Back in the Spring, I had the pleasure of going to an event in Mobile, AL, called Southern Romance, with Phantom Screens, along with a few other blog friends. It was such a fun adventure, seeing this historic house in Mobile being transformed into a modern home, yet they are keeping the charm in the house. They will be using Phantom Screens on the back porch of this renovated house.
When I came back home, Phantom Screens got in touch with me about adding a screen to my back door, which leads out of my laundry room/mudroom to my new patio in the backyard. I thought this would be a fun idea, to have a retractable screen that can be opened when I want to use it and it retracts into a small frame on the side of the door when not in use. It’s the first time I’ve seen this particular retractable screen in person and it’s pretty cool, so I wanted to share it with all of you.
A nice young man came out on a Saturday to install my retractable screen door and it took less than an hour from start to finish. He knew what he was doing and it went up like a charm.
A side frame is screwed into the trim around my outside doorframe and that holds the screen in place.
Here it is from the outside, it’s hard to tell where it is since it’s on the white trim of my doorframe.
A silver threshold is installed as a track for the screen to move across when in use.
And a magnetic latch is installed on the other side of the door frame to catch and door as it is pulled out. It snaps into place on the magnet and voila…..an instant screened door. It quickly disengages when you pull the white handle and gently let it go back in place, inside the holder on the right side the door.
Here it is halfway open so you can see how it works. I think it’s such a cool idea and if you have an area like this that you might want to add a screen, it’s the perfect solution for adding a screened door. I think I will use this some in the Fall and Spring months when no air conditioning or heat is one.
Phantom Screens was generous and installed this door for me from one of their local retailers here in the area and it’s a great product that I wanted to share with all of you, so if you are in the market, check out the Phantom Screens website for a retailer near you. They didn’t ask me to write this post, but I wanted to share because I think it’s a great product!
This is the first time I’ve ever read a post about a product and decided to definitely buy it! We have great french doors in the dining area of our new house and I would love to leave them open to the balcony, but after doing so today I saw what a terrible problem the flies are going to be. My husband and I were discussing literally an hour ago what to do since screen doors just will not work there. I never even knew retractable screen doors existed. Thanks!
When I got mine, I had the option of it opening right or left, so it would be perfect for a set of French doors.
This sounds like a great idea and a perfect solution when a screen door is needed!
We install one of these a few years ago and love it. For safety we stenciled some butterflies on the screen so that I could see it. I’ve got a history of walking through screen doors, LOL!!!!
Rhoda,
thank you for sharing about the screen door. My husband and I have been looking at screen doors like this for our lake cabin. Since I trust you, we may go with this brand! Also, thank you for the photo that shows the inside of your laundry room…I appreciate so much you being willing to use some photos that are not staged. As the mother of married children…sometimes, they forget that the photo they see on the internet only shows a tiny portion of the room but the REST of the room looks like a regular house…lived in! 🙂
I certainly enjoy your blog!
Hey, Cathy, oh yes you will get the real on my blog. I later cleaned up that space, but it was looking pretty bad in those pics. Clutter is my nemesis!
I love your blog. We had these installed on our doors. Our dog could not see the screens and he would walk/run thru! Other than Charlie using for a human size doggie door, we loved them.
Love your jeans! Where did you get them?
Deb, they are from Kohl’s and the brand is Elle.
I’m confused. What is on the top and bottom of the screen?? Is there nothing there at all and the screen just ‘rolls up’ as it’s retracted? If so, does it seem like bugs will come in through the unconnected-to-any-frame parts of the screen on the top and bottom?
Kate, there is a track at the top and bottom and the screen pulls across and holds with a magnet. No bugs can come through when it’s closed.
I guess I’m still confused. I went to the website, too, but didn’t find my answer. Where does the screen GO when it retracts?? If it just rolls up, how can it have a top and bottom? Or does the screen mesh itself have no top and bottom, and merely runs through a permanent top and bottom frame when it comes out? So like if you pushed at the top or bottom the mesh is not actually attached or affixed to the top and bottom in any way, correct? Just the two sides?
So, it does roll up, right?
I feel so dense!
Kate, there is a track at the top of the door and the bottom and when the screen is pulled out of the holder, it is in those tracks, which can only be seen on the outside of the door. It is screwed into the molding at the top of the door and the screen fits in there. Once the screen retracts, it’s in a rounded type metal holder that sits on top of the doorframe to the right. So the screen is attached and not just hanging at all.
Thank you!!
Great idea. Alas, you don’t have the charm of a wooden screen door banging shut, but you can’t have everything.
I have double front doors and we have a retractable screen that goes across both – love it – especially when babysitting my neighbors dog and she saw a squirrel and went like superman through it – the good news is they are easy to “rescreen” if you ever need to hehe
Oh wow, it’s a great idea, but it’s more expensive than a nice, new glass storm door with a screen attached! Too rich for my budget…:(
My gosh I would have loved having those when I lived in France! It was soo hot the summer we lived there-no AC and we had to keep doors and windows closed because we had a cat who doesn’t go outside. My daughter broke down one night and HAD to open her window. The cat jumped from the second floor and was lost for close to a week! Luckily he didn’t go far and we found him just weeks before we moved back to the States. Somehow, I don’t think they would catch on in Europe-but who knows they do look pretty invisible when left open. I personally LOVE the look of them. Thanks for sharing Rhoda.
We have one to I stall but no instructions. Do you have yours by any chance? Company has been very unhelpful.
Hi, Kate, sorry you’ll have to contact them. I don’t have any instructions.
Is there someone in GeorgeTown Tx that can come out and give me a estimate on the screen door?
Hi, Bonnie, you will have to do a search on Phantom Screens website and see if you have a distributor in your area,