Birdcages are a must have for not only our pool but the host of "things" that would love to fly, crawl or wander in. It has some SPF protection and does NOT chakllenge the actual view .......

Slightly off topic, has anyone installed a canvas cover over a birdcage. Who did the installation? Approximate cost?

We just removed our birdcage and instead installed a year-round, climate controlled lanai. We do not have a pool or swim spa. We found we didn't use it enough. It was too hot in the summer and a little chilly in the winter. It required a lot of upkeep... very dirty and needed to be powerwashed frequently. We had to cover the outdoor furniture from rain and dust. Now that we have our enclosed lanai, this time of year we use open the screen sliders and enjoy it every day.

When you say too hot in the summer ...how hot? Isn't it the same as it is outside the lanaii? and too cold in the winter, I would assume it is the same temperature as outside?

The screening doesn't keep any dust out? How does it keep UV out?

How often does it need to be power washed?

I like it because it keeps out the alligators, racoons, coyotes, stray cats and dogs, homeless people, sandhill cranes, and many other UN-desirable things. Without one you could come home some day and find a gator just sitting there watching television. I just wish I could find where those pesky geckos are sneaking in. They keep trying to sell me insurance.

You forgot zombies!

Yes, the birdcage temperature is the same as it is outside... if it's 49 degrees (as it is this morning), you can't use it. Right now, my husband is relaxing in the enclosed lanai reading the morning paper. And yes, when it's in the high 80's and 90's and the sun is beating down on you, you can't use it.

No, screening does not keep the outside dust from coming in. We paid for the tightest screening on the sides of the birdcage and we paid for the "sunscreen" type screening on the top of the birdcage and it didn't work.

In the summer, with the high humidity, there was a lot of mold that needed to be cleaned frequently.

I'm not trying to discourage you from a birdcage, but I wish we had known some of the "negatives" before we build the birdcage, only to remove it two years later... made decision on our part.

I have a large birdcage that extends beyond the covered lanai and love it. We eat almost all of our meals there sometimes even when there is a gentle warm rain. This week I loved the warmth and energizing sun while I read and napped. When there was construction still happening we did get dust and dirt but that is not a problem now.

When Charlie flew in to Punta Gorda my sister lost her cage over their pool.
They could not believe the amount of water loss each day without the screen or how much the cage had deflected the sun.

Zombies just break through the screening.

Not totally sure but the birdcage might satisfy the law. But as I remember it the doors to the pool area must be alarmed and exit doors from the lanai to the outside need to have handles at least 54" above the ground level. I have seen houses, on golf courses outside of TV, that have a barrier around their pools and inside of the birdcage.

You have a covered lanai. We did not. We only had the birdcage, and that's why we didn't like it and removed it.

Added a birdcage
 

We just added a bird cage. It extended out from the roofed lanai. This allowed us to remove the screening from the roofed lanai walls. We are outdoor people...crusied our sailboat and did the RV thing for about 12 years before moving to TV.

When we open the sliders, which is often, we like the feeling of moving from indoors to outdoors with out any doors. Kewl for us. But bird cages and screened lanais are not for every one as evidenced by all the folks that enclose lanais.

Another advantage is letting the cat have an out door area.

The builder used sun screening for the roof and standard screening for the sides. The sunscreen is very good to knock down the temps and UV exposure. We also have an umbrella for full shade. Our grill is in the cage as well as our dining table so we have most meals there. We will be adding a propane fire pit soon for those cool evenings.

The options are endless to create a comfortable out door living space. But, like I said you have to like the outdoors in the first place.

So there is different types of screening you have to pick out? Yikes. I thought all birdcages were equal except for the columns. Anything else we need to know about before ordering a birdcage?

we are also going to put a very long (outdoor type) dining table and other such furniture in our new birdcage. How do you deal with the furniture in the birdcage? Does it get soaked when it rains? And in regard to the grill in the birdcage, there is no issue in having a gas grill being used in the birdcage? We have been wondering about this. Thanks for any info.