Screen rooms
Solid roof, full-height screen walls, zero mosquitoes — built under New Jersey's patio-cover rules.
- Design-load roof structure
- Full-height screen panels
- Screen door and thresholds
Licensed & Insured Deck Contractor
Patio Enclosures in Bergen & Passaic County
Screened rooms and three-season rooms built on an existing patio or deck, under New Jersey's own patio-cover code appendix — what that classification actually allows, and what it doesn't.
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In-home estimates
Patio Enclosures in Bergen & Passaic County
A patio enclosure — a screened room or three-season room over an existing patio or deck — sits in a specific place in New Jersey's residential code: not exempt from the rules governing a room addition, but not held to all of them either. The state adopted a dedicated code appendix for this structure, drawing a firm line between an enclosure and a habitable room. Get the classification right and the project is priced, permitted and built as what it actually is.
That line depends on how open the walls stay, which is why wall design here is the test that keeps the structure on the lighter, patio-cover side of the code rather than crossing into room-addition territory, with its own insulation, egress and footing rules. Glass in those walls, or a slider leading out to it, has to clear a separate safety rule. Below: the classification, the glazing rule, and why this isn't the same trade as porch or pergola work.
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500+Projects Completed
What Happens at the Free Estimate
No pressure and no deposit — just an hour, a tape measure, and a written number you can hold anyone else's quote against.
- We measure and look underneath
- Grade, drainage, access for a truck, and how the existing structure was built. That is what makes a number real rather than a guess over the phone.
- You get it in writing
- Materials, dimensions and a timeline on paper, so you can compare our quote against anyone else's on the same terms.
- About an hour, at your convenience
- Evenings and Saturdays included. We work two counties, so we are rarely more than half an hour away.
- No obligation, no deposit to quote
- The estimate is free and yours to keep. Nothing is owed if you decide not to build, or decide to build later.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call (201) 321-2990.
How It Works
Our proven process from first call to final walkthrough.
1
1
Free estimate and base check
We assess the patio slab or deck you want enclosed for level, soundness and load capacity before promising anything above it.
2
2
Scope the room, honestly
Screen room or three-season, roof style, and how open the walls need to stay to keep the classification — and the budget — where you want it.
3
3
Permit and drawings
A patio cover is still a permitted structure under its own code appendix. We prepare drawings sized to that appendix and file.
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4
Frame, roof, then walls
Posts and beams sized for the design load, roof tied in and flashed to the house, then screen or window walls and the door.
5
5
Seal, screen and walkthrough
Insect-tight at every panel and threshold, glazing checked against the hazardous-location rule, and the room walked through with you.
What Patio Enclosure Construction Covers
Typically 1–3 weeks on site after permits.
Three-season rooms
Windowed walls that stretch the outdoor calendar from March to November.
- Window wall systems
- Safety-glazing check at every panel
- Fan and outlet wiring
Covered patio conversions
Walls, screens or windows under a roof you already own.
- Existing roof assessment
- Open-wall percentage check
- Insect-tight sealing
The code
Why This Is a Patio Cover, Not a Room Addition
New Jersey wrote an entire code appendix for this exact structure, and the classification test inside it is what everything else follows from.
New Jersey's dedicated appendix
New Jersey's residential code has a dedicated appendix just for this kind of structure — adopted as part of the subcode, the same way it adopts appendices for tiny houses or sound transmission. It exists because a screened or covered patio structure doesn't fit cleanly into either 'no permit needed' or 'full room addition' — the state wrote a middle category on purpose.
What the appendix actually relaxes
That appendix doesn't invent new rules from nothing — it relaxes specific parts of the main code that would otherwise apply: permitted uses, how open the walls stay, light and ventilation and emergency egress, the height limit, the structural design load, and the footings. Each is a real, separate rule, not one blanket exemption.
Recreational use only, never a room
The code is explicit: a patio cover is for recreational, outdoor-living use only — never a carport, garage, storage, or a habitable room. That single line is the hinge the classification turns on. The moment a space gets finished and used as a real room, it falls out of this relaxed appendix and back under the full code governing an actual addition.
The 65 percent open-wall rule
To stay classified as a cover rather than a room, the longer wall plus one more wall must stay at least 65 percent open or glazed, measured below roughly six and a half feet, using insect screening, thin approved plastic, or code-compliant glass. That percentage is the measurable line between a screen room and a room addition — not appearance or intent.
One story, 12 feet, and real footings here
A patio cover is capped at one story and 12 feet high, with a lighter design load than a true addition — 10 pounds per square foot live load minimum, or snow load if greater, plus wind. The appendix allows footing-free slab construction only where the ground never freezes; in Bergen and Passaic County it does, so posts still need real footings to frost depth.
A screen enclosure is explicitly 'not habitable'
The code says it outright: a screen enclosure isn't considered habitable space, needing only a seven-foot minimum ceiling height. That's useful, not a loophole — it means the space is honestly built and priced as a screened room, without the cost of full insulation and energy-code compliance a habitable room would require, as long as it's never used as one.
Glazing safety
Glass Panels, Sliders and the Hazardous-Location Rule
Any glass in the enclosure's walls, or beside its door, has to clear its own safety rule — renumbered in the current code edition.
Glazing got renumbered
New Jersey's 2024 code edition renumbered the glazing section entirely — what used to sit at R308 is now R324, and the hazardous-locations list moved with it. Any competitor or old permit drawing that cites the R308 numbering is quoting the outgoing edition. We work from the current section numbers, because a construction official reviewing your permit will too.
Big fixed panels near the floor
A large fixed glass panel counts as a hazardous location if it exceeds nine square feet, its bottom edge sits under 18 inches off the floor, its top edge sits above 36 inches, and a walking surface is within three feet of it. That glass has to be safety-rated, with a guard rail as the only exception.
Glass beside the door
Glass within two feet of a door, under five feet off the floor, is a hazardous location under the same rule — with a named exception for glazing next to the fixed panel of a patio door. That exception is narrow, so we check every slider and French door on its own.
Glass by the steps
Glazing near a stair or ramp is its own hazardous-location case: any glass with its bottom edge under three feet above an adjacent stair flight, ramp or landing needs safety glazing, unless a guard rail in the right height range is already there. It matters wherever an enclosure sits at the top or bottom of deck or patio steps.
What this means for your sunroom or slider
In practice: the big fixed window wall of a three-season room, the glass beside your screen door, and any pane near the steps down to the yard are all candidates for safety-rated glazing rather than standard glass. We check each panel against its specific rule at the design stage, not after the glass is ordered.
Egress windows stay uncovered
If a bedroom's emergency escape window opens onto or near where the enclosure goes, that opening has to stay unenclosed — the code will not let a patio cover seal off a required rescue window from a sleeping room. We map every nearby window before finalizing where the enclosure's walls and roofline land.
Screen Room, Three-Season Room — Not Porch or Pergola Work
Naming the room correctly is most of scoping it, and knowing what it isn't matters just as much as what it is.
- What we build
- This service covers screened rooms and three-season rooms, built onto a patio or deck you already have. It does not cover porch or pergola work of any kind — those are different structures with different code rules, built differently from the ground up, and not something we take on as part of this service.
- The code-category difference from a porch
- New Jersey's own code treats a porch as its own structure category, with repair-and-replacement rules written separately from the patio-cover appendix that governs an enclosure. That isn't a technicality — a porch is generally part of the home's original structure and roofline, while an enclosure here is added onto an existing patio or deck floor after the fact.
- Screen rooms, defined
- A screen room is full-height insect screening under a solid, code-engineered roof: shade, airflow and zero bugs, at the lower end of the enclosure price range. For three-season use without the cost of glass, it is usually the best value per evening actually spent outside.
