Fixed screens suit porches you want screened all season. Retractable screens suit the one or two openings where you want the open view back. The right fit comes down to five things: how wide your openings are, how often you walk through them, whether you want the view open year-round, your pets, and your weather.
Quick Answer: Fixed or Retractable?
- Fixed screen panels: Porches you want screened year-round, homes with pets, and second homes where nobody is around to roll the screens up before a storm.
- Manual retractable screen doors: Single doors, French doors, and narrow porch openings.
- Motorized retractable screens: Wide porch, patio, and garage openings, especially where you want shade fabric.
- A combination: Porches with one opening you want to open up to the view.
How Each Type Works
Fixed Screen Panels
A fixed screen is a panel framed into a porch opening that stays in place year-round. You can mix screen types on one porch: no-see-um screen on the marsh side, pet screen near the door, and privacy screen facing the neighbors. Screen doors, including pet doors, fit into the framing. Shoreline installs fixed panels with our screening system, which uses panels up to 140 square feet, resulting in fewer posts.
Manual Retractable Screens
A manual retractable screen rolls into a slim housing on one side of a door frame. You pull a handle across to close it. When you let go, a slow-close mechanism draws the screen back at a steady pace instead of letting it snap shut. The housing mounts to the frame rather than hanging on hinges, so it works with doors that swing in or out. Shoreline installs Apollo manual retractable screen doors.
Motorized Retractable Screens
A motorized screen rolls into a housing above the opening and lowers at the push of a button. Its fabric edges zip into tracks on each side, which hold the screen in place when the wind picks up. You can choose bug screen or shade-and-privacy fabrics that cut glare and afternoon heat. A motorized screen door slides side to side instead, so you walk through it like a sliding glass door. Shoreline installs La Costa motorized screens.
Porch Screen Types Compared
| Fixed Panels | Manual Retractable | Motorized Retractable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Every opening on the porch | One door or opening up to 10 ft wide | One opening up to 30 ft wide (20 ft for screen doors) |
| When not in use | Stays in place | Rolls into a housing beside the door | Rolls into a housing above the opening (beside it for screen doors) |
| Operation | Nothing to operate | Pull by hand | Remote; smart home control on screen doors |
| Fabric options | No-see-um, pet, privacy | Insect screen | 50+ screen, shade, and privacy fabrics |
| Electrical power | Not needed | Not needed | Needed for each motor |
| Warranty | Typically 10 to 15 years | Limited lifetime | 20-year limited on motor and fabric |
Five Questions to Help You Decide
1. How wide are your openings?
Each retractable screen needs its own housing and hardware, so a porch with six openings needs six retractable systems. Fixed panels are the lower-cost option for screening every side. Save retractable screens for the openings where the view matters most.
2. How often will you walk through them?
A manual screen door slides open with one hand, while a motorized one glides side to side. A motorized screen that lowers from above has to rise all the way before anyone can pass. That makes it a better fit for openings you look through more than walk through.
3. Do you want the view open part of the year?
On the Carolina coast, bugs ease up for stretches of fall and winter. A retractable screen lets you open the porch on those days, or for a party, and close it again when the gnats come back. A fixed screen stays up in January too.
4. Do pets need to get through?
Retractable mesh rolls into a housing, so a pet flap can’t be cut into it. A dog that pushes against the mesh will stretch or tear it. For pet households, fixed panels hold up better, with pet-resistant screen near the door and a pet door set into the framing.
5. How exposed is the porch to storms?
Fixed panels stay put through a storm with nothing to raise or lower. Retractable screens handle everyday wind because their tracks hold the fabric edges. They should be rolled up before a storm, though, so flying debris can’t tear the mesh.
That storm routine settles the choice for second homes and rentals. If no one will be there to roll up the screens, choose fixed panels for the exposed sides.
Manual or Motorized?
Choose manual if you’re screening a door or an opening up to 10 feet wide. Manual screens need no wiring and cost less. Choose motorized for wider openings, shade fabric, or the ease of a remote.
A motorized screen needs three things from your porch:
- Power: A dedicated 120-volt circuit, meaning one that powers only that motor, wired to the header, the beam across the top of the opening.
- Framing: Solid framing on both sides of the opening, with no hollow gaps behind it, so the tracks can mount securely.
- Floor: A level surface where the bottom bar, the weighted strip along the screen’s lower edge, can close flat.
We check all three when we measure your porch.
When to Combine Fixed and Retractable Screens
Many porches have one side facing the water, the marsh, or the pool, and two or three sides that don’t face them. Fixed screens on the side walls keep bugs out full-time, and a motorized screen on the view side opens. You keep a screened porch most of the year and get the open view when the weather cooperates.
Caring for Retractable Screens on the Coast
- Before storms: Roll screens into their housings.
- Tracks: Rinse sand and salt out of the tracks with a garden hose.
- Mesh: Retractable mesh wears with use, and a worn screen can be replaced without replacing the housing.
- Frames: Powder-coated aluminum frames resist rust in salt air.
What Each Option Costs
Screening a covered porch with fixed panels costs $2,000 to $6,000 for most homes. Apollo manual retractable screen doors start at $750 for a single door and $1,550 for a pair of French doors. Shoreline prices motorized screens after measuring, since width, fabric, and number of motors determine the cost.
Get a Recommendation for Every Opening
Shoreline installs fixed CoastalGuard panels, Apollo manual retractable screens, and La Costa motorized screens. One visit gets you a measurement for every opening and a recommendation for each. When you call, an owner answers, and our own crew handles the installation. Qualified homeowners can finance their project with 0% interest options through Wisetack.
Schedule a free measurement or call (910) 363-0599.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a retractable screen fit my French doors?
Yes. You can choose two screens that meet in the middle, so you can open one side or both, or one screen that spans both doors.
How long does installation take?
Most fixed screen porch installations finish in one day. Retractable screens are made to order after we measure, and most single-door installs take under an hour once the screen arrives.
What colors are available?
Shoreline’s framing comes in white, bronze, and black. Apollo manual screens come in 7 colors, and La Costa motorized screens in 13; both offer custom color matching.