Many months ago, I was following a blog that was showing the progress of the renovation of an historical home in Mobile, AL called the Southern Romance home. It was so much fun watching this old, out of date home being transformed for today’s living, but all the while keeping it’s original charm.
One of the many beautiful features of the renovation was the addition of Phantom Screens retractable screens on the back porch. These retractable screens totally intrigued me.
When Phantom Screens contacted me about reviewing their retractable screen, I have to say, I was pretty excited.
We had recently replaced an old wood door in our breakfast room with a full view glass door that opens up to our large patio area.
In the Spring and Fall, when the weather is perfect, I always want to open up the windows and doors to let in the fresh air. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that with my new door, without letting all the bugs in with the fresh air.
I really didn’t want to add a screen door to the outside of the pretty new door that we had just installed!
A Phantom Screen retractable screen was the perfect solution!
A retractable screen can be opened when I want to use it, and when I don’t, it retracts into a small frame mounted onto the side of the door. Completely out of the way and unobtrusive! The design is really pretty cool.
A local screen company, Screenmobile, came out to install the retractable screen door and it took only about an hour to install from start to finish. It was such a fast and easy installation.
A side frame is screwed into the trim on the outside of the doorframe, which is the housing that holds the retractable screen in place.
A threshold is installed with a track, and also a track at the top, so that the screen can slide across when you open and close the screen.
They also installed two magnetic latches on the opposite side of the screen frame, to hold the screen tight when it’s open.
When you want a screen door, you just slide it across and it snaps right onto the magnets. When you want to close it, a gentle pull of the handle and it retracts right back into place in it’s housing. It just disappears from view when we don’t need it!
This is the retractable screen in it’s housing, when we don’t want it open.
And here it is with the Phantom Screen open.
This is such a great idea and a wonderful way to add a screen while preserving the look and view of my door. And they work with swing in or swing out doors!
With Fall weather upon us, we are really enjoying our Phantom Screen by opening up the patio door and letting the fresh Autumn breeze in, without letting the pesky bugs and flies in with it!
I would love to have these retractable screens on every door in the house.
Phantom Screens was so generous in providing and installing the retractable screen for us. It’s such a fantastic product, I couldn’t wait to share it with you!
For more information, or for dealers in your area, check out the Phantom Screen website.
Cheers,
Cindy
(Phantom Screens provided the product for this post, but all opinions are 100% my own….I love this retractable screen door!)
I live in a super temperate area where the whether is typically really nice, so I love having doors and windows open to let in fresh air. I’ve had a screen door for a few years, but I’ve been thinking I want to upgrade to a retractable screen. It’s so nice that not only can they protect from insects, but they can also be specially manufactured to protect from the sun!
Thank you for sharing, retractable screen doors are a great way to fill your home with a fresh breeze all day long.
I love this, I need one of these in our bedroom, since I have beautiful antique French doors that aren’t installed because of the “screen issue”! Thanks for sharing this, friend!
Thank you Lidy!
I thought I was the only one really in love with this screen door idea.My aunt in Orlando had one years ago, and I kept commenting on it, and they all looked at me like I was crazy.It is just too cool! I love my pocket doors too.I do not have one of the screen ones yet, would love one.Hay, maybe you could have a drawing on one of these to?Love Ya! Ava
Love this and how nice that your darling Ruby Lou can sniff the air and not get out!
Thanks Janet!
Love the new door and the new screen is so perfect. I love them too. Had them at the last house, but I don’t trust my cats with them here, so…. maybe later 😉
The house looks beautiful, as always!
Thank you Shannon!
You’re one of the few blogs I read. I love your style. With the mention of Southern Romance house in Mobile (my home town), I found her blog. Amazing renovation. I’m crocheting the edge on a granddaughter’s afghan as I watch all twelve videos. Thanks for sharing!
That’s wonderful Anne! I lived in Mobile for several years and we still visit several times a year. You will love the Southern Romance home! Thanks so much for commenting!
My husband and I went back and forth between a conventional storm door and a retractable screen. The traditional one won out. I was afraid something would go by and Bic , our 6yr old chocolate Lab would leap right through it. Now I am sorry I didn’t give this a try !!! Maybe the other doors…
Gee, our little RubyLou “attempted” to go through it one time, (didn’t make it through), and she’s very careful when she approaches the door now.
We have a Phantom Screen as well and after my husband and I both almost ran through it, I added a little embroidery floss at eye level, which folds right into place with the rest of the screen. My screen is on the north and when rains, sometimes the screen slide on the bottom doesn’t permit water from draining properly so we enlarged the drain slots slightly. Very nice addition for single doors in adult homes.
I’m thinking of doing something similar, LibbyJo. It’s so “invisible”, sometimes we forget that it’s there, though we haven’t walked through it yet! Great idea on enlarging the drain slots. We have a large overhang at the door, so rain never reaches the door even when it blows hard. Thanks for commenting!
We have retractable screens on our windows. In France, hardly anybody has screens, or they put them up for summer and then take them out. We have heavy wood shutters that we close at night to insulate. When I first moved here, I just closed the curtains, but some neighbors remarked that we were strange (and wasteful with heat!) to not shut the shutters. So we adopted the local ways and see the benefits. However, you can’t reach out to shut the shutters when there’s a screen. So in winter, up it rolls. Without the screens, we get more sunshine in winter, too.
As for the doors, we don’t have screens but are happy to keep them closed since we have plenty of cross-circulation via the windows.
Those phantom screens are awesome!….We are going back and forth on whether to move and downsize or do the things that have been on my list for this home…and phantom screens is on my list…My neighbor has them that goes across her entire screen porch and my brother does too….with the click of a remote they appear and disappear….The HGTV Smart Home had them too….awesome product…..your patio looks great…love the view from indoors too!!
Thank you Shirley! I love being able to open up the door and slide the screen across! I would love to have them on every door in the house!
Cindy, we have had a Phantom screen door for several years now and we just love it!
It’s amazing! I love it!
Cindy,
We too love our retractable screen door almost as much as the chipmunks do!! I sit on the back porch and feed the chippies in the morning, if I’m not quite fast enough these little guys just pop there heads under the screen and in they come sitting by the pail waiting to be fed. Too domesticated I’ll say! The funniest part our 15 year old Havenese treats it like it’s an everyday occurrence – poor old lady just doesn’t have the energy to chase them anymore!
Love your blog, thanks for sharing your beautiful home with us.
Deborah
Oh my goodness, Deborah, that is too funny!
We have a Phantom Screen on our front door and I love it! Just the other day Luke forgot it was there and right smack dab into it at full steam. The screen let go from the latch and was easily fixed without any tools, but more importantly, Luke wasn’t injured at all.
I love my Phantom Screen!
Nancy
Oh my goodness Nancy, so glad Luke wasn’t hurt! The Phantom Screen is so unobtrusive, I’ve almost run into it myself! I might need to put a cute little sticker on it!
Well now that is pretty darn awesome!
Thanks Vicki! It is an amazing screen door. I love how it just disappears!