- Three-season rooms, defined
- A three-season room swaps screen for windowed walls, stretching comfortable use from early spring into late fall without the cost of insulating and heating a true four-season addition. It costs more than a screen room and less than a full room — the middle of the range, by design.
- Enclosing an existing covered patio
- If a patio already has a roof over it, the project is mostly walls, screening or windows, and a door — the structure and load path already exist. It still has to pass the same open-wall test to stay classified as a cover rather than a room, checked before anything closes in.
- Deck conversions need the base checked
- A deck can absolutely become the floor of an enclosure, but its framing was never designed for wall and roof loads on top of it, so that has to be checked and reinforced first. That reinforcement is deck work, covered under Deck Installation and Deck Remodeling, before the enclosure itself goes up.
Cost & decision
What Drives the Cost, and What to Decide First
Between a screen panel and a window wall lies a wide price range. These are the levers that place you on it, and the questions worth answering before framing starts.
Screen versus three-season glass
Screen panels and windowed walls sit at opposite ends of the same wall-framing job, and the cost gap between them is the single biggest fork in this category. It is worth deciding which one you actually want before pricing anything else, because it changes the framing, not just the finish.
New roof or reuse
Enclosing under a roof that already exists — a covered patio or porch roof, structurally sound — saves the largest line item on the job: building a new roof from scratch adds its own structure, house tie-in and flashing, on top of everything else.
The base's condition
A level, sound patio slab is a free foundation for the walls above it; a deck floor needs its framing checked and possibly reinforced first. Either way, a cracked slab or a bouncy deck under a new enclosure is the wrong order of operations — see Patio Decks if the ground-level surface itself needs work first.
Footprint, wall height and glazing area
Perimeter feet and wall height drive the framing bill the way they do on any structure, and glazing area drives two costs at once: window cost itself, and how much of that glass has to meet the safety-glazing rule rather than standard glass.
Electrical while walls are open
Fans, outlets and lighting are cheap to run while the walls are still open framing, and expensive to add after screens or windows seal them in. A ceiling fan, in particular, is often the difference between a room used through July and one avoided in it.
Want it heated year-round instead?
If real winter use is the actual goal, that is a different, larger project than a patio cover — full insulation, energy-code compliance and deeper footings, not the relaxed rules this appendix allows. Better to know that before framing starts than to find out the room was scoped wrong from day one.
Ready to Get Started?
Get a free, no-obligation in-home estimate. We'll walk your property, discuss your vision, and provide a detailed quote, all at no cost.
Where We Serve
Patio Enclosure Construction Near You
We provide patio enclosure construction services across these communities in New Jersey.
Paramus, NJHawthorne, NJWayne, NJFair Lawn, NJRidgewood, NJFranklin Lakes, NJGlen Rock, NJHackensack, NJWyckoff, NJMahwah, NJElmwood Park, NJGarfield, NJHo-Ho-Kus, NJMidland Park, NJOakland, NJPark Ridge, NJRochelle Park, NJSaddle River, NJTownship of Washington, NJWoodcliff Lake, NJHaledon, NJNorth Haledon, NJPaterson, NJTotowa, NJWoodland Park, NJ
What Our Customers Say
Real reviews from homeowners in your area.
Oct 2026
“House of Decks LLC built our new porch, and the crew arrived when they said they would. They got right to work and kept things moving without making the job feel rushed. The construction was done carefully, and the finished porch has a neat, solid look that works well for our home. I’m very happy with the work. I’d call them again for another project”
Carl Miller
Patio Enclosure Construction
Oct 2026
“House of Decks LLC built our new porch, and I’d hire them again. During the work, the crew answered my questions and made a helpful adjustment when I pointed out something I wanted handled differently. They were respectful around the house and kept the area organized. The porch has a sturdy, finished look without feeling too elaborate. I’m very satisfied with how everything turned out.”
