Lanai, Loggia & Pool Cage Cleaning
Port Royal

Salt spray off the canals and Gulf settles on screen mesh, railings and glass, then bakes on in the sun. Screens dull and hold moisture, and the view the house was built around goes hazy.

Aluminum oxidizes faster in salt air. Pool cage frames and railings develop a chalky film that needs a brightener; left for years, it pits the finish and leads to recoating.

Open loggias and covered terraces collect mildew on ceilings and beams in the shade, and outdoor kitchens add grease to stone counters and floors nearby.

Waterfront pool decks catch salt crust along their edges and algae in shaded corners. Both make the deck slick and dull.

Docks, boat lifts and seawalls sit only steps from many Port Royal pool decks. When we clean the enclosure and terrace, runoff is kept away from the water and off any vessel, and dock and seawall cleaning can be quoted for the same visit.

Built around the water from the start. Port Royal was created from marshland by dredge and fill, a project John Glen Sample spent about two decades on, and his plan gave every home waterfront access. The neighborhood is bounded by water on three sides. The result is that the pool terrace is almost always the side of the house facing a canal, the bay or the Gulf, and the outdoor rooms take the brunt of the weather. A cage or loggia here gets more salt and wind than the same enclosure a mile inland.

Older lots, larger houses. Lot sales began in 1950, and early homes were modest by today’s standards, often 2,500 to 3,000 square feet. Many have since been replaced by much larger estates. That means you can find a 1960s-era screened lanai a few doors from a new two-story loggia with a full summer kitchen, retractable screens and a rooftop terrace. We look at what is actually there and plan the access, the ladders and the protection around it, rather than treating every property as a standard pool cage.

Retractable screens and glass walls. Many newer outdoor rooms use motorized roll-down screens or glass sliders instead of a fixed cage. Roll-down screens are washed while extended, by hand and at low pressure, then left down until fully dry so they do not roll up damp and mildew in the housing. Sliding glass is cleaned with mineral-safe products, and the bottom tracks, where salt and sand collect, are flushed and wiped out so the doors run freely.

Natural stone around the pool. Travertine, shellstone and marble are common on Port Royal terraces. Acidic cleaners etch them and high pressure opens the surface, so stone gets neutral, stone-safe products and a wide fan at modest pressure. Salt crust along the coping is softened and rinsed rather than scraped. If the stone would benefit from sealing afterward, we tell you and quote it separately.

Discretion and the household. Port Royal estates often have staff, a house manager or family members coming and going. We set the day and arrival time with whoever runs the house, keep the crew small and quiet, park where we are asked to, and stay out of the interior unless invited. Outdoor televisions, speakers and kitchen appliances are covered before any water goes near them, and furniture is photographed before we move it so it goes back exactly as it was.

Second homes and storm season. Plenty of Port Royal houses sit empty for part of the year, and an enclosure left alone through a wet summer can come back green on the shaded side and white with salt on the water side. After a tropical storm, debris, sand and seaweed may also be blown against the screens and into the pool terrace. We can come after a storm, clear the enclosure and photograph any torn panels or bent framing so your manager has a record for the screen contractor or the insurer.

How often. Salt builds back quickly on the water. Most owners here clean the enclosure and terrace at least once a year, and many waterfront homes prefer twice: once before the winter season and once after it. Frames and rails that are already chalky benefit from an oxidation treatment so the finish does not pit.

Pricing. Most Port Royal enclosures, with tall roofs or outdoor kitchens under the screen, fall under birdcage and outdoor-kitchen pricing from $499. A single-story cage of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet starts from $399, and smaller cages with the deck floor included start from $399. Heavy oxidation treatment for salt-air frames and rails adds $75 to $150. Open loggias, terraces and retractable systems are quoted after a walk-through.