Could someone kindly talk to me about screen doors and windows please?

[Spriggedcotton88]

Determined to get organised for the summer! We are in a very rural area in France and the insects were intolerable last year but obviously we had to have the doors and windows open because of the heat.

Despite citonella lamps and mosquito netting and all sorts, we were all bitten to death and we want to improve things for this year.

What does everyone do please? Our windows are cottage style and open inwards in to the room.

Does everyone have frames made to which they tack mesh? Any advice from Americans or anyone else who knows about these things would be very much appreciated as I don’t know where to start!

I'm in Australia - everyone has screens on windows and doors. For inward opening windows you'll need grooved frames made to fit, and then the screening is pushed into the grooves . For doors you just buy a screen door and it is attached either inside or outside your existing door - depending on whether it opens inward or outward.

In the US here. Our windows have grooves that the screens fit into and then there are little metal tabs that slide out into slots in the window frame that lock it in place. You can however, retro fit windows that dont have this set up. If you look on Amazon US you will see mesh screening that has magnets around the edges and is sold with peel and stock magnets that you put around your window frame. That might work for you. Or if you have a friendly carpenter, get them to knock up frames that will fit in your window frames and then use a staple gun to attach insect screening mesh to them. For door screens, they have the magnetic set up and it also has a curtain part in the middle with magnets that pull the edges together once you have walked through

So sorry to take so long to respond!

Thank you very much for these detailed replies which are much appreciated!

I think I am going to contact a carpenter and get them made up. If we get reasonable quality wood, and I paint them etc, they should last 10 years or more I reckon.

Thanks again for the advice everyone. I don’t quite understand why they are not more available in standard window sizes in the EU tbh!