other. Anyway, I said it was something to think about; I didn't say they had to do it.

Now is not the time to tell if the bugs are bad or not. We have had a drought. Wait until we get rain. It's supposed to be bad this year. I have to agree that if you have a good sea breeze, it's not needed as much. We live inland, and couldn't do without it.

I love our cage and wouldn't have one without it, unless I couldn't afford one. We can have a nice family dinner on the lanai and not have to worry about flies. It also keeps most of the critters out. It is like another room on the house. We just love it.

Kristen

Mosquitoes, deer flies, no see-ums, lake midges, love bugs, alligators, raccoons, water moccasins, rattlesnakes, small child next door, leaves, pine needles? Naah, I'd rather just share my pool with DH, family and invited friends. A screen is a MUST for me!

I know I'm late in answering but our previous pool that we built 7 years ago did not have a screen. It was our 1st pool and at that time, we preferred having a bigger pool than having the cost of the screen. We had a privacy fence and we added a pool fence soon after my son was born and could walk. We have moved since then and are building a pool now but this time we are putting in a screen. We found that we rarely used the pool at nights because of all the bugs, etc. and we wanted to be able to enjoy it a lot more. Of course I know a screen will keep the pool cooler than our previous one so putting in solar was a must for us! That will be done with the pool build.

We love our pool cage/screened patio here in Central FL. Would like the open feeling that having no cage would bring like our former and present vacation houses had. However, spend a lot of time around the pool in the evening. It backs conservation land/bug city on a lake and the mosquitos are as big as birds. j/k LOL
Our indoor cats now have some freedom to roam and be entertained.

mdoceanblu:

You mention your indoor cats. I am moving to florida in a new home with a pool and cage. I have two wonderful indoor cats and cant wait to let them have some freedom to roam.
Do I need to worry about them with the pool?

Will they do damage to the screening?

Any suggestions, help or advise is so appreciated.

Thanks to all
Susan

Susan,

You can get special screen that "rebounds". I have one cat who loves to climb up screens. We try to keep her in the house. Otherwise, the claws will eventually stretch out holes in the screen.

We've had a drought here in Florida the last two years. The newspaper said that mosquito eggs will lay dormant for years until the drought is over. It's going to be mosquito city if we get back to normal conditions.

Unfortunately, the pesticide trucks were out last night spraying their chemicals that kills the frogs, insects, and basically screws up the ecosystem.

Susan,
Our cat Maxx was trained not to climb a screen. When he was little and we only had a screened porch we would spray him with a water bottle. Now, lizards do tempt him, when he sees one we just show him the spray bottle. Maxx is exceptionally smart.
He will sit out for hours watching the squirrels and birds. He is fascinated with the pool water, he will dip his paws and lick them. Sometimes he tries to catch the water coming out of the sheer decent. He has been known to chase the turtle thermometer around the pool. When we first had the pool put in I purposely put him on the steps and let him crawl out, so he understands its water. The cage around our pool has really enlarged his world. With your cats, I'd only let them out at first when you can be with them, my daughter visits with her cat and she learned very quickly not to climb the screen.

Thank you all. I love the idea they will have some freedom. I will be by their sides at first making sure of their safety and the cage's safety.

Susan

We moved to Fl last year. Our indoor declawed cat loved our screened in porch in Charlotte...she would beg to sit out there all day, everyday. We thought she would think she died and went to heaven in our pool cage....quite the opposite. Either it was just too hot for her or she was petrified. I think it was a combo of both. We had a whale pool float and a pyramid which she hissed at, I think they scared her to death. She refused to go out on the lanai for about 8 months. You couldnt even bring her out there, she would try to get out of your arms to go back inside. Now she will go out, but our 8 weeks of remodel construction has scared her off again...or its the returning heat. She loved to chase the lizards around the screens. The few that get inside the cage are goners. Because she is so skiddish, we keep an eye on her when she does go out. I dont think she would intentionally ever go into the pool, but we are fearful if she ever fell in while chasing a lizard. There is no way she would know to go to the stairs to get out. We also dont let her out at dusk, night because of the "other" animals that roam. Luckily she has no claws to ruin the screens....but other animals do.

The scared cat story is funny. When we first installed dual ceiling fans in our lanai, our male cat Tripper was scared to go out. He would stand at the door with his eyes turned up, just staring at the fans. Eventually, he got used to them.

The only one of my cats that I let out is my small girl Scrapula. She gets beaten up by the larger, more dominant male cats. I'll be laying outside and I'll look up and she'll be sitting on top of the waterfall. She just jumps up. It's amazing. She hasn't tried to climb this screen because there's so much room for her to roam about. We have lots of lizards for her to chase.

I'm glad she can get out and be safe. The alligators around here munch on pets and baby Sand Hill Cranes.

Just want to say I found this post fascinating. Have lived in CA my entire life and we just don't have these issues. Screened pools just don't exist out here. It's also interesting to me to see pics of the pools with wide open back yards. Unless you're out in the country, almost all homes here have some type of 6ft privacy fence. Ya mean this isn't normal across the country???? LOL. We've been swimming every night after work - the solar is keeping the pool nicely in the mid-80s. Can't imagine not eating outside and being outdoors at night. This post was very informative reading since we're thinking hard about moving back east in a few years. I'll be a little wiser for it hearing about everyone's experiences. At least the culture shock won't be as bad, anyway ;-)

Are the bugs as bad in Ca or the midwestern states? In Florida, we get eaten alive outside our cage once the sun starts to go down. Thursday evening (7-8 pm) I was out pulling weeds and spraying my yard plants for mealy bugs & scale. I cant do it earlier in the day, its just too hot and I dont want the chemicals to burn the plants...I have 6 bites on my legs...kept me up half the night itching:(

I would love to not have a cage, but we would never be able to enjoy the outdoors after 6 pm.

Hi, we are in South Florida - Palm Beach County - about 12 miles inland, no "sea breeze". This is our second summer with our pool, I wouldn't say that bugs interfere with our pool usage. Its a nice open look, maybe some little ones that land in the pool, nothing you can't skim by hand. I guess its a personal preference.
Here's a pic, although i do need to update since this is a year ago. The landscaping has grown some :)
good luck !!!!
{{!gwi}}

i am also in palm beach county and all things considered would love to have a cage however since the increase in hurricane activity i cant justify the gamble. the costs for the cages has gone through the roof and most insurances wont cover replacement. will have to look at alternative ways to deal with misquitos (mist systems,etc.). looony2nz- who did you use for your pool?

Loony2nz, your pool looks great! Can you post an updated photo with your landscaping? We're getting a very similar design/paver look, with no screen, in Central Florida.

Bugs are bugs-- I swear they were just as bad in South Carolina where I grew up, but nobody had screens there...

I am in SW FL and I have a pool cage, but some of my friends have opted not to have one and they go swimming at all hours. Most do have a screened in lanai for eating tho. My brother is in WPB and he doesn't have a cage either.

When I moved here and put in the pool, my indoor cat was afraid to venture to far out, but she did after awhile, but she felt more secure closer to the door so she could run in. She never tried to climb the screens, but she was already about 7 when we moved here.

shauney - they are putting in our pool now but one of the guys that was here said that a friend of his had started a business for mosquito control. It is a misting type system that goes around the soffit of your home. I think he said it costs around $2500 but I'm not sure how the chemical stuff works on that. I know they have other systems out there but not sure how good they are. Maybe that is something you can look into in your area.

We are getting a screen this time because the bugs were terrible at our last home that had a pool with no screen and we weren't able to enjoy it as much at nighttime, etc. like I wanted. We lived by a lake so I'm sure that made it worse. We moved and now live around more woods, etc. and we live off of a big lake so we figured it would be worse out here. That is one reason we opted for a screen this time. Unfortunately I just got my renewal for my homeowners insurance and it said something about not covering screen enclosures if lost due to a hurricane :( It's a shame that it costs so much for insurance (3 or 4 times as much as it did 8 years ago) but yet they keep making exceptions to what it will cover on your policy.... Our new home was just built so I hope that with the changes they have made in the bldg codes, that we will hopefully avoid having to worry about a problem with the screen. Just one of those lovely things you have to worry about if you live in Florida.

Thanks Shauney & Zarbiya123 - I actually ran outside (after floating around on my float for over an hour...HOT OUT TODAY !! .... AND took a new picture. Thanks for the push to do it...finally. Pool was done end of April 2006, so its been just a little over a year. Smaller area to work with, although we do have a whole side yard (not shown of course) and we didn't get any bells or whistles except the salt system and an separate vac line (if you call that special :) No spa, no special lites, no water features, not heated, and....obviously, not screened in, but its perfect for us and we are so happy to have it. We "dreamed" about one for YEARS.... anyway, THANKS !
{{!gwi}}

someone asked who the builder was...Superior Pools in West Palm Beach. No major problems, we got lucky.

having lived with a cage pre-wilma and living without one now i'm in favor of no cage. my pool is extra large (25x50, 62,000 gal.) so you can imagine the size of the screen room. it was 2 stories tall and ran 90 ft x 35.

it was a much harder job keeping the screen clean than it is cleaning the pool. lots of pine trees in the neighborhood and those needles threaded themselves thru the screen, and packed tightly at the eaves of the house.
the screens were forever looking moldy and dusty.

