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Storm-Ready Swimming Pool Cage

The pool cage is being constructed at the Punta Gorda home. This screened, aluminum structure is rated to withstand a wind load of 130 miles per hour. A construction blueprint shows how beams and support members will be attached. All pieces are custom cut at the factory. Structural gutters on the house receive the beams in reinforcing channels. The strength of the structure comes from the shapes that distribute the weight load to load-bearing columns drilled into the concrete deck. Cross-bracing on the panels is done with aluminum gusset plates and screws. The doors are checked to be sure they hang right before the screen is inserted. Keeping the screen square to the door frame will allow screening or rescreening to go smoothly and look good. When inserting the screen with the splining tool, hold the screen fabric taut and square to ensure that there are no bubbles on the screened surface.

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Chapters from this episode

Swimming Poll Filtration, Sanitation, and Lighting Now Playing

Swimming Poll Filtration, Sanitation, and Lighting

Storm-Ready Swimming Pool Cage Now Playing

Storm-Ready Swimming Pool Cage

Hurricane Protection for Porches, Windows, and Doors Now Playing

Hurricane Protection for Porches, Windows, and Doors

Removable Swimming Pool Safety Fencing Now Playing

Removable Swimming Pool Safety Fencing

Clip Transcript For:

Storm-Ready Swimming Pool Cage

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" OK our swimming. Pool is nearly finished and -- what I love to jump into it but -- with a testament and your company builds these these pool cages they call right that's right. Is there a more formal name for the well you can't screen enclosures that most commonly they're called pool cages and at one of the key things any place that you got a swimming pool is safety and keeping youngsters. Away from the pool where there might be a tragic accident now that the code requires either one of these pool cages are what are some of the other you -- Have a sense around a full pool to protect it yet had a pool cage also serves as a fence to keep anyone from accidentally walking into the into the pool and down exactly and here. -- two wandering men with a whole section I would. This is the first section of all of our roof that we'll be putting up. We've already done some preliminary work here. Now it's not heavy it is made of aluminum and how sturdy are these things when you have a hurricane -- Pretty sturdy they're made 230 mile an hour wind loads Sarah they're all engineered so that no matter what size they are. There's compensations made so that they withstand 130 mile an hour when is it an extra heavy extradition of aluminum they're all custom made for this industry. OK now how do you how do you. How do you design it. Do you have a plan -- lay out everything we make a plan we draw a blueprint of the actual area which I don't have in my half pocket right now the guys haven't yet. And -- and that. Besides the spacing of the beams force is put into the unit that's off precut at the factory right that's correct now this is cool to watch that they're just bringing in these cases. Bring -- of the wall section of the recession and attaching together some of them down here you'll take -- first section and attach it to the structural gutter. OK so the structural gutter has already been put in place upstairs and we can see is the structural gutters and put up we've also put him. Are being clips were reattaching. The beams well let's get out of the way and watch how it. Get this other section up where it belongs. -- amazing just to guy. -- erect one of these things without. Any kind of assistance remove. Crane or anything like that two guys that get used to working together. They get their own system going and become very efficient and yeah. And so they've already positioned these what do you call these brackets or braces that are up there knows it's there. Receiving channels with extra heavy reinforcing angles on the outside. Now when you do have a storm. Is this grieving. That's just blow away no the screening stays in it is it's a screening is put into all of these pictures -- It holds very strong it does so generally when you have failure it's because something blows and I know oftentimes you do an -- if if the wind gets results. This is structure can't withhold it anymore generally they implode. Into the cooler. All right so you bring in a wall section and you raise. A roof section up to meet it. There's not much weight involved to all of this is there. Now aluminum construction. Business. The structure gets its strength partially from the shapes of the metals themselves from the shapes that are the design of the beams. Yeah I can understand about what about all the fasteners and stuff you've got some wall is just ridiculous announcement came home this. These tap cons here are used to fasten the cage down to the concrete."

" And it critical points where the big load bearing columns attach to that. The concrete. There's larger ones. And then what any straps here forced. These are gusset plates that go on the top of the column. -- attach the beam to the column itself."

" OK and then how to use the steel cables. These cables once the cage is almost done. This will be put in the corner over -- where a beam in the roof comes together and industry sixteenths inch cable stretched down and tightened. To do it. -- rigid structure are understand. -- look at him behind you they're amazing. All right so this is the most complicated of the panels is kind of hip form is that why you haven't put the screen on. It is yes do we want to make sure it was gonna be a good fit."

" Before we screened it."

" You're just leaving me holding this here. That at that from. All right thanks Gary thanks a lot we're going to take a closer look at this later on in the show OK very good. When you're finished up."

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