Lanai and outdoor living design in Tampa
In Tampa Bay the lanai is a room you use nine months of the year, and a good one is designed with the house, not bolted on. Shade, breeze, bugs, afternoon rain and how it connects to the kitchen all get decided on the drawings.
Projects we design
- A covered lanai or porch across the back of the house
- An outdoor kitchen with gas, water and power
- A pool with a surround, cage and shade structure that fit the yard
- A front porch on a house that never had a real one
- A pavilion or cabana separate from the house
- Replacing a screen room with a real roofed space
What's in the design
Site plan
The structure placed within setbacks, lot coverage and pool barrier requirements.
Plans and elevations
Roof form, column spacing, ceiling heights and how the new roof meets the existing one.
Structural design
Columns, beams, footings and uplift connections sized for Tampa Bay wind loads, sealed as required.
Outdoor kitchen layout
Counter runs, grill and appliance clearances, and gas, water, drain and electrical routing.
Lighting and fans
Fixture and fan locations that make the space usable after dark and in August.
Coordination with pool and cage contractors
Dimensions and structural interfaces so the enclosure, pool deck and roof all line up.
What affects the price
- Size of the roofed area and whether it ties into the existing roof.
- Outdoor kitchen scope and utilities.
- Pool coordination and barrier requirements.
- Whether the structure is attached or freestanding.
You get a written scope and fee for the design work before anything is drawn.
Outdoor rooms built for Tampa weather
A lanai here has to handle a 4 p.m. thunderstorm, full sun from the west and mosquitoes at dusk, which is why covered and screened spaces outlast open decks. Roof structures are designed to the same wind loads as the house and need their own permits and inspections. Orientation matters: a lanai facing west with no overhang is unusable until evening, and one facing east or south with a deep roof is comfortable most of the day.
Common questions
Do I need a permit for a lanai?
Yes, for any roofed structure, and for pools, screen enclosures and most decks. Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas all require engineered drawings for the roof and its connections.
Can the lanai roof tie into my existing roof?
Usually, if the existing structure can carry the added load and the roof pitch works. Sometimes a separate, lower roof is the cleaner answer.
Do you design pools?
We design the surround, shade structures and how the pool relates to the house and yard, and coordinate with the pool contractor who engineers the shell.
What about screen enclosures?
The cage itself is engineered by the enclosure contractor. We design the roofed and structural parts and make sure the two fit together.
Related services
Areas we serve
Outdoor living and lanai design across Tampa and these nearby communities: