Easy, Breezy Screen Doors

Choosing an exterior screen door should be a no brainer. In a perfect world, a screen door will be the perfect match of style and function. But it's not always such an easy pick, as past offerings in screened doors have been flimsy, to say the least.

Newer screen doors have taken more of a turn to satisfying not only function, but the style demand as well. Scrolls and swirls and brackets, not to mention some pictorial elements have added major upgrades in style to the once ugly ducklings of doorways.

With these upgrades though comes a trade off, which is how to choose the options and style that best suit your home and lifestyle. Some considerations to make the process for choosing a screen door just a little more user-friendly:

• Homes with pets are best served with sturdy, exterior screen doors that offer a top half panel of screen with a solid bottom panel to keep pets in and bugs out.
• New materials bring new choices for the material for a particular climate. Vinyl screen doors are popular choices for locations with harsh temperatures and high humidity.
• Screen doors with removable panels that can be replaced with storm windows are popular for homeowner's looking to make less work of winterizing. Wood exterior screen doors are favored for more traditional homes, such as Victorian and Colonial styles.
• Screen doors run the gamut from basic to high style. Choosing one that fits your lifestyle and home, not to mention your doorway, is your best bet for choosing the perfect screened door.