Everyone who lives in Phoenix or has lived in Phoenix, knows that our summers are among the hottest of anywhere in the world.  And let’s face it, the way contractors were building houses in Phoenix in the early 2000′s in less than a months time from start to finish, almost every new home these days is less efficient that desired, and could benefit from exterior sun screens on the windows.  Exterior mount sun screens are an upgrade that pays for themselves, and would give any potential homebuyers the peace of mind that your home is more efficient than the ones without.  They add comfort and privacy to your home and protect your furniture and expensive rugs from harmful UV rays.

Exterior solar sun screens are extremely cost effective, and add great value to your home.  Sunscreens add pride of ownership, and they give confidence to homebuyers that the house was well taken care of.  Potential Phoenix homebuyers see sunscreens as a preventative to premature failure on your air conditioning unit.  Exterior sunscreens also protect your window seals and trim pieces from warping or failing due to the extreme heat of the direct sun.  The people looking to buy your home will appreciate your investment into solar sun screens as much as you do.  Believe it or not, the cost of your utility bills can be a major factor for many Phoenix homebuyers, and if you have exterior sunscreens on your home, your utilities will be noticeably less than the competing homes for sale.  Every detail counts when trying to sell your home, and having exterior sunscreens is one detail that should not be overlooked before trying to sell your house.  If you have been questioning whether or not to install exterior sun screens on your home, contact Screens Unlimited sun screen company today for an estimated sun screen quote to see what value you can add to your home.

Solar screen replacement is something that is as common in Phoenix as the purchase of brand new solar sun screens for the very first time.  Sun screens in Phoenix have come a long ways in the last 15 years, and the solar screen products are much better than they used to be, however, nothing lasts forever.  Phoenix solar screens, despite fabric manufacturer claims to be warranted for lifetime just are not going to look the same as the day they were installed and ten to fifteen years of dust storms, rain, sun, and general wear and tear on your Phoenix solar sun screens.  Sun screens replacements in Phoenix are typically cheaper than installing window sun screens for the first time.  This reason for this is that the time of installation of the sunscreens is reduced because the hardware is already in place.

Phoenix Window Sun Screen Rescreening with Original Screen Frames

Depending on the quality of the original solar screen product that was installed on your Phoenix home, the option to simply replace the solar screen fabric is often a viable one.  Assuming the solar screen frame is of current industry standard of one inch by seven-sixteenths, and has not changed aesthetically in the Phoenix sun, it can save the homeowner money.  Especially, if there are a lot of windows.  There are times however that it is not suggested to go with the old solar window screen frames.  For instance, if the frames are not big or strong enough to hold the heavier solar screen fabrics that are currently being used or the frame corners are plastic or not sturdy.  The last thing anyone wants is to spend the money on replacing the fabric on their window screens, and not be happy with the outcome because the frame will not hold the fabric taut.  There are also times where the frames may be plenty sturdy to hold the new age fabrics, however the paint has degraded to the point of no return.  In this case it is much more cost effective to replace the frames with new solar screen frames and corners than it would be to attempt to re-paint or powder coat the old frames.

Storm Damaged Solar Window Sun Screen Replacement

There has been many times through the past few years where mother nature has decided to take the wheel and show her strength, while taking it out on the Phoenix sunscreens.  High winds, hail damage, and other inclimate weather has contributed to the overall window sun screen replacement count in Phoenix.  Although in most cases the solar screens are held tight against the window with barrel clips, there are times when they may have gotten just a little loose during window cleaning or just simply could not match up against the micro-bursts that Phoenix witnesses at certain times of the year.  Inclimate weather and natural disasters like the hail storm back in November of 2010 are a large part of window screen replacements in Phoenix, and are typically not covered by the installers workmanship warranty.

Desert Ridge is located North of Tatum and the 101 Freeway, and is home to many Phoenix residents that have to bare the heat of the summer.  Homes in the Desert Ridge area range from 1500 to 6000 square feet and average about 25 windows per residence.  With the windows being the primary source of heat gain on a typical house, it is very common for residents to install sunscreens on their Desert Ridge home.

Window Screen Sun Screen Fabric Colors are Very Important to Consider:
The homes in Desert Ridge often have similar colors to one another, and the window screen colors are in most cases chosen based off the aesthetic match of the home.  Since the homes in the Desert Ridge area have more of an earthy tone, the most common sun screen fabric color is brown.  This matches nicely with the tan colors that most of the houses in the Desert Ridge area have.  In addition to the sun blocking screen fabric, the window screen frame must match as well. The majority of the window frames in the Desert Ridge area are what the sunscreen industry calls Champagne or Adobe.  Therefore, it only makes sense that the sunscreens in Desert Ridge also get installed with a champagne or adobe colored sun screen frame.  Due to the standard installation methods of sunscreens with barrel clips, it is best to stick with the same sunscreen covering frame color as the factory window frames.  If you do not use the same window sun screen frame color as the factory window frame with the industry standard installation with barrel clips, then there will be a section of the window frame around the outside of the installed window sunscreen frame that shows through as such color, and in most cases will not be appealing.

Solar Window Sun Screen Window Screen Percent Blockage:

Another aspect of window sunscreens installations in the Desert Ridge area besides the sunscreen frame, is the amount of protection to use.  This of course meaning the percent of sun protection the sunscreen fabric choice offers.  In most cases, the options are for an eighty or ninety percent solar sun screen fabric.  In the Desert Ridge area, there are many beautiful green-belts and natural desert landscapes that offer a wonderful view for the many two story homes.  This is often important when considering the eighty or ninety percent window screen fabric on your Desert Ridge home.  Obviously the installation of sun screens are to do just that… Screen the sun. But the outward visibility should be considered as well, especially when there are views involved.  The ninety percent window covering sun screen fabric offers very good sun protection, however the eighty percent sunscreen fabric offers only ten percent less sun protection while maintaining a surprisingly excellent view and outward visibility.  These are some of the very important window sun screen decisions to make when installing sunscreens on your home in Desert Ridge.

Window Sunscreens in Phoenix come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and specs.  Every Phoenix home has different window quantities, window orientations, and exterior objects that affect what solar screens get used, and where.  So how does someone decide what the best sunscreen choices are?  Besides calling the professionals at Screens Unlimited LLC, we can offer some of the tips to help in making the decision quicker here.

Window Screen Fabric Color Choices

When it comes to having professionally made solar window screens fabricated and installed, you want to make sure the color choice is one that you will be happy with for ever.  The vinyl-coated polyester sunscreen fabric comes in brown, black, beige, stucco(two-tone), grey, white, dark green.  The most common window sun screen fabric colors are the black and brown, mostly due to the earthy desert colors that the majority of Phoenix homes are painted.  As for what sunscreen fabric color choice is best for your home.  This should be determined by aesthetics most importantly, and effectiveness second.  The darker window screen colors are very slightly more effective, and tend to be easier to see out during the day.

Sun Control Fabric Percentage

If you think choosing a color option for your solar window coverings is too many options already, than this may overwhelm you.  As for solar control percentages, there are three options that vary in price, protection, and outward visibility.  The three sun protection percentages are 80%, 90%, and rarely used 95%.  The 80% and 90% sun control fabrics are most commonly used, and are available in all the standard colors.  The 80% sunscreen fabric is the least expensive, and it offers very good sun protection and great outward visibility.  In addition, the 80% window screen fabric offers great outward visibility, and maintains the best airflow from the factory bug screens.  The 90% sunscreen fabric offers great sun protection being an additional ten percent, and maintains a very good outward visibility despite of its extra protection.  The 90% sun control fabric offers great privacy, however, does restrict airflow a little more than the 80% fabric.  Often times it makes sense to use both percentages throughout the home depending on the sun orientation and location.  With the east and west sides of the house being getting the most intense sun, it makes most sense to compromise the airflow for the extra sun protective properties.  It is very common for people to use different percentages of solar screens in different rooms and sections of the house, as there is not a visible difference without thoroughly investigating. Lastly, there is the sun control fabric 95%, which is often not used for your fixed solar screen applications because of its very tight weave, and slightly higher pricing.  However, in a situation where absolute sun protection is most desired, the solar control screen fabric 95% is very effective, and it comes in black/brown, charcoal, and black color choices.

Hopefully this has offered a little bit of additional sun control fabric information to assist in the decision making process of having professionally installed sunscreens put on your home.  For more information or to schedule your sun screen consultation, feel free to contact Screens Unlimited LLC today at (623)399-4942.

The most common screen installation process is to use what are known as “Sun Screen Barrel Clips” to install the screen on the exterior of the window.  This application is a surface mount screen that overlaps the window frame while leaving just enough room for the “Barrel Clips” to be drilled into the metal surrounding frame.  A 7/16″ barrel clip best mounts with a 1″ self tapping screw that can be either 1/4″ hex driven, or philips head.  Once the “Barrel Clips” are secured, the screen can be put into place, and the clips can be turned so that the flat part of the clip secures over the face of the screen frame.  It is best to snug each of the mounting screws by hand to ensure a tight fit, yet not to overtighten, and accidentally strip the aluminum window frame hole.  As with every method of screen installation, it is most important to be sure that any and all mounting hardware and screws are not placed in a location that will either break or cause damage to the window glass or seal.  It is up to the professional to determine the engineering of the window, and decide whether it is safe to drill.

A less common, but sometimes necessary method of window screen installations is to use 1″ self tapping screws for a direct mount application.  In this case, the screen is simply mounted directly to the window frame with screws that pass through the screen frame.  This method is sometimes used when there is just not enough room for the barrel clips, and in order to have full coverage without gaps on the sides or top of the window screen the screen frame has to cover all of what window frame is there.  Although it makes it slightly more difficult to remove for cleaning, it is also the most sturdy and sound method of installation, in that, it will not come off the window unless you take it off.  All of the same safe drilling practices are suggested when executing this method of window screen installation as well.

Those are two of the most common methods of sun screen installation in Phoenix.  There are many other variations of installations for window screens that can be discussed, and all of them are equally as relative to deciding which you would prefer.  Feel free to call Screens Unlimited LLC at (623)399-4942 to discuss your options, or wait to see some of our other blog posts as well.

Since many homes in Arizona have history, there is often many reasons as to why an Phoenix home may be missing these factory window screens.  Although every new home should come with the bug screens that come with the new windows, it is not uncommon that the screens get set to the side for the installations, and can be misplaced or lost during the construction process.  In neighborhoods where there are multiple homes being built at once, there too is the possibility that theft could take place as well, as window screens are made of aluminum, and scrappers are known to wonder through construction sites looking for things that are easy to scrap.  Another common problem is when the screens get damaged while being stored and never get installed or re-ordered before the house is complete.  Missing screens are more common however on older homes that have had multiple owners through the years.  In this case, who really knows what happened to the window screens.

Damaged insect screens are very common as well.  There are multiple ways that these screens get to be damaged including the following instances:

For one, removing and installing factory screens can often be difficult if the screens are slightly too big.  In this case, many times the frame gets bent or kinked, and can never be straightened to its original integrity.  This can also cause a twisting when removing that can cause the factory window screen plastic corners to break or snap.  Again, a non-repairable problem.

Secondly, pets and kids can be very rough on these OEM window screens.  Pushing and scratching will either break the frame, snap the corner, or tear the fabric.

Lastly, the Arizona sun does the most damage to window screens over time.  The sun causes the factory corners to become brittle and essentially impossible to handle without breaking, and will rot the fiberglass insect mesh to the point where a simple grazing of a blunt object with create giant holes and tears that create entry points for all the bugs.

Screens Unlimited is one of the valleys premier window screen companies, and can help with any of the aforementioned window screen problems.  Whether they are broken, damaged, missing, or stolen Screens Unlimited has the replacement screens that you need to keep the bugs out, and allow the comfortable breezy air in.

Many Arizona residents currently have some type of sun screen over their windows.  Whether they are old, new, black, or brown, not all solar window screens can hold up to the pet abuse from cats and dogs.  Some sunscreens have a fiberglass weave that is brittle and easily damaged.  Although they do what any other sunscreen does, you may have a big dog, or a curious cat that is seconds away from destroying your window or door screens.

Vinyl Coated Solar Window Screens are the Solution!

Most new solar screens are considered pet or child resistant.  This is because the new sunscreen material is a vinyl-coated polyester weave that can withstand a considerable amount of abuse.  The sun screen fabric has a memory, and in most cases will return to its original state when stress is applied to it by either a dogs paw, a cats loving, or even a children’s toy.  Although it is still a fabric, and can be cut with sharp objects, the sunscreens are quite durable when it comes to blunt objects pushing or leaning on them.

A good Pet Proof Screen Starts with the Frame.

Despite how stong the new sunscreen fabrics can be, if you do not use a stong and sturdy window or door screen frame, it won’t matter.  Industry standard sunscreen frame is 1″ x 7/16″ extruded aluminum.  Anything less is not enough.  Using a less than standard size frame decreases the integrity of the entire sun screen and makes it much more likely to get ruined if pushed on by a pet or human.  Small frames are typically also thinner material which means the sunscreen frame will bend or even break when pressure is applied to the sunscreen material.  A good pet resistant solar window screen comes with a strong frame.

Most common ways to accidentally Destroy A Sunscreen.

There are several different ways that a sun screen window or door can get ruined.  The most common pet related sun screen door accident is when your dog is inside the house, and decides to run after a moving object in the back yard. With a pet resistant frame and material, unless you have a Great Dane, you are most likely just going to have a confused little puppy.  Another common solar sunscreen accident is caused by outside pets that want to come in.  They push, paw, and scratch to get your attention, while destroying the average sun screen.  Vinyl-coated solar screens withstand well against these and many other instances where the average solar sun screen would fail.  Keep that in mind next time you go to purchase Sunscreens for your home if you have pets and/or kids.

There are often times differing opinions as to whether it is worth the hassle of removing your Arizona Solar Screens during the cool winter months.  There are obviously plenty of benefits to removing sunscreens, and replacing them with the original bug screens.  Otherwise, nobody would do it.  Likewise, there are plenty of reasons for leaving the solar sun screens up for the winter despite some beliefs.  Either way, you don’t want to get caught without one or the other unless you plan to invest in a bug zapper.
Benefits to Swapping Sunscreens with Insect Screens During Fall and spring in Phoenix.

Probably the most prominent reason why people take the time each season to remove their solar window screens, and replace them with their factory bugscreens is for the free daytime heating.  Solar Heat Gain, which is exactly the reason we all want the sunscreens in the summer is very limited when they are left up.  Factory insect screen allows the heat to transfer right through into the house on a sunny day.  In addition, there is the airflow.  There are plenty of nights throughout the year that are perfect for cross ventilation, and the original bug screens offer much more air to pass through than the average sun screen material.

Reasons to keep your Solar Sun Screens Up all year in Arizona.

Solar Window Screens are an excellent way to keep the heat out in the summer, but Privacy is also a big reason why many Phoenix Residents install sunscreens.  This is likely the number one reason most Phoenix homeowners choose to leave their solar screens up all year.  But for those of you who don’t care about the privacy, here are a couple of other benefits you may not be thinking about for leaving your sun screens up.  First, many Phoenix residents do not have a surplus of storage area, and those that do choose to keep things neat and tidy.  Having a set of bugscreens and sunscreens usually means unwanted clutter, as they are typically not the easiest thing to store due to their awkward sizes.  Most Solar window screens are not going to go into the attic.  Secondly, is the insulating properties that the new solar screen fabrics offer.  Believe it or not, sunscreens offer an additional layer of insulation that will help keep the heat in at night as well.  Sun screens do a great job of equalizing the temperature of a house throughout even in the Arizona winter months.  Lastly, and equally important, is the unexpected hot days that occur in Phoenix throughout the “cooler” months.  There are plenty of days in Phoenix where the temperature is cool enough outside, but due to the power of the sun, your house is an uncomfortable temperature. As stated before, sun screens help to keep the temperature in your house a steady temperature all day and night.

