Motorized Porch Screens: Options, Costs and How to Plan Them

What a motorized porch screen is

A motorized porch screen is a custom-sized screen that rolls down from a slim housing at the top of a porch opening and runs in tracks on each side. Press a button and it lowers in under a minute; press it again and it disappears into the housing, leaving the porch fully open. It does the job of a fixed screen panel when you want one, and gets out of the way when you don't.

On a porch, that matters more than almost anywhere else on the house. A covered porch is usually the room you want open on a spring evening, closed against mosquitoes in July, shaded from low western sun in August, and sheltered from wind in October. One set of motorized screens covers all four without swapping panels.

Motorized porch screens vs fixed screen panels

Fixed screen panels are cheaper per opening and work well when the porch is used one way all year. They block a bit of the view and airflow permanently, and in a storm the screen stays where it is.

Motorized screens cost more, but they give you the open porch back whenever you want it, they roll up out of the weather, and the fabric can do more than stop insects: solar mesh cuts heat and glare, and clear vinyl blocks wind and rain. Some porches mix the two, with motorized screens on the openings that face the view and fixed panels on short side openings. Our screened porch vs motorized screens guide compares the options in detail.

Choosing the fabric for your porch

The fabric decides what the porch is good for. You can choose a different fabric for each opening:

• Insect mesh keeps out mosquitoes and flies with the least effect on the view and breeze. No-see-um mesh adds protection against the smallest biting insects, which matters on porches near water or woods.
• Solar mesh blocks 70 to 97 percent of UV and cuts heat and glare. It also adds daytime privacy: from outside, the screen reads as a solid panel while you can still see out.
• Clear vinyl blocks wind and rain completely. With a heater it turns a porch into a three-season room.
• Storm fabric. MagnaTrack Defender uses a Kevlar-reinforced fabric certified for hurricane-grade wind and debris, for exposed properties.

Our mesh openness guide explains how to choose between the solar meshes.

Which track system suits a porch

We install two systems. MagnaTrack holds the screen edge with magnets in a self-correcting track: if a dog, a ball or a gust pushes the screen out, it reseats itself as the screen cycles. It covers openings up to 30 feet wide and 20 feet tall and tolerates floors up to 4 inches out of level, which is common on older porches. V-Track holds the edge with a welded keder bead in an aluminum channel and suits very wide openings and clear vinyl enclosures.

For most porches, either system works well. The MagnaTrack vs V-Track comparison covers the differences.

Planning: openings, power and recessed housings

A few practical points decide how a porch project goes:

• Measure every opening. Each opening gets its own screen, tracks and motor. Openings are rarely perfectly square, so we measure each one at several points.
• Solid mounting. Tracks and housings need solid posts and beams. Wrapped columns are fine, but we fasten into the structure underneath.
• Power at the top of each opening. Every motor needs electrical supply at the housing. On an existing porch, an electrician usually adds a circuit or extends an outlet before installation day, and we tell them exactly where.
• Recessed housings on new porches. If you are building or remodeling, plan the screens before the ceiling goes in. Recessed tracks and housings hide the whole system when the screens are up, and pockets are easy to frame during construction and hard to add later.
• Controls. A handheld remote is standard. Wall switches, app control, smart-home integration and wind sensors are options.

Our guide to preparing your patio for screen installation walks through the consultation and installation day.

What motorized porch screens cost

Porch screens are priced per opening. Across the market, a MagnaTrack residential screen typically costs $4,500 to $12,000 per opening installed for an opening about 12 to 16 feet wide, and a V-Track screen $2,500 to $7,000 depending on fabric. A porch with three or four openings costs roughly three or four times one opening, plus any electrical work. These are market ranges, not American Light Design's prices.

See the motorized screen cost guide for ranges by opening size and a budget estimator.

Using a screened porch through the seasons

Owners tell us the biggest surprise is how many more months they use the porch. One customer with west-facing Defender screens and 97 percent solar mesh wrote that with the screens down and heaters on, the porch stays comfortable at 25 to 30 degrees, and that a mini-split keeps it cool in summer. Another wrote that after a summer of storms, furniture that used to get damp after rain is now "barely wet." You can read their full reviews on our reviews page.

The care is light: rinse the fabric a few times a season, keep the tracks clear of leaves, and raise standard fabric screens in severe storms.

Frequently asked questions

Can motorized screens be added to an existing porch?

Yes. Most of our porch projects are retrofits. The housing mounts under the beam or header and the tracks mount to the posts. The main extra step on an existing porch is usually running power to the top of each opening.

How long does installation take?

A typical residential porch installation takes a day, sometimes two for several large openings.

Do motorized porch screens keep out no-see-ums?

Yes, with no-see-um mesh. Both systems we install offer it, and their tracks hold the fabric edge continuously so there is no gap at the sides.

Can I leave porch screens down in winter?

Many owners do. Standard screens should be raised in severe wind or heavy snow loads, while MagnaTrack Defender storm screens are certified for hurricane-grade wind.

Plan your porch screens

We design, install and service motorized porch screens within about 90 miles of our Marshall, Virginia headquarters, across Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC. Request a free quote or schedule an in-home consultation, and we will measure every opening and show you real fabric samples on your porch.