A new screen room with an insulated roof in Ruston, LA typically costs $10,000 to $35,000 installed, or about $50 to $175 per square foot per the 2026 HomeGuide screened porch guide, while screening in an existing patio cover runs $2,000 to $5,000. Mosquitoes, gnats and the sun are what keep people off a Ruston, LA patio, and a screen room with a Structall insulated roof fixes all three. Donnie Grubbs builds them with aluminum framing and our own crews, and has since 1976.
Every screen rooms project in Ruston, LA comes down to scope, materials, and existing conditions. The ranges below show what homeowners in the area typically pay, the factors that move the number, and exactly how we run the work from start to finish.
Ruston is the seat of Lincoln Parish, about 30 miles by road from our West Monroe showroom. The 2020 census counted 22,166 residents in the city, and Census ACS figures put the median year built at 1986 across 9,283 housing units, which means the typical home here is about forty years old and is reaching the age when windows and open patios start to need attention. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Louisiana Tech University station show a July average high of 92.2 degrees and about 55.6 inches of rain a year. That mix of summer heat and steady rain is why we build patio covers and pergolas with Structall insulated aluminum roof panels, which shade a patio and keep it usable, and why a screen room or glass room gives a household a dry, comfortable space off the back of the house for more of the year. Homes from the 1980s are also good candidates for ProVia replacement windows. Ruston is a college town shaped by Louisiana Tech University, and its downtown has more than fifteen buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, so homeowners here tend to care how an addition looks beside an established neighborhood. Permits for additions in the city run through the Permits and Inspections Office at 701 E Tennessee Ave, Ruston, LA 71270, phone 318 251 8640. We do not have an office in Ruston. We are a family owned home improvement company founded in 1976, working from our office and showroom at 402 Cypress St in West Monroe.
Census figures put the median Ruston home at about 40 years old, built around 1986. There are roughly 9,283 housing units here with a median value near $226,700. That makes Ruston largely late century construction, typically engineered sheathing with venting close to current practice. These homes are now reaching the end of their first or second round of exterior work, which is the normal time for it rather than a sign that anything was done wrong. A large share of occupied homes here are rented, so scheduling and approvals often run through an owner or a property manager rather than the person who answers the door. We are used to that, and we keep both parties on the same email so nothing stalls. Values in Ruston sit toward the lower end of the markets we serve, so the question is usually which option returns the most service life per dollar, and we will show you the point where spending more stops paying for itself. It is the kind of local detail that changes how a screen rooms project should be planned. Figures are U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates.
Typical installed ranges from the 2026 HomeGuide and Angi cost guides, sized for common Ruston, LA patios. Your price depends on the footprint, whether the roof is new or existing, the screen type, and electrical, and comes from a free in home estimate.
| Screen room project | Typical installed range |
|---|---|
| Screen in an existing patio cover (panels, kickplate, door) | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| New screen room, 12 by 16 (192 sq ft) | $10,000 to $24,000 |
| New screen room, 14 by 20 (280 sq ft) | $14,000 to $35,000 |
| Rescreen an existing room (new mesh only) | $800 to $5,200 |
Figures are typical ranges and vary by project. Your free estimate is exact.
Donnie Grubbs measures your project and gives you a clear written estimate at no cost.
We are a local home improvement contractor and we stand behind every job. You are not handed off to a subcontractor. Every job follows the same disciplined process:
Ask anyone in Ruston, LA what keeps them off the patio from May through September and the answer is mosquitoes, gnats and the sun. Louisiana's warm wet climate gives mosquitoes most of the year to breed, NOAA normals put summer highs in the low to mid 90s with roughly 96 to 99 days a year at or above 90 degrees, and an open porch is unusable at exactly the hours you want to be out there. A screen room with a Structall insulated roof solves all three at once: tight mesh keeps the bugs out, the foam core roof keeps the heat off, and a ceiling fan keeps the air moving. Donnie Grubbs has built screen rooms in this climate since 1976, and the rooms get used from spring through football season.
