As a Carolinian, you’ve no doubt been to your fair share of homes with screens on the windows. After all, we live in the South, where bugs abound and the air can sometimes feel like it will melt you with the sheer humidity. There are, however, some North Carolina and South Carolina residences that don’t have screens on their windows for one reason or another.
Here, we’ll go through some questions you should ask yourself prior to having screens installed on your home’s windows. This can be a somewhat costly project, so it is important to make sure it’s what you truly want to do before you invest in high-quality screens from a reputable brand.
What benefits do window screens offer?
Besides the obvious perk of preventing horse flies, cicadas, wasps, bees, and other pests into your home when the windows are open, window screens offer a number of other benefits as well. You’ll learn more about these upsides below.
Additional security – Although window screens might not scream frontline of defense in regard to home security, they actually do offer an extra measure of protection from both intruders and other objects. If, for example, young children are playing frisbee or baseball in your lawn, an errant yard toy could bounce off a screen instead of costing your window pane and costing you money.
In regard to preventing theft, would-be burglars are less likely to cut through a screen than they are to simply look for a window that is already accessible and unlocked on another house in the neighborhood.
Inclement weather protection – While window screens aren’t exactly going to protect coastal Carolina residents’ homes from hurricane-force winds and rainstorms, they do offer an additional barrier against more standard forms of inclement weather. In some cases, screens can even prevent hail from cracking window glass by serving as an extra layer of protection
Serve as air filters – In addition to preventing unwanted bugs and debris, like leaves, from blowing into your home through a completely open window, screens can actually serve as air filters. This is surprising to some homeowners, but certain airborne particles cannot fit through screens, thereby keeping your home’s interior air cleaner and easier to breathe.
Are there downsides to window screens?
There are few downsides to choosing window screens in a Southern home, but one of the biggest complaints homeowners have is that they lose natural light. There are, however, certain screen styles that minimize this issue, so make sure you talk to your installer if you are concerned.
What types of window screens are there?
There are two main types of window screens – fixed and rollaway. As you probably expected from their names, fixed screens sit in one place. They are generally placed in the window frame and can be removed and inserted as desired.
Rollaway screens, on the other hand, operate more like traditional blinds. While this option tends to be more convenient and aesthetically appealing, it also tends to come with a higher price tag.
The team at Hatch Homes, specifically, is here to make sure North Carolina and South Carolina families get the help they need throughout the window screen installation process. From providing free quotes to answering questions every step of the way, we are here to help!
Do you have screens on your windows? Why or why not? Most of the houses I see on Houzz look like they don't have window screens even when the windows are open. I know some people don't like the look of them or that it makes the windows look too dark, but what about bugs and a nice cool breeze?