Gast 20
Patio Enclosure Construction
Oct 2026
“They did a great job building our new fence and were a really good crew to work with”
Olivia
Patio Enclosure Construction
Oct 2026
“House of Decks LLC replaced our old deck. I wanted a sturdy space that looked neat and would be comfortable to use. The finished deck is solid and clean, and the simple look works well behind the house. Once the crew was done, there was very little for us to tidy afterward. I’m really pleased with the result. This was a hardworking, dependable crew to have on the job”
Jeremy Lawrence
Patio Enclosure Construction
Oct 2026
“The new elevated deck and stairs came out even better than I expected. Before work started, Stiljano clearly explained what they planned to do, and he answered my questions so I knew what was happening. The crew was respectful around the house and pleasant to have around while they worked. They worked carefully, and the finished gray decking with white railings looks sharp beside the brick house. The stairs feel solid, and the whole deck has a clean, finished look. I’d call Stiljano and the crew again when I have another project.”
Raquel
Patio Enclosure Construction
Oct 2026
“I wanted a contractor who would listen to what we had in mind and make sensible suggestions for our raised deck installation. The team did that without turning the decision into a sales pitch. They explained the available choices in plain language, which made it easier for me to choose the right direction. I also liked that they paid attention to the details we cared about instead of treating the job like a routine order. The finished gray deck with white railing looks clean and suits our house well, but their attitude was what convinced me that choosing them was the right decision in the end.”
carol ford
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“Found these guys online while looking for someone to build our raised deck. The first conversation went well, so we decided to go ahead with them. Their schedule worked with ours, and we didn’t have to be home for every visit, which helped a lot. The crew was polite and treated our home respectfully while they were here. We’re really happy with how the deck turned out. It looks good against the house without being overdone. From that first conversation through the installation, they were easy to deal with. Glad we found them, and a big thank you to the crew for the work they put in”
Besati Lionurs
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“Very happy with the quality of work and punctuality. Stiljano was a pleasure to work with. Definitely recommend to anyone in need of a deck contractor”
Embro Dhuli
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“Seeing the finished deck was a great feeling. House of Decks LLC built a raised deck with multiple levels, stairs and railings that give the side of our home a completely different look. The white posts and black balusters stand out against the brown decking. The space feels much more inviting now, and that’s what I’d tell anyone considering this kind of work”
Stacy Williams
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“The work done by House of Decks LLC was super when it came to replacing our old deck. Stiljano and his team is a very professional person who communicates well and explains everything from the start. His crew worked fast and left the area clean after all the small details were taken care of.The work done looks wonderful, and the deck is really strong. It was fair price for what we got, and everything went according to our plans. I definitely recommend House of Decks LLC for a deck replacement”
Nicole Gomez
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“House of Decks LLC performed a perfect installation of a new deck at our residence in Franklin Lakes, NJ. Both Stiljano and his crew were highly responsible and professional in their work. All aspects of their service were explained to us in detail, including the progress of the work and the cost of services, which was quite reasonable and without any surprises. The new deck made of composite material and white railings looks perfect, and everything seems sturdy and quality. Our backyard is transformed into a new space after that.”
Shelia Jones
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“Working with Stiljano and his crew was an absolute pleasure. They removed our old wood deck and installed our new one. They did a masterful job with great attention to detail. It looks amazing! We highly recommend House of Decks.”
Teresa Grillo
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“We had House of Decks LLC build our new deck in Fair Lawn and we’re really happy with how it turned out. The deck looks clean and solid, and the white railings with the black balusters came out really nice. The stairs and finishing details were done carefully, and everything feels sturdy. The crew did a great job from start to finish. Definitely recommend House of Decks LLC for anyone looking to build or replace a deck in the Fair Lawn area.”
Joshua Samford
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“They replaced the floor and railing on my deck. Very professional and quality workmanship. I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to update their deck”
Aurel Dhuli
Patio Enclosure Construction
Sep 2026
“Our old outdoor space wasn’t working well for us, so we decided to have a composite deck built in Wayne. The finished deck gives us a much nicer place to spend time, and I’m very happy with how it turned out. The crew did a great job.”
Dana Golliday
Patio Enclosure Construction
Aug 2026
“House of Decks LLC has done a wonderful job with our new deck installation. The team was relaxed, on time, and worked really well to leave little clean up at all. The end result is a sturdy and beautiful deck that I am truly happy with”
Orlando Valdez
Patio Enclosure Construction
Aug 2026
“The job that was done by House of Decks LLC for our new deck was really good. They started by removing the old deck and then assisted us in choosing a layout and material options, explaining everything before beginning the process. Their workers arrived on schedule, were fast at working and kept our backyard clean. The end result is a very solid deck with straight boards and railings, which has greatly improved the backyard area. We are really pleased with their work and would recommend them for any deck installation. Thank you guys!”
Devonte King
Patio Enclosure Construction
Mar 2026
“Great communication, fast install, and fair price. 10/10 overall great experience thank you guys”
Abbas Salem
Patio Enclosure Construction
Mar 2026
“Did a great job from start to finish extremely professional and worth every dollar. The best craftsmanship and professionalism would highly recommend”
Noor Eljdid
Patio Enclosure Construction
Mar 2026
“The absolute best decking company in the area hard workers and honest pricing. Agreed on a price and they went straight to work the crew was extremely pleasant and work oriented and the results were out of this world thank you guys”
Hunter The Game God
Patio Enclosure Construction
Mar 2026
“House of Decks was friendly, efficient, extremely professional and had excellent craftsman. I was very pleased with their work and highly recommended them. They went above and beyond by helping move my mahogany wood nightstands when it was shipped my place. Thank for the help, 5 stars!”
Leo Acosta
Patio Enclosure Construction
Feb 2026
“Contacted them via phone they were very communicative decides to go ahead and pull the trigger ! Bed decision of my life My new deck is absolutely amazing the craftsmanship is outstanding and the price was very fair ! Thank you guys for your hard work”
Ilias Elhaouss
Patio Enclosure Construction
Feb 2026
“Choosing House of decks was the right decision !! Assessed the structural issues carefully and rebuilt my deck stronger and more attractive than before ! Couldn’t resist the affordable price and the attention to details ! Thank you guys”
Abraham Yassine
Patio Enclosure Construction
Feb 2026
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with stiljano and his crew ! Contacted them about a deck demolition and to build me a new deck ! They were quick to reply and gave me a fair price that I couldn’t find anywhere ! I am so impressed w the results ! Thank you guys for your hard work”
Ke Xu
Patio Enclosure Construction
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions homeowners ask us at almost every estimate.
Is a patio enclosure the same as adding a room?
No, and the distinction is written into New Jersey's own code. A patio enclosure is built under a dedicated appendix for patio covers, capped at one story and 12 feet, with a lighter structural load than a real addition, and limited to recreational use — never a habitable room. Once a space is finished and used as a real room, it falls out of that relaxed appendix and into the full code governing an actual room addition.
Do patio enclosures need a permit?
Yes. Falling under the relaxed patio-cover appendix doesn't mean no permit — it means a lighter version of the same review, with plan review and inspection assigned to the building subcode official just like any other structure. We prepare the drawings and file, the same as for any deck we build.
What's the difference between a screen room and a three-season room?
Wall material. A screen room uses insect screening under a solid roof — airflow, shade, no bugs, at the lower end of the price range. A three-season room uses windowed walls instead, stretching use from early spring into late fall. Neither is heated or insulated; that would put it under full room-addition rules instead of the relaxed patio-cover appendix both are built under.
Is this the same as porch or pergola work?
No. New Jersey's own code treats a porch as its own structure category with its own rules, generally understood as part of the home's original structure and roofline. A patio enclosure here is something added onto an existing patio or deck floor, under a different code appendix entirely. Pergolas are a different structure again — we build screened and three-season enclosures only.
Does the glass need to be special safety glass?
Often, yes. New Jersey's glazing rule flags several situations as hazardous: a large fixed pane low to the floor with a walking surface nearby, glass close to a door, and glass near the top or bottom of steps — each with its own size and height thresholds, and narrow named exceptions such as fixed patio-door panels. We check every panel against these rules before glass is ordered.
Can you enclose my existing deck?
Yes, once its framing is checked and, if needed, reinforced — a deck's frame was designed for foot traffic and furniture, not for wall and roof loads on top of it. That reinforcement is deck work, and we do both halves: checking and building the floor, then framing and enclosing the room above it.
Can I heat it and use it in winter?
A space heater on a mild day, sure, but real winter use is a different, larger project than a patio enclosure. It would need full insulation, energy-code compliance and deeper footings — the rules this appendix specifically relaxes. If year-round use is genuinely the goal, plan and scope that from day one rather than convert a screen room later.
Can this connect to a bigger project later?
Yes. If the base is a patio surface that still needs work, that's Patio Decks; if the base is a deck that needs reinforcing or extending first, that's Deck Installation or Deck Remodeling. Scoping the enclosure and its floor together, rather than as two separate afterthoughts, is what keeps the finished room from outgrowing what's underneath it.
Sources
- N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21 — Appendix BF (Patio Covers) adopted into the residential subcodeaccessed 2026-09-17
- New Jersey UCC IRC-2024, Appendix BF — permitted uses and the enclosure-wall test (BF101–BF103)accessed 2026-09-17
- New Jersey UCC IRC-2024, Appendix BF — height, design loads, footings and screen enclosures (BF104–BF106)accessed 2026-09-17
- New Jersey UCC IRC-2024 — glazing hazardous locations, R324.4accessed 2026-09-17
- N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21 — Table R301.2 frost-line amendment (Bergen/Passaic)accessed 2026-09-17
- New Jersey UCC IRC-2024 — deck footing frost protection, R507.3accessed 2026-09-16
- N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 / 2.17A — porch as its own ordinary-maintenance / minor-work categoryaccessed 2026-09-17
- DCA Construction Code Communicator, Summer 2023 — covered patio as a 'Building Area' additionaccessed 2026-09-17
- DCA Construction Code Communicator, Summer 2026 — smoke-alarm retrofit triggeraccessed 2026-09-17
Other Work We Do
Most projects touch more than one of these. We handle them with the same crew.
Composite Decks
The buying guide for composite decking in Bergen and Passaic County: Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon and Deckorators lines by tier, the warranty term on each, the fine print that voids it, and the cases where composite is the wrong answer.
Learn moreDeck Design
Deck design for Bergen and Passaic County homes — the layout, level and footprint choices that decide the footings, the guard and stair requirements, and the permit drawings before any lumber is ordered.
Learn moreDeck Installation
New deck installation across Bergen and Passaic County, in wood or composite, built to New Jersey's 2024 code from footings to final railing, with the township permit filed by us.
Learn moreDeck Remodeling
Deck remodeling in Bergen and Passaic County — the New Jersey rule that decides whether reshaping the deck you have is ordinary maintenance or new construction, and which applies to your job.
Learn moreDeck Replacement
Deck replacement in Bergen and Passaic County — re-decking a sound frame or a full rebuild, in wood or composite, and which New Jersey permit rule applies to each.
Learn morePatio Decks
Patio decks in Bergen and Passaic County: pavers, natural stone, stamped concrete and low platform decks compared, the New Jersey permit rule most homeowners get wrong, and the base spec that keeps any of them flat for decades.
Learn more
Free Estimate
Scope Your Enclosure
We check the base, name the room correctly under New Jersey's own patio-cover rules, and quote it in writing.
- No obligation, completely free
- We come to you for an in-home consultation
- Get your estimate within 24 hours