There’s usually one door or window you’d open more often if you could. Maybe it’s the patio door off the kitchen when dinner’s on the stove. Maybe it’s the living room window on the first cool morning after a stretch of hot weather. Or maybe it’s the set of French doors you love to throw open when friends come over, right up until the bugs start coming in.
A retractable screen gives you a choice. Pull it across when you want fresh air and a barrier against insects. When you’re ready to close the door or enjoy the opening without mesh across it, the screen rolls back into its housing.
In its Authentic Voices, Real Homes series, Phantom Screens shares how homeowners use retractable screens in the rooms they spend the most time in. Their stories offer a good starting point for deciding where a screen would make the biggest difference in your own home.
Let fresh air into the kitchen while you cook
For Christopher Rivest, the kitchen is where he develops recipes and photographs food. He wanted to open up the space while he worked without inviting insects in. Phantom’s feature shows how he used retractable door screens to bring fresh air into his cooking routine.
If your kitchen opens onto a deck or patio, that doorway is a good place to start. Think about how you use it on a typical day. If you’re constantly carrying plates out to the grill or stepping outside to check on dinner, look at where the screen housing and handle would sit so the doorway still feels easy to use.
Open the windows you already love
Tracey Black wanted to air out her home while cleaning. She added retractable screens to her kitchen and living room windows, where she wanted more opportunities to let in a breeze.
Retractable window screens are worth considering if you enjoy a clear view through your windows when they’re closed. You can pull the mesh across when you open the window and tuck it away afterward. Screen Warehouse USA offers Phantom window screen options for several window styles, including casement, sliding and double-hung windows, as well as options for custom wood windows.
Keep the view through a wide patio doorway
At Maria Brittis’s lakefront home, the large living room doors frame the view. She wanted to open them for fresh air while keeping insects outside. An oversized retractable screen gave her a way to do both while keeping the opening clear when the screen was retracted.
The same idea applies to a Kansas City home with French doors overlooking the backyard or a wide opening onto a covered patio. The right fit depends on the size of the opening, how the doors operate and where the screen can mount. Those details are worth looking at early, especially if you want the screen to blend in with the existing trim.
Start with the opening you wish you used more
Walk through your home and pick one spot where you regularly think, I’d open that if I had a screen. Take a photo of the full opening and note how the door or window moves. If you can, jot down the approximate width and height. That gives us a starting point for talking through what will fit and how it will work day to day.
Screen Warehouse USA helps homeowners across the Kansas City metro choose and install Phantom retractable screens. If you have a kitchen door, favorite window or wide patio opening in mind, call 816-525-4442 or request a quote from Screen Warehouse USA.