Screened In Porch; Somfy Retractable Screens Install

I have wanted to have a screened in porch with a motorized screen for a long time now, and I’m happy to say that day is FINALLY here! Thanks to Somfy Systems, I now have a motorized screen that transforms my front porch into a wonderful indoor/outdoor space.
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Preparing the Porch for Screens

A couple months ago we had the installer, Screen Mobile, come measure our porch to get the correct screen dimensions. After measuring, we had to wait 6-8 weeks for manufacturing, which gave me time to prepare the porch. I added lumber to the uneven posts of the porch so everything could be flush for the install. Then I filled cracks and unevenness in the posts with wood filler before sanding and repainting. I wanted the porch to look brand new before installing our screens! If you want more details on how I accomplished prepping the porch, be sure to check out the video.

Installing the Screen

Once the retractable screens were done being manufactured by the company Stoett, our installer Screen Mobile came to install the motorized screens! Bill and his son Butch completed the install in one day – they’ve been doing installs for 16 years. The install involves mounting the sleek aluminum housing at the top where the screen rolls into and the motor is housed. Butch also cut and installed aluminum railings on the sides of posts where the screen sits to guide it correctly moving up and down. After clean-up it was time to learn how to use the screens and enjoy my newly enclosed porch!

The Screened in Porch Reveal

The screens work SO well! Our porch does get buggy being near a lake, and now we have had zero bug issues sitting outside on our porch. It’s great to be able to sit on the bed swing I built without worrying about spiders or mosquitoes. My daughter has already even slept out here once! Scroll down to read some of my favorite features of my new screens.

• Retractable screens allow me to stop them at any height with the remote. This is the coolest aspect of Somfy’s motorized system. I can move one up to create a path on and off the porch and leave the other down. I can also roll them up and protect them from bad weather or during the winter when they aren’t being used.
• The tightly knit Stoett screen keeps out the tiniest of bugs while still being easily see-through. It even blocks some of the sun’s harshness so our porch stays cooler with the screens down.
• Even though I have three young children I have no worries about this screen busting or ripping. It seems very durable and the kids love it as much as we do! They definitely are careful around our new screens because they want to spend all day playing on the porch.

I am so happy with our screened in porch system from Somfy, and I’m looking forward to even more time spent out on our front porch. If I’ve inspired you to look into getting your own retractable screens, be sure to get a free estimate from a Somfy dealer. If you want to check out more of my outdoor projects, my blog post How to Build a Retaining Wall in One Day is a great place to start!