Bought a House With Missing Window Screens?

The usual reasons:

• They were taken out for painting, pressure washing or window cleaning before the listing photos, and never put back
• Torn or bent ones were thrown away rather than repaired
• The windows were replaced, and the new ones came without window screens
• The sliding screen door came off its track and was left in the garage
• Some windows never had window screens at all

Window screens that come out for work on the house are often stacked somewhere and forgotten. Look behind shelving in the garage, in the attic and in any shed. If you find them, they may only need fitting back in, or a repair if they were bent or torn while stored. A bent frame or torn mesh is often a repair, not a new window screen, and our post on whether to repair, rescreen or replace a window screen explains how to tell.

For every window that opens, note:

• Whether there is a window screen at all
• If there is, whether it sits square, with no gaps at the edges
• Whether the mesh is whole, or torn, sagging or brittle
• Whether it covers the part of the window that opens
• Whether the sliding glass door has a sliding screen door, and whether it slides

A photo of each window and a rough count is all we need to quote. If your home inspection report lists missing or damaged window screens, send that too.

Store-bought window screens come in a handful of common sizes. Plenty of windows, especially in older homes, are not one of them, and a window screen that is an eighth of an inch off either leaves a gap or will not go in. Our post on a window screen not fitting properly explains the usual reasons. Custom window screens are measured to each window and built to fit it.

Each type of window takes its own window screen. Single-hung windows usually take a half window screen over the bottom part that opens, and double-hung windows, where both parts open, usually take a full one. Sliding windows take one for the side that slides, and arched windows need a window screen that follows the curve. We match the window screen to the window, so you do not need to know which type you have.

New window screens are a chance to pick the mesh for each room. Pet-resistant mesh holds up where a dog or cat can reach, no-see-um mesh stops the tiny biting bugs that are worst near the water, and solar mesh cuts heat and glare on sunny windows. See our window screen mesh options.

If the house came with a sliding glass door but no sliding screen door, or one that is bent or will not slide, it is the same story. A sliding screen door is a different size from the glass door it goes with, so a store-bought one often does not fit, and our guide to standard sliding glass door sizes explains why. We build new sliding screen doors to fit your opening with sliding screen door replacement, and repair the ones worth keeping.

If the house is a rental, the same goes for every unit. We work for landlords and property managers. Send the address and a count or photos of the windows, and we will quote the whole property at once.