Retractable Screen Doors are a great addition to a household that likes to keep their doors open, but can’t stand the flys and bugs that come with it.  Most single swinging french style doors do not come with any screen option.  Retractable screen doors are the best answer to that very problem.  Swinging screen doors are often cheaply made, and the functionality is a pain.  Retractable, or Disappearing Screen Doors are great because they retract away when not in use, but function as well if not better than most swinging screen door applications. 
Double French Door Retractable Screen Doors

If you have, or have ever had a double door, you understand that they are a great way to open up your house to a feeling of space, and airflow.  The only problem is the constant breach of unwanted guests.  Before there were Double Retractable Screen Doors, the only options were to put double swinging doors, as if having to original doors that swing was not enough, and/or sliding screen doors that can either be slid left or right, leaving one side constantly blocked.  Double Disappearing Screens allows you to open both main doors and maintain a good barrier for bugs, while offering breezes to pass through, and unobstructed views.  Retractable Screen Doors then disappear into their quality streamline casings and become unnoticeable and just apart of the framework. 

Rollaway Retractable Screen Door Manufacturer

There are several different Retractable Screen Door manufacturers available, but when choosing quality and durability, Rollaway Retractable Screen Doors are the way to go.  Other Screen Door companies have similar products that either look less appealing, or are architecturally less evolved.  Upon many months of research and hands on experience, Rollaway Retractable Screen Doors proved to be the best overall product when it comes to a quality Disappearing Screen Door.

Your average factory sliding patio screen is often flimsy and cheap.  Even many factory sliding screen replacements are not much better. Most lower quality sliding screen doors are made of thin roll formed aluminum.  Factory Screen Doors have plastic handles and plastic wheels that wear out fast, or break.  In most cases, the springs on the factory screen doors aren’t strong enough to hold the door up, causing the screen door to bind when trying to operate the door. The simple fact is, if a sliding patio door company supplied a screen door that was included with the original patio door, it is likely that the supplied screen door will not function as preferred, and in most cases not at all.

Top Quality Sliding Screen Patio Doors

Quality is often times overlooked when shopping for a sliding screen door.  Good quality sometimes gets taken for granted and crutial funtions are missed.  So what does a “Top Quality Sliding Screen Door” look like? How does it function better than the rest?  Well, it all starts with a sturdy extruded aluminum screen door frame.  If the infrastructure of the screen door is solid, it will withstand more use, higher quality components, heavier duty fabrics and mechanics.  Next important trait of what makes a quality sliding screen is all-metal construction. No plastic screen door handles. No plastic sliding screen door wheels.  No plastic corners.  Lastly, but not least, a high quality patio screen door should have a high quality powder-coated paint job that looks nice and lasts as long as the door does.

Marquis Sliding Patio Screen Doors

When it comes to quality sliding screen doors, it only makes sense that the best quality door would have a name like the “Marquis Sliding Screen Door“.  The Marquis Slider is equipped with a 2 1/2″ Extruded .o60 Aluminum Frame.  The Marquis Sliding Screen Door comes with solid ball bearing wheels, and an all metal handle system and lock.  The Marquis slider screen has metal internal corners with a precise mitred corner that holds strong.  The finish is a powder coated paint that comes in standard window and door frame colors. This custom made Patio Screen Door is the Cadillac of sliding screen doors from its construction and smooth function to the aesthetically pleasing and well finished looks.