Donnie Grubbs works across the Ruston area, including:
Yes, and it is a common second step. If the framing is sound, sliding glass panels with screens behind them can replace the mesh in the existing openings. Tell Donnie Grubbs at the estimate if glass is the long term plan so the posts and beams are sized for it from the start.
They are mostly the same thing described three ways. A screened in porch usually means mesh added to a porch the house already has. A screen room is a purpose built room with its own aluminum framing and an insulated roof set on the slab. A patio enclosure is the broad term for either, and it also covers glass rooms where sliding glass panels replace the mesh. Donnie Grubbs builds all three in Ruston, LA.
A new screen room with an insulated roof in Ruston, LA typically runs $10,000 to $35,000 installed, about $50 to $175 per square foot per HomeGuide's 2026 screened porch guide, so a 12 by 16 room lands near $10,000 to $24,000 and a 14 by 20 room near $14,000 to $35,000. Screening in an existing patio cover is far less, typically $2,000 to $5,000. Donnie Grubbs measures on site and gives you a free written price for the whole job.
Yes. Louisiana enforces the 2021 International Residential Code with state amendments, and a screen room falls under Appendix AH, which treats enclosure walls of insect screening as a patio cover as long as the room stays one story, under 12 feet, and is used for outdoor living rather than as a habitable room. Permits are issued locally by the city or parish, and Donnie Grubbs handles the paperwork as part of the job.
Screening in an existing porch or patio cover typically costs $2,000 to $5,000, or $10 to $25 per square foot, according to HomeGuide's 2026 data. That covers aluminum screen panels, a kickplate, and a self closing door set into the existing openings. If the existing cover is not structurally sound, Donnie Grubbs will tell you at the estimate and price a proper insulated roof instead.
Yes. Donnie Grubbs is a local, licensed and insured home improvement contractor, family owned in West Monroe since 1976, and BBB accredited with an A+ rating. Our own crews measure, build and finish every screen room.
Fiberglass mesh typically gives many years of service before sun and weather make it brittle, and rescreening a room costs $800 to $5,200 per Angi's 2026 data, with most people near $2,900. The aluminum frame, the insulated roof and the door outlast the mesh many times over, so a rescreen refreshes the room without rebuilding it.
Often, yes. If the existing cover is structurally sound, we add aluminum screen panels, a kickplate, and a door to the openings without touching the roof. If the posts or beams were never sized to carry panels, or the roof is a thin metal sheet that traps heat, we will tell you and price a proper Structall roof. Either way the estimate is free.
Yes. Donnie Grubbs offers military and senior discounts on every project, and we accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Ask at the estimate and we apply it to the written price.
Call Donnie Grubbs or send the estimate form and we schedule a free in home visit in Ruston, LA. We check the slab and any existing cover, measure the openings, and hand you a clear written price for the complete room with no obligation.
Most screen rooms are complete within a few days once materials arrive. The insulated roof goes up first, then the aluminum framing, the screen panels, the door, and finally the electrical for fans and lights. Screening in an existing cover is usually a one day job. Materials are cut to your dimensions after the estimate, so plan on a few weeks of lead time.
Standard fiberglass screen for most rooms, a finer no see um mesh where gnats are the problem, and pet resistant screen where dogs or cats will be leaning on it. We can mix types in one room, for example pet screen on the lower panels and standard mesh above. A solid kickplate along the bottom is the best defense against mower clippings and paws.
The median Ruston home was built around 1986 per Census American Community Survey data, so a large share of the housing stock is 40 or more years old. That is the age where screen rooms and the other big updates come due, and it is the work Donnie Grubbs does every week.
Ruston is the seat of Lincoln Parish, about 30 miles by road from our West Monroe showroom. Donnie Grubbs plans around those specifics from the first visit.
Serving Ruston from our West Monroe office.
Local, licensed and insured, and proud to do the work ourselves. Tell us about your project and we will give you a clear written estimate at no cost.
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