Pool cage got wrecked - repair or replace?

Look at the base of the uprights

That is where Florida cages fail first: at the foot, where the upright meets the deck and water sits. Corrosion there is not cosmetic, because that is the connection carrying the whole frame in wind. Push on a few uprights; movement at the base is a replacement conversation.

When re-screening is the right answer

Sound frame, sound anchors, tired screen. Re-screening is good value and quick, and it is worth doing the whole cage rather than the failed panels, so the mesh matches and ages together.

• Standard mesh for general use.
• A heavier pet-resistant mesh at the lower panels where a dog leans.
• No-see-um mesh if the insects demand it, accepting that it cuts airflow noticeably.

What to check on a replacement quote

1. 1Is the rebuild engineered and permitted to the current wind load for your county?
2. 2What fasteners and anchors are used at the deck, and what happens if the deck concrete is poor?
3. 3What is the screen specification, and is it the same throughout?
4. 4Is the existing structure removed and disposed of in the price?

An unpermitted cage becomes a problem twice: at resale, and after the next storm when an insurer asks for the permit.

While the cage is off

It is the cheapest moment to deal with the deck underneath, because access is never this good again: cracked pool deck options. If an outdoor kitchen is part of the plan, decide it now too: what survives outdoors in Florida.

What to do about the fasteners

Cage failures in wind usually start at the connections rather than in the frame. The anchors into the deck, the screws at the beams, and the condition of the concrete they are fixed into are what hold the structure down.

On a repair, ask for the anchors to be inspected and replaced where they are corroded, and for any spalled concrete around them to be made good. It is a small line on a quote and it is the difference between a cage that stays put and one that leaves in a storm.

The doors and the kick plates

Cage doors take the most use and fail first: hinges, closers and the lower panel where feet push it open. Kick plates on the bottom panels prevent most of that damage and cost very little when the screen is being replaced anyway.

If you have pets, specify a heavier mesh on the lower panels rather than the whole cage. It keeps the airflow and puts the durable material where the damage happens.