Lanai & Pool Cage Cleaning
Stoneybrook

Stoneybrook is a gated Lennar community of roughly 400 homes, built between 2000 and 2005 just east of I-75 on Corkscrew Road, across from Grandezza and next to Wildcat Run. It wraps around a par-72 course by Gordy Lewis and Jed Azinger that ranks among the longest in Southwest Florida, which puts a lot of lanais beside a fairway.

The mix of housing shapes the work. Single-family homes here usually have a full screened pool cage over a pool and deck. The attached villas tend to have a smaller screened lanai off the living room, and the low-rise condos have unit lanais stacked one over another. Homes run from about 1,200 to more than 3,000 square feet, so enclosure sizes vary as widely as the floor plans.

Reclaimed water shows up on most recent Stoneybrook listings. Where sprinklers hit a cage, communities on reclaimed irrigation commonly see orange or brown marks on kick plates, lower panels and floors.

Those marks are iron and other minerals left as the water dries, not dirt. Scrubbing harder or turning the pressure up does not remove them and can etch a paver or dull the paint on a frame. We use a rust remover made for aluminum and masonry, rinse it fully, and show you which sprinkler heads are reaching the cage so they can be turned.

Cages facing preserves and lakes collect insects and pollen, and shaded frames turn green. Those panels usually need the most attention.

A long golf course means long stretches of mowed turf beside the homes. Grass clippings and fine dust from the mowers blow into the lower screen panels on fairway lots, and fertilizer drift can leave a faint film on kick plates. Stray golf balls also find screens. We look for small punctures and loose spline as we rinse and note them for you.

Frames from 2000 to 2005 are reaching the age when chalky oxidation appears. A brightener during regular cleaning keeps it from advancing.

Twenty-plus years of Florida sun also wears on screen mesh. Older panels can turn brittle and fade, and a tired screen tears more easily under any kind of force. That is one more reason we keep the rinse gentle and work from the inside out. If a panel is already failing, we point it out rather than clean it into a hole.

For single-family pool homes, the order of work matters. We clear the screen roof first by hand from ladders, never by walking on it, then wash the frame and walls from the top down. Dirty rinse water runs over surfaces we have not reached yet, so nothing gets streaked twice. A standard cage starts at $299. For the bigger estate cages in the 1,500 to 2,500 square foot range, pricing begins at $399.

Villa lanais share a wall with the neighbor, and condo lanais may sit right above another owner. On those we use a low-volume rinse, check that the drain is clear before we start and towel the edge so water does not run where it should not. A villa or condo lanai below 800 square feet is priced from $249. Neighbors in the same building can book the same day.

Pool decks inside the cage pick up their own film. Near the steps, the spa and the drains, a thin green layer forms that is easy to miss and easy to slip on. We clean the full deck with a rotary surface cleaner for an even finish, then treat the steps and coping by hand. The cage and deck package starts at $399 and covers both in one visit.

Gate access in Stoneybrook is handled ahead of time. We arrange entry with you or your manager, confirm the day and, if you are out of town, work while the home is empty. When we finish you get before-and-after photos and a short written note on anything we saw, such as torn panels, loose screws or heavy oxidation.

Kids and pets use these enclosures hard. With a playground, ball fields and a roller hockey rink in the community, many lanais double as a place to drop wet shoes, scooters and sports gear. Chairs and cushions left in one spot hold moisture against the floor, and that is where the darkest mildew rings form. We move furniture and gear aside, clean underneath and put everything back where it was. If cushions or a rug have started to mildew, we tell you so they can be washed or replaced before the spots return.

Timing helps. Summer rain brings the fastest algae growth, and spring pollen coats every surface. Many owners book once in late spring after the pollen settles, so the cage stays clean through the wet months. Seasonal residents often book in the fall, a few weeks before they arrive, when the lanai has been closed since April.

Most Stoneybrook enclosures do well with a cleaning every eight to twelve months. Fairway and lake-facing cages, and any shaded by large trees, usually need the shorter end of that range. Birdcage enclosures and lanais with an outdoor kitchen start at $499. They take more hand detailing around grills, hoods and countertops.