How Much Screen Enclosure Business Owners Make: $95K–$217K
A screen enclosure business owner can make about $0 to $95,000 in the early ramp-up if the business is still absorbing payroll, trucks, tools, and marketing In the researched base case, first-year revenue is about $525,750, but operating profit is negative after direct costs, $421,000 of payroll, $45,000 of marketing, and $71,400 of fixed overhead By the mature year, revenue reaches about $146 million, operating profit is about $122,000, and owner take-home can reach about $217,000 pre-tax if the owner also takes the $95,000 general manager role Taxes, debt service, capex, and retained reserves still come out after that
Owner income$95k–$217kNet margin52%–68%Revenue for target pay$1.3MBusiness difficultyMedium
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Owner income calculator
Estimate owner take-home and the target-pay gap from revenue, margin, labor, overhead, reserves, and target pay.
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Planning note: Research-based planning estimate only, not guaranteed salary, tax advice, or owner distribution advice.
What drives owner income most?
1
Lead Flow
$350-$450
More qualified leads cut CAC from about $450 to $350, so each booked job takes less marketing spend and leaves more cash for owner pay.
2
Job Mix
$2.1K-$9.8K
Mixing in more pool cages lifts revenue per job from about $2.1K to $9.8K, which pushes take-home higher even if job count stays flat.
3
Margin Control
71%-78%
Keeping direct costs in check holds contribution margin near 71%-78%, and that is the share that funds payroll, overhead, and profit.
4
Crew Output
42-48h
Better scheduling keeps billable hours per active customer at 42-48 a month, so the same crew can produce more revenue before overtime or new hires.
5
Overhead Load
$31K-$48K
Overhead and insurance run about $31K-$48K a month before installer wages, so the owner wins by keeping fixed cost growth below sales growth.
6
Cash Reserve
$788K
The business needs about $788K of minimum cash in Month 2, so reserves and reinvestment discipline decide whether growth turns into take-home or a cash squeeze.
Want to see the full forecast?
Yes—the Screen Enclosure Installation Financial Model Template shows the dashboard, assumptions, revenue build, COGS, hiring plan, operating expenses, cash flow, capex, and owner-income scenarios. It charts revenue from about $525,750 to $146 million, direct-cost margin from 71.0% to 77.8%, payroll from $421,000 to $857,000, and mature-year profit near $122,000; Month 2 cash bottoms near $788,000. Open it for the full forecast.
Full-forecast model highlights
Owner-income scenarios included
Revenue and margin charts
Month 2 cash need
What affects screen enclosure business owner income?
Screen Enclosure Installation owner income swings with weather delays, permits, inspections, storm risk, lead flow, deposits, backlog conversion, and cash collection. Booked jobs are not earned income until the work is finished and billed, and a $45,000 first-year marketing budget at $450 CAC means lead quality matters fast. With $5,950 in fixed overhead each month before payroll and marketing, the owner’s role can make or break take-home pay.
Income drivers
Weather delays push cash out.
Permits slow job starts.
Inspections delay billing.
Hurricane markets add schedule risk.
Cash and role math
$45,000 marketing buys about 100 customers.
$450 CAC makes lead quality critical.
Sales and management can save $95,000.
Hiring lowers take-home, but helps scale.
Can a screen enclosure business make money with one crew?
Yes, but only if the owner is actively selling, estimating, scheduling tightly, and keeping callbacks low. In the first-year model, a 3-installer crew can produce about $525,750 in revenue and $165,000 in installer payroll, yet the business still shows an operating loss before taxes and capex, so one crew does not create owner distributions on its own.
One crew math
$525,750 first-year revenue
$165,000 installer payroll
$421,000 total payroll
Operating loss still shows up
What makes it work
Owner must sell the jobs
Tight estimating protects margin
Fast scheduling keeps labor used
Low callbacks reduce rework
How much revenue does a screen enclosure business need to pay the owner?
A Screen Enclosure Installation business needs about $1.30 million in annual revenue to support $150,000 owner income if the owner also fills the $95,000 general manager role; see How Much To Open Screen Enclosure Installation Business? for the startup cost side. If the owner hires that manager, the revenue target rises to roughly $1.37 million, because revenue must first cover payroll, overhead, marketing, reserves, taxes, debt, and capex.
Owner-operator math
$1.013 million fixed payroll, overhead, marketing
77.8% contribution margin after direct costs
$1.30 million revenue to cover target income
Owner also fills $95,000 manager role
Manager-hired case
$1.37 million revenue needed with manager
Distribution comes after operating profit
Taxes and debt reduce owner cash
Capex reserves protect installation capacity
Key Takeaways
Qualified leads drive volume before margin can help.
