Porch screens · Windsor-Essex
Rescreening porches, sunrooms and balconies for Windsor summers
Around here a screened porch gets used from spring well into October, so a torn panel gets noticed the same evening the mosquitoes do. Most porches don't need rebuilding: the frames stay and new mesh goes in, panel by panel. We're a referral service; the independent local pro we find works on porches, screen rooms and three-season rooms. One torn panel is a fair request, and we'll pass it on as readily as a whole porch.
- One panel or the whole porch
- Rescreen before you rebuild
- Straight answers on permits
Rescreening
Rescreening an existing porch: panels, spline and framing
Rescreening means new mesh in the frames you have, the porch-sized cousin of other screen and door jobs. The pro looks at:
The mesh
Tears, sag, or mesh that crumbles when you press it. Fibreglass is standard; pet-resistant and fine no-see-um mesh are options.
The spline
The rubber cord that holds mesh in its groove. When it shrinks, mesh pops loose.
The frames
Soft wood at the bottom rail or a sagging header is a carpentry job first.
The porch door
It takes the most wear; see screen doors. For a patio door off the porch, a retractable screen keeps the doorway clear.
Know the words
Screen, three-season or glass enclosure?
Sellers in Windsor-Essex say porch enclosure for all three. From lightest to heaviest:
Screened porch or screen room
A roofed space with mesh on the open sides. Air moves; bugs don't.
Three-season room
Removable vinyl or glass panels over the screens for spring and fall. Not heated.
Glass enclosure or sunroom
Glazed walls, often insulated. Closer to an addition than a porch.
If you called about new mesh and left with a quote for a glass room, ask for the rescreen price too.
Condos and apartments
Condo and apartment balconies: check with the board first
Balcony screens in a condo usually touch common elements: the railing, the slab, the walls. In Ontario, altering those takes a board resolution first, often with a written agreement registered on title.
Renters, ask the landlord first. Railing glass is a separate job: glass railings.
A small job
One torn bay, rescreened
A tear low in one bay; the frame and the other bays stay as they are.
Send your porch detailsPermits
New porches and sunrooms need a City permit
New mesh in existing frames is repair work. Building a porch, enclosing one or adding a sunroom is different: porches, sunrooms and solariums are on the City of Windsor's building-permit list. Turning a screened porch into a three-season or glass room is enclosing it, so expect to need one.
County towns issue their own permits. Get who's applying written into the quote.
Pricing
What moves a porch rescreening price
A rescreening price turns on:
- How many panels, and their size
- Mesh type: standard, pet-resistant or fine insect mesh
- Wood or aluminium frames, and any carpentry first
- Porch door work: closer, kick plate or a new door
- Height and access, such as upper balconies
Photograph the porch, count the panels and measure one typical bay.
Olde Sandwich Towne
Heritage porches in Olde Sandwich Towne
The City's Sandwich heritage plan describes the district's houses by their 'broad porches, double-hung windows and dormers', and replacing or removing a porch there needs a heritage permit. New mesh is the lightest touch there is, but if the work changes how the porch looks from the street, run it past the City's heritage planning office before work starts. Our Olde Sandwich Towne page covers the district's window and door rules.
Questions
Porch screen questions
Explore your options
More screen jobs
Porch and screen-room owners ask for rescreening across Windsor-Essex, including Olde Sandwich Towne, Walkerville, Tecumseh & St. Clair Beach, LaSalle and Belle River & Lakeshore.
Photograph the porch and count the panels
A photo and a panel count is plenty. We send it on and check back that you heard from someone.