altho it was an impressive "outdoor room" i think its much brighter and cleaner looking now. not to mention easier to care for.

when the cage went down i opted to screen in the lanai instead of ever having to live thru that mess again......it also saved me bundles of $ as my insurance guy guestimated a new cage to run around $70,000.

i do think the water is warmer and as i used to tan slowly i now need sunscreen not to burn to a crisp in 20 minutes.

id love to share pix but have no idea how to get them into the thread. i'll give it a try, if i fail and you're interested please post directions....

vivian

i think i've posted pix on photobucket.....check under vivian406

vivian

We don't have the bug issue here in CA like you do in FL. I live in the central valley in N. CA right by the delta. I'm pretty sure the gov't agencies spray for mosquitos around here. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I remember being out on the Delta on a boat years ago and I'd get eaten alive. Now we can be out at all hours and really aren't having any problems. Just annoying flies.

I read on the forum that some Floridian posters mention they hear the spray trucks drive thru, I have been here a year and never saw one, not sure if its a county thing. I am still itching from last Thursday....its awful:(

Our mosquito truck comes through every week here at least once a week. During the off season not so much, but in summer we hear him all the time.

Everyone will always have their own personal preference. I like the way screens look, but for us the open look was what we were going for with this pool. After the hurricanes we had a few years ago, I didn't want to have to deal with the stress of the cage coming down. I admit, I also am an avid sun lover. I like to float in the pool and get some sun (with some sunscreen on of course...an 8 is perfect for my skin type :) and I've tried doing this in my parents pool with the cage and I may as well never have even went out that day. I grew up with pools without screens back in the day and like the open look.

Yes, mosquitoes are bad here in Florida, I'm not going to deny that, however most people can get a mosquito control unit of some type for a fraction of what a cage costs. We have a handheld fogger (around $70) and we use it just before dusk and it does the job. We can sit out there in the evening, have some wine, swim and enjoy ourselves without getting eaten alive. So those of you who say you can't enjoy your pool in the evening without a cage are mistaken. The pesticide issue is null because no matter what, the mosquito control truck sprays anyway, so pesticides are all over. Plus, it's not like the fog lingers either and you are not out there greenhousing the mosquito repellent. It dissipates within seconds. The propane tanks work well too and you don't have to do anything but allow them to run by themselves. All this at a fraction of the cost of a screen.

Again, I am not knocking screens. Some people have to have screens (like my parents in their current house) because of their property, trees, etc. I understand that. I like both looks, but the open look was what WE were going for personally. We even had footers poured JUST IN CASE we changed our minds because to do that later would've been $$$ and a PITA anyway. I just think it is unfair for people to jump to conclusions and say that a pool cannot be enjoyed in the evening if you don't have a screen. This is not a true statement and I'm sure many of you without screens would agree. There are methods out there to keep your pool area pest free in the evening that are as simple as flipping a switch or pushing a button.

thanks for the help with photobucket......pix of cage vs no cage can be found here........

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/vivian406/

with or without its all up to a matter of taste..........

i enjoy this site and all the friendly advice. thanks again, vivian

Amen, Dischnell!

I was getting tired of hearing the "cage people" talk about how dreadful life would be without a cage. As you can tell, I am also in the No-Cage Club and wouldn't have it any other way- at least with my particular design. I don't hold anything against screened-in pools, but it just isn't for me.

As with most nights, after work I will head home and go for a swim. After that, as the sun sets I will fire up the grill and enjoy a nice night out. There may be the occasional bug but you won't catch me running inside. To each their own, I suppose.

Hey, this isn't a "cage" versus "no cage" argument. Some people prefer it, some don't. And just because you have a screen doesn't mean you don't have bugs. The lizards inside a cage are living off of them. No-see-ums also get through the screen. My DH still got annoyed by gnats last night.

Both looks are nice. A cage is good for adding usable square footage to your house, especially if you have an outdoor living area with furniture, etc. "No cage" looks nice for making all of your backyard one outdoor space.

I think a lot depends upon your exact location! Our pool is just feet from a lake and there is no way we could go screenless. Would love to but there is so much wildlife here apart from the mosquitoes and swarms of lake midges that it would just be miserable and unsafe! Our neighbor who lives just a few hundred feet from us has it even worse. His house backs on to swamp and the bugs there are muscular! So even a few feet can make a difference to whether you may need a screen.

Personally I don't care whether others have screens or not, or like them or not, or like the people who have them or not, we simply have to have the expense, maintenance and risk of loss of a screen to enjoy our Florida lifestyle to the full. If you live in a place where the bugs and other nasties are bearable, then enjoy your good fortune!