Job mix changes revenue, margin, and scheduling.
Quoting accuracy protects gross margin from overruns.
Fixed overhead and reserves cut owner take-home.
Compare lean, base, and mature owner-income scenarios
Owner income scenarios
Owner income swings with job count, labor load, and pricing. Early on, payroll can outrun revenue; by the mature case, profit and draw capacity rise fast.
Compare low, base, and high owner income cases for a screen enclosure contractor.
Scenario
Low CaseLoss case
Base CaseBreak-even case
High CaseUpside case
Launch model
The low case keeps the business funded, but payroll and overhead outrun profit.
The base case scales revenue toward the model's middle path, but profit stays tight after payroll growth.
The high case reaches the mature revenue path and turns operating profit into meaningful owner income.
Typical setup
About 100 customers, $5,257.50 blended value, and $525,750 revenue still leave the model in loss once installer payroll is loaded, so the owner stays hands-on.
Revenue moves into the $911,000 to $1.14 million band, and added payroll plus overhead keep the business close to break-even.
About 243 customers, $6,007.69 blended value, and $1.46 million revenue support about $122,000 profit and stronger owner draw potential.
Cost drivers
Installer payroll
raw materials
marketing spend
fixed overhead
Scaling payroll
materials and permits
marketing spend
warehouse overhead
Higher close rates
stronger pricing
controlled payroll
tighter overhead
Owner income rangeBefore owner reserves
Up to $95,000Funded loss
Near break-evenTight margin
$122,000-$217,000Six-figure draw
Best fit
Use this to test the downside if lead flow is thin and labor costs stay high.
Use this as the planning case for a steady operator who is still active in sales and scheduling.
Use this to test the upside if volume stays strong and the owner delegates more day-to-day work.
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Planning note: Scenario ranges are researched planning assumptions, not guaranteed earnings, salary promises, tax advice, or distributions.
Screen Enclosure Installation Core Six Income Drivers
Qualified Lead Flow And Close Rate
Qualified Lead Flow and Close Rate
Lead flow sets job volume before margin can help. With a $45,000 Year 1 marketing budget at $450 CAC, that’s about 100 acquired customers; at $85,000 and $350 CAC in Year 5, it’s about 243 customers. If qualified leads do not turn into deposits, estimating time gets wasted and crews sit in gaps, which cuts owner income fast.
Track estimate requests, site visits, proposals, signed contracts, deposits, and completed jobs. That funnel shows where the close rate breaks. If CAC rises faster than average job value, the owner can sell more and still take home less.
Measure and improve the funnel
Use one simple scorecard: leads, qualified leads, close rate, CAC, and booked jobs. Screen out bad-fit homeowners early, before site visits and takeoff work. That protects estimating time, keeps crews moving, and lowers the cost of each sold job.
Here’s the quick math: $45,000 ÷ $450 ≈ 100 and $85,000 ÷ $350 ≈ 243. More qualified leads only help if they turn into booked work, because deposits and completed jobs are what support payroll, overhead, and owner draw.
Gross Margin Control
Quoting Accuracy Protects Margin
Gross margin here is the gap between what you charge and direct job costs. In Year 1, the model shows 18% raw materials and hardware, 4% permits and site surveys, 5% fuel and maintenance, and 2% project insurance, or 29% total direct non-labor cost. That leaves 71% before installer payroll, so quote accuracy directly decides how much cash is left for crews and owner pay.
By Year 5, those direct non-labor costs drop to 22.2%, leaving 77.8% before installer payroll. That only helps if aluminum pricing, screen mesh waste, fasteners, anchors, and subcontractor bids stay inside the quote. Bad measurements or labor overruns can turn a good-looking sale into a thin or losing job, and the owner feels that hit in take-home profit first.
Track Job Cost Drift
Measure each job against quote by tracking quoted price, actual material spend, permit and survey fees, fuel, insurance, labor hours, and subcontractor invoices. The quick test is quoted gross margin versus actual gross margin at job close. If the gap keeps widening, the pricing sheet is too loose or the field team is burning too much material and time.
Use job-level review on every finished enclosure, especially patio, pool cage, and porch work with different material and labor needs. Tighten estimates on aluminum, mesh, anchors, and rework allowances, and update pricing when supplier costs move. One clean rule: if a crew cannot build it at the quoted cost, raise price or cut scope before signing.
