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More pics

More pics

More pics

See - there are already brick steps the entire length of the back porch….

Let me know if you need more pictures or any measurements. Thank you again!

We also have natural gas available in the backyard, so a fireplace or fire-pit could be either wood burning or natural gas.

When I say “small fireplace” I’m thinking something like these. They are all much smaller than friend’s and neighbor’s outdoor fireplaces. No walls on either side.

I think so much depends on where you live . Is the pool used year round? I think open to the pool area is a great idea but the bugs are always an issue in warm climates . I need alot more info. Where exactly do you think a FP would go and why would you need one?

Outdoor fireplaces or fire-pits of some kind are common where we live in far NWFL. Obviously they are only used in cooler months. It is not a need. We’ve enjoyed them at friend’s homes and think we would like something in our backyard too. Fortunately bugs, possibly because we usually have a breeze, have not ran us out of the pool except maybe 3 times over 21 years of living in this area. Since there is no way to completely seal the back porch, as the lap siding creates small gaps along the frame and the door stays open for our dog, I’m not sure the screen does much for bugs. I guess as far as the screen goes, what do you think would look better?

Agree that removing the screens would make the covered area more inviting when viewed from the pool and would enhance the connection between the covered space and the pool area--if you're sure that bugs won't be an issue. (There will probably be less breeze under the roof than out in the open.) As a compromise, is there any way to make the center bay fully openable (and also closable if needed) and leave the screening in the bays on either side?

As for fire, the least expensive option is a freestanding fire bowl/table surrounded by chairs, most logically in the far corner near the tall palm, it seems to me. (Do I see a fire bowl there already?) A permanent fireplace could also be built in the space between the paving and the back fence, I suppose, centered on the left-side paved area for furniture arrangement on both sides.

A more expensive option would be a double-sided gas fireplace set next to the spa, so it can be enjoyed from the spa itself or from a seating area behind the spa, overlooking the pond and woods. I can't tell whether extending the paving there would make a large enough seating area, or whether the retaining wall would have to be moved farther out as well.

Do you know you can get doggie doors for screens?

We have one of these built into one of our lanai screen sections. Scroll the photos and you can see one installed in a screen enclosure.

https://moorepet.com/magnador-pet-door/

There are other types that might be better, but this is the one the screen company used for our pool enclosure.