Outdoor Living for Florida Homes

On the Space Coast, a patio, deck, pool cage or pergola has to handle hurricane winds, salt air and heavy rain, and get through whichever office permits your address. Those factors shape the price as much as the material does. Match the project to your yard, then settle the hardware, the permit and any HOA approval before you collect quotes.

What matters most on the Space Coast

• Wind. Florida structures have to resist hurricane wind loads. New enclosures are engineered for their site, decks need footings and connections that resist uplift, and many online pergola kits aren't approved for Florida wind speeds.
• Salt air. On the barrier island and on lagoon and canal lots, salt mainly attacks the metal hardware, not the boards. FEMA says corrosion is most pronounced within 3,000 ft of the ocean. The 2026 Florida Building Code, effective December 31, 2026, adds corrosion rules for fasteners and connectors within 3,000 ft of a saltwater coastline. See our salt-air corrosion guide.
• Water. A patio has to slope water away from the house, and pavers depend heavily on the base underneath. Brevard County says a pool must be enclosed by a fence or screen enclosure with a secure gate, and deck or cage work can open that barrier.
• Who permits your lot. Brevard County issues building permits only for unincorporated areas such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island. Melbourne, Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Satellite Beach and other cities run their own.

Local price data is thin, so our guides use Florida planning ranges; how we estimate costs explains them.

Where to start

• If your yard is flat and the door sits near the ground, a patio usually fits. Compare concrete vs. pavers, then see paver patio costs in Melbourne. A broom-finish slab runs about $7–$12 per sq. ft. on 2022 Melbourne figures, against $12–$18 for concrete pavers.
• If you're replacing a pool deck, read travertine vs. concrete pavers. Travertine runs about $17–$28 per sq. ft., and the claim that it stays cooler comes from sellers, not test data.
• If the door sits well above the yard, or you're on a canal lot, a deck is often the better fit. Start with deck costs in Brevard County, then composite vs. pressure-treated decking. Measure from the ground to the door threshold first: guards are generally required above 30 in., and every step adds cost.
• If you want to keep bugs out, or the pool cage screen is torn, see screened patio and pool cage costs in Melbourne. Rescreening a sound frame costs about $1.50–$3 per sq. ft. of screen, a fraction of a new enclosure at $12–$25 per sq. ft. of floor area.
• If you mainly want shade, see pergola costs in Florida. A wood pergola runs about $3,000–$7,000 installed and an aluminum one $8,000–$20,000.

What drives the cost

• Size, in the right unit. Patios and decks are priced per square foot of surface, enclosures per square foot of floor, rescreening per square foot of screen and railings per linear foot.
• The base and the old slab. Paver sinking and shifting is usually blamed on installation errors such as a weak base, so get the base depth in writing. Removing an old slab adds $2–$6 per sq. ft.
• Exposure. Tall, custom or coastal high-wind enclosures run about $20–$38 per sq. ft. On the barrier island, price both enclosure rows until the installer's engineering says which applies.
• Hardware. Our deck ranges don't price a stainless upgrade separately, so ask each bidder for the fastener and connector grade in writing.

Rules to check before you sign

• Permits. Expect a permit for most decks, pergolas, patio covers and new enclosures, and don't assume a ground-level patio is exempt until the right office says so. See the Brevard deck, patio and pergola permit guide, screen enclosure permit guide and Brevard building permits guide.
• The $7,500 exemption. Since July 1, 2026, owners can ask in writing to skip the building permit for some single-family work under $7,500, but not structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work, or in flood hazard areas. It rarely fits these projects; see the $7,500 exemption.
• HOAs. Since July 1, 2026, an HOA can't require a building permit before it reviews your application, so apply to both at once. See HOA approval in Florida.
• Pools. Unincorporated Brevard requires a minimum 5 ft setback for pools and pool screen enclosures. Agree in writing how the pool stays closed off during the work.
• Oceanfront lots. Building seaward of the coastal construction control line generally needs state approval on top of the local permit, with certain exceptions. See CCCL permits.