Average Project Size And Mix
Average Project Size And Mix
Your take-home income rises when the job mix skews toward higher-value installs without blowing up labor and material load. In Year 1, researched job values are about $3,800 for patio enclosures, $9,775 for pool cages, and $2,125 for porch screens. That mix drives revenue per job, gross margin, and how fast crews get tied up.
Pool cages bring more revenue, but they also need more hours, materials, and coordination. Porch screens can fill schedule gaps, but they may not carry fixed overhead on their own. The core forecast should be built on installation work, with rescreens and repairs used to keep crews busy when start dates are thin. One bad mix can look busy and still pay poorly.
Track Mix, Not Just Bookings
Measure job count, average project value, billable hours per job, material cost, and gross margin by job type. Use a weighted average project value so your forecast reflects the real mix, not just the average sale. If low-ticket porch screens dominate, revenue per crew day drops fast even when the calendar looks full.
Set a mix target before you quote. Keep installation projects as the core, and use smaller repair or rescreen jobs to smooth gaps. If pool cages push work into overtime or delay billing, margin can fall even when revenue rises. The goal is simple: choose the mix that covers overhead and still leaves enough profit for owner pay.
Track value by job type.
Weight the forecast by mix.
Watch hours, not just sales.
Use small jobs to fill gaps.
Crew Productivity And Scheduling
Turn Backlog Into Billed Jobs
This driver is the gap between signed work and finished, billed work. Revenue only shows up when crews complete patio enclosures at 40 billable hours, pool cages at 85, or porch screens at 25. Missed inspections, weather, material delays, rework, and crew gaps push cash collection out, so the owner’s take-home drops even when backlog looks full.
As the crew base grows from 3 FTEs in Year 1 to 8 FTEs in Year 5, supervision has to grow too. If jobs sit open, overtime and callbacks eat margin, and the owner cannot pay themselves from work that is not yet billed.
Track Crew Throughput Daily
Track completed jobs, scheduled hours, and days from install to invoice. The quick math matters: pool cages need more than double the labor of patio enclosures, so a backlog heavy on long jobs needs tighter sequencing, cleaner handoffs, and firm inspection dates.
Use a daily board for labor, inspections, material status, and rework. If one missed inspection or crew gap delays billing by a week, cash slows right away; if callbacks rise, true labor cost per job climbs and owner draw shrinks.
Owner Role And Reserves
Owner Pay, Wages, and Reserves
Owner take-home depends on the role you play. If you sell, estimate, install, or manage crews, your pay comes from the work you personally do. If you act as general manager, the model treats the $95,000 role as wages; if you hire that person, it becomes payroll cost. Profit distributions are separate from wages, so owner pay can change even when the business is profitable.
Here’s the quick math: mature-year operating profit is about $122,000 before taxes, debt, capex, and retained reserves. Reserving cash cuts near-term take-home, but it protects trucks, tools, warranty work, and future growth. If reserves are too thin, one repair or callback can force the owner to pull cash out of daily operations.
Set Pay Rules Before You Draw
Track owner wages, profit draws, and reserve transfers as three separate lines. That keeps the business from confusing pay for profit. The owner should know whether income is coming from labor, management, or distribution, and how much cash stays in the company after each job.
Measure reserve balance against the costs you must cover without new sales: truck fixes, tool replacement, warranty calls, and slow weeks. If the owner fills the GM role, pay that salary on paper first, then decide what profit is left. If a hired manager runs operations, keep that cost in overhead and only draw from true profit.
Overhead And Insurance Burden
Overhead Burden
This driver is the monthly cost stack before owner pay: $5,950 for warehouse rent, liability insurance, design software, utilities, memberships, and telecom. Add $3,750 in Year 1 marketing and $21,333 in non-installer payroll, and monthly burn is about $31,033. Even with busy crews, that cash leaves first.
By Year 5, the burden rises to $47,783 per month with $7,083 marketing and $34,750 payroll. Owner take-home only improves when gross profit from completed jobs clears fixed overhead and leaves room for truck repairs, tools, scaffolding, slow months, and compliance. If collections lag, pay gets tight fast.
Hold the Burn Rate
Track overhead as a share of gross profit each month. Here’s the quick check: if collected gross profit does not cover the $31,033 Year 1 burden, there is no owner draw left. Watch rent, staffing, and ad spend together, because one overspend can wipe out a busy month.
Keep a reserve before paying yourself, and separate project cash from operating cash. Test whether leaner admin staffing or tighter marketing can hold the burden near $31k in Year 1. If overhead grows faster than completed-job revenue, the business can look busy and still feel cash-tight.
