Volume 5 Issue 22

Are Screened-In Rooms Good for Homes With Pets and Kids?

Yes. A screened-in room suits most homes with pets and children, because it keeps insects off the patio and gives everyone a shaded place to play with outdoor air still moving through. It also has limits you should know before you buy. Screen mesh is not a safety barrier, and a screened room is not heated or cooled.

Duralum has been building aluminum patio covers and screen systems in the United States since 1962. This article covers what a screened room does for a family on an ordinary day and where it falls short.

What a screened room is

A DuraScreen screened room is a covered patio fitted with screen walls and a screen door. The patio cover is the roof and the structural frame, and insect-rated screen fills the open sides. Air and the view pass through, while insects, leaves, and wind-blown debris stay out.

DuraScreen installs onto a new or existing Duralum patio cover, such as one of the solid aluminum patio covers, with frame colors and finish matched to the cover.

What it does for children

Fewer insect bites

The screen system stops mosquitoes, flies, and other insects from entering the covered patio. The CDC adds one condition: screens won’t keep out mosquitoes if they have holes in them, so a tear should be repaired as soon as it is found.

Shade over the whole play area

The patio cover overhead shades the floor, the toys, and the children under it. A solid roof also keeps rain off the play area, though wind can carry some through the screen.

One door to watch

Screened sides give a young child a clear edge to the play space, and they give you a single door to watch in place of an open yard. Balls, chalk, and ride-on toys stay in the room.

A cleaner floor

The mesh slows wind-blown dust, pollen, and leaves. There is less to sweep before a baby crawls across the patio.

Room for messy play

A sand table, paints, or a water tray can stay set up between sessions, out of the wind and off the living room floor.

What it does for dogs and cats

A dog gets outdoor air without the run of the yard. That is useful with a dog that digs, barks along the fence, or comes back indoors with muddy paws.

The shaded floor matters for paws as well. The American Veterinary Medical Association warns that hot surfaces such as asphalt can burn a pet’s paws.

An indoor cat can watch birds and feel the breeze from behind the screen. Check the lower edge of every panel and the fit of the door before you trust the room with a cat.

Pets also get relief from flying insects. A screen does nothing about fleas or ticks that a pet carries in from the yard, so keep up the usual prevention.

What a screen will not do

It is not a fall barrier

The Consumer Product Safety Commission tells parents never to depend on screens to keep children from falling out of windows. Treat the mesh in a screened room the same way, above all where the patio sits higher than the yard. Teach children not to lean or push on the panels, and stay with toddlers while they play.

It will not hold a running dog

Standard insect mesh is light. Pet-resistant mesh is heavier, and even its makers set a limit. ADFORS, one manufacturer, states that its pet screen withstands light pressure and resists tears but will not stop a pet or child from running through it.

It is not climate control

A screened room is open air, so its temperature follows the weather. The American Veterinary Medical Association says pets need unlimited access to fresh water, and access to shade, when they are outside. It lists excessive panting, excessive drooling, and unsteadiness among the signs that call for emergency veterinary care. Do not leave a pet shut in the room on a hot day.

Details to raise with your dealer

Duralum says a certified contractor goes over the screen configuration with you. Bring these points to that conversation:

• Mesh: ask whether a pet-resistant mesh is offered for the lower panels. ADFORS describes its version as thick, tear-resistant polyester yarn that is more durable than traditional fiberglass screen.
• Lower panels: ask about a solid panel or a rail at the height where children and dogs press against the wall.
• Screen door: ask for a closer that shuts the door behind you and a latch set above a toddler’s reach.
• Pet door: ask whether one can be fitted in the screen door or in a wall panel.
• Floor: choose a surface that is easy to hose down and gives grip to wet feet and paws.
• Furniture: plan seating away from the screen walls. The CPSC gives the same advice for windows, to discourage climbing.

Upkeep with pets and kids

Walk the room once a month. Look for small holes, mesh that has pulled out of its frame at a corner, and a door that no longer closes flush. Fix holes promptly, for the reason the CDC gives. Rinse the mesh with a garden hose when pollen and pet hair build up on it. Trimmed nails on a dog and a scratching post for a cat both reduce wear on the lower mesh.

Screened room, open patio, or sunroom

An open patio cover gives shade and no protection from insects. A screened room adds that protection and keeps the airflow. Our comparison of a screened room and an open porch goes further into that choice.

Families who want the space closed to heat and cold should look at a Duralife sunroom, which uses dual pane glass and an insulated wall system.

Frequently asked questions

1) Will a dog or cat tear the screen?

Claws can tear standard insect mesh. Pet-resistant mesh uses thicker yarn and resists tears better, though it will not stop an animal that runs into it. Ask which mesh options are offered for the lower panels.

2) Is a screened-in room safe for toddlers?

It is a good supervised play space, with insects and yard debris kept out. It is not childproof. Keep the door latched, keep furniture off the screen walls, and stay with young children.

3) Can I leave my dog in a screened room while I am at work?

Not in hot or cold weather. The room is open air, and a dog left in it needs shade, fresh water, and someone to notice signs of heat stress. Bring the dog indoors when no one is home.

4) Does a screened room keep out every insect?

It stops mosquitoes and flies at the screen when the mesh is intact and the door is shut. Insects can still come in on clothing, on a pet, or through a door left open.

5) Does the warranty cover damage from pets?

Duralum states that every DuraScreen system comes with a lifetime warranty, and that it passes to the next owner when the home is sold. Whether mesh torn by a pet is covered depends on the written terms, so ask your dealer for a copy before you buy.

Conclusion

For most families the answer is yes, with supervision for small children and attention to heat for pets. Settle the mesh and the door details while the room is still on paper.

To talk through a screened room for your own patio, find a certified Duralum dealer.