Advice on screens for screen porch (house, neighborhood, construction)

[mskb]

Hello fine city-data people!

Need some advice. My husband and I are under contract on a house (yay!) that has a 16x8.5 screen porch that is not currently screened in. The sellers have agreed to install screens and we stipulated that we would meet with the sellers to discuss the screening in our contract. They have now asked that we bring samples of the screens that we want! Our realtor (and us) is baffled.

Obviously we would like the screening to be done nicely so that we won't have to do it again ourselves soon! And we would prefer individual panels so that it is easy to remove in case a screen gets damaged.

Questions:

- Should we go to Lowe's or Home Depot to ask and see what the options are?
- Should we ask that a contractor do this job (we aren't sure if the sellers are going to do it themselves or hire someone)? Any recommendations (PM's would be great!)
- The porch is actually above the garage on the side of the house so presumably screening on the outside doesn't make sense - is it easier/harder and/or pricier to do it from the inside vs outside?

Any help or thoughts are appreciated as we aren't really sure what to ask for!

Thanks!

[cheapdad00]

OP, I wouldn't worry that the seller asked you to bring samples to the meeting. There are many types of screen available and this gives you the opportunity to stipulate what you want - as opposed to the seller just installing the cheapest offering. As for whether they plan to do it themselves or hire it out - was one way or another stipulated in your contract?

A home center would give you some idea of screen type available, but there is far more variety online or at a screen and glass dealer.

Depending on the construction of the porch, panels should be able to be installed from either the inside or the outside - decision would come down to your preference, comfort of installer using a ladder (exterior) vs. potentially carrying materials through the house to get to the porch.

[Finns2000]

I have no affiliation or experience with these guys, but I've seen them in my neighborhood and all over the triangle.

Expert Screen Repair and Replacement Performed Onsite

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by mskb

The sellers have agreed to install screens and we stipulated that... we aren't really sure what to ask for!

If you are already stipulating...
then I'll suggest that when the dust finally settles EVERYONE will be happier if the seller lowers their price by $X...
and that YOU make your own arrangements to get whatever it is you'll want changed to that home after the sale.

So... ask for that price deduct and look for contractors.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by MrRational

If you are already stipulating...
then I'll suggest that when the dust finally settles EVERYONE will be happier if the seller lowers their price by $X...
and that YOU make your own arrangements to get whatever it is you'll want changed to that home after the sale.

So... ask for that price deduct and look for contractors.

I agree with this. Otherwise you really have no protection over how the job is done. Don't you want this done by a contractor YOU choose, and not feel rushed in the process?

[daisyboat]

I would definitely recommend the removable panels like you were thinking. We have them on our house and they have so many benefits over more permanent installations - if one piece tears you only replace that one piece, easy to remove for cleaning/staining, etc.

[frankpc]

When you consider screen types I'd suggest the framed screens which seems to be the way you're heading. While installation/replacement is easier when they are installed on the inside (especially in your case) , I think you'll find they collect debris on the outside of the screen at the railing/half wall which can be a pain to clean. We opted for screens on the outside for this reason, even with a screened porch that is quite high off the ground in places.. No regrets.


Frank

[WeLuvNC]

The original screening on our porch was a metal screening which had gotten sprayed when the house had been painted so they were whitish in spots. Still worked fine, but it made the screening quite visible.

When we replaced the screening, we went with a black mesh -- which I don't think is metal -- that disappears when looking outside. It is also more forgiving when a bird or something big thwacks into it.

The porch also had 2x4's about every 2 feet -- and we cut every other one out so we have much larger expanses now -- much much nicer.

So, I would recommend defining not only the type of mesh but the expanse. Otherwise you could end up with smaller panels (easier to install, remove) which chops up the views.

[J. Trent Hicks]

Many folks prefer a fiberglass screen material that will not rust. You will definitely get a higher quality if you avoid the big box stores.

Screens on the inside can create more troubles if a ledge is then created for birds and squirrels to have a "resting spot" while crewing or pecking on your exterior.

[mdp_az]

Black fiberglass screens in metal frames screw-mounted outside. We have this setup and it works quite well.