I Just Want to Screen!

I just want to scream for new screens. Fair. Chicagoland summers are why you own screens, and shredded mesh is why you are on this page. McCann Window & Exteriors, Inc. replaces screens as part of window work, and we will tell you when a screen is the whole job versus when the sash behind it is the real problem.

This is the practical screen article. The squirrel piece on this site covers chewing. This one covers mesh, frames, retractables, and the porch that never quite latches.

What fails first

Fiberglass mesh dries out, then a cat, a squirrel, or a hail of sticks finishes it. Aluminum frames rack and the spline pops. Retractable housings fill with debris and the screen will not retract. Full-view storm doors chew the latch-side insert. None of that is mysterious.

Mesh choices without gimmick language

Standard fiberglass is fine on a first-floor opening with no tree. Heavier fiberglass (often sold as pet screen) resists claws and teeth better. Stainless or aluminum mesh is denser in the view and lasts. If a screen has already been chewed, replace the mesh rather than patching it. A repaired hole stays a marked entry point.

If you are already replacing windows, specify the screen with the unit. Paying twice in one season is a common way this gets expensive without getting better.

Retractables and porch enclosures

Retractables look clean and disappear in winter. The housing is another chew target under a soffit, and the mechanism needs a straight opening. A porch with a stack of tired screens is often a frame problem, not a mesh problem. Straighten and square, then mesh.

When the window is the job

A perfect screen in a sash that will not lock is still a draft. Fogged glass does not get better because the screen is new. We would rather split the work clearly: screens on this invoice, windows on that one, than bury a sash replacement inside a screen quote.

We don’t play pricing games on screens any more than on glass. Straightforward pricing. 35 years. About 50% repeat and referral. Crews 10 to 15 years. We show up. We clean up. We deliver what we promise.

A simple week-of plan

Walk the house. Photograph bowed frames and holes. Note which sashes still latch. Bring that to a measure. If you can reach a first-floor unit safely, a spare roll of matching mesh is a homeowner job. Second-story work belongs on a ladder with a second person, or on our list. Falling off a garage roof to save a screen is a bad trade.

Pollen, hair, and the boring maintenance

Vacuum the track. Rinse the mesh. Do not store screens in a heap on a garage floor where they rack. A screen that is square lasts. A screen that spent winter under a snow blower does not. We will respline what is honest. We will not respline a banana-shaped frame and call it new.

Ready to improve your home’s comfort and efficiency? Call McCann Window & Exteriors at (847) 562-1212 or visit McCannWindow.com to schedule your free consultation today.

Sometimes you do not want a philosophy of windows. You want screens that are not shredded, bent, stained, or missing. McCann Windows & Exteriors hears that in Northbrook every spring when the first warm week arrives and every mosquito in Cook County RSVPs. This page is screens as a product and as a symptom , distinct from the squirrel article, which is about animals chewing holes. Here the enemy is age, kids, dogs, lawn debris, and frames that no longer hold mesh tight.

What we can replace without replacing the window

If the sash and frame are honest, new screens in proper frames are a sane order. Mesh choices matter: standard fiberglass, heavier pet-resistant, and, on problem elevations, stainless or extra-heavy weaves. Spline that is not rotten. Frames that are square. A screen in a banana frame will look tired in a week. We will say when the frame is the job.

When the scream is really about the window

If the meeting rail does not meet, if the IGU is fogged, if the combination storm-and-screen unit is a relic, putting beautiful mesh on a failed window is how you scream again in January. We will look at the unit. If you only want screens and the window is failed, you will hear both facts. You still get to buy only screens. You should buy them with your eyes open.

Pets, kids, and kick damage

Pet-resistant mesh is not pet-proof. Claws and full-body dog joy still win eventually. We spec heavier mesh on the doors and windows the Labrador actually uses. Retractable screens on patio openings are a different product with their own failure modes. Tell us the animal honestly. Cute photos are optional. Claw height is not.

Spring timing

Everyone wants screens in the same two weeks. Measure before you need them if you can. If you are already in mosquito season, we will still talk to you. We will also tell you if the factory queue is the queue. Call 847-562-1212 with photos of the frames, not only the holes. The squirrel page is next door on this site if the hole has teeth marks.

Cleaning and storage

Screens last longer if they are not folded in a garage under a snowblower. Label them. Wash them without destroying coatings on nearby glass. We will not write a novel about soap. We will say: do not put a pressure washer through mesh and then blame the product. If you want new screens and a window that deserves them, we do both from Northbrook.

If the hole has teeth marks, read the squirrel page on this site too. If the hole is kids, dogs, and tired spline, this page is the one. Photograph frames, not only mesh. Banana frames need frames. Failed windows need windows. You can still buy only screens with your eyes open. 847-562-1212.