Sliding doors are a great addition to any home. Unlike regular doors, they act as a giant window for you to introduce sunlight and scenery through but still allow you access like a regular door. Sliding doors are so commonly used to let in fresh air that they are commonly paired with a screen door as well.
Having a screen door on the inside of your sliding glass door is the preferred option for many, but not everyone is a fan. In case you’re thinking about installing a sliding glass door with a screen on the inside in your home, let’s take a look at sliding glass doors and what the benefits and drawbacks might be to this common household remodeling project.
When is it a good idea to have a Sliding Glass Door With Screen on the inside?
There are many reasons why a person might install a sliding glass door with a screen on the inside. For starters, if you feel like a particular area of your home needs more natural light, that’s a good spot to put a sliding glass door. Also, if one side of your home has a particularly great view, you might want a nice big sliding glass door to help accentuate it.
If you have a yard directly adjacent to your home but no direct access to it, a sliding glass door is an excellent way to make it more