Expand your horizons with retractable screens

All winter long, we crave and long for the summer weather, until that time comes and the dead-day-heat hits bringing its best friends, the mosquitoes and flies along with it!  When you want the warm weather minus the sweat and the gnats, what is a family to do to enjoy their outdoor living space?  Enclosing your porch or patio is the perfect way to maximize its use while, at the same time, expanding your outdoor livable space!  Now, I realize that by saying, enclosing your space, might seem like a patio prison, but just hear me out.  With a mere touch of a button, phantom screens can close to shield your covered space from sun and insects or open up to give you the open-air space to feel the gentle summer breeze.  But, what exactly are phantom screens?  Great question!

Phantom screens are customized ceiling to floor retractable screens that provide privacy and outdoor protection.  Fitting covered spaces as large as 25′ long and 16′ tall, these motorized screens can be surface mounted onto existing structures or recessed into the building’s structure, no matter what material the space is made out of.  These screen systems can be integrated into every type of building material, from brick and concrete to materials like wood and stucco.  The screens run between parallel tracks that are mounted to a wall or column on each end and are guided by a weighted slidebar at the base.  This provides a smooth and steady transition when called upon.

To seamlessly blend into your space or the color scheme of the room, the housings and the screens are available in several different color options.  You can keep it classic with white screens or venture into other signature colors like browns or greens complimented with a wood grain finish for the system’s housing.  The mesh screens come in three different choices, depending on its primary use:

• Insect mesh is the most breathable of the options, which has a higher openness factor, giving more ventilation and outside visibility while protecting against bugs.
• Solar mesh is designed not only to keep the bugs out, but to reduce heat and glare by up to 75%.  This is the perfect solution to keep your spaces cooler during the intense heat of the day.
• Privacy mesh is available in the darker color options only, because it is meant to block out UV rays and light, as well as bugs and your nosey neighbors or street-side traffic.

Wall mounted switches or handheld remotes can operate these phantom screens, so comfort is always within an arm’s reach.  Sun sensors are available, which automatically lower the screens during the warmest times of the day, reducing the rising temperatures in your spaces.  Do you live in an area where the wind is a common issue?  No problem!  There is also an option to incorporate a wind sensor, which automatically retract the screens into their housings during inclement weather conditions, further protecting your investment.

Unlike traditional screens that are static, compromise natural light, the beauty of your home and view from your patio, phantom screens can roll up and disappear as if they never existed, leaving an effortless patio to backyard transition.  Opening your space adds more usable square footage, creating a greater home and personal value.  If you feel that phantom screens would be perfect for your covered patio area or would like to explore the option of incorporating this system into a whole new backyard transformation, reach out to MasterPLAN Outdoor Living!  Serving the Poconos, Lehigh Valley and throughout the Philadelphia area, we strive to provide unique, beautiful, comfortable and functional outdoor living spaces for our clients.  Let us help you visualize the full potential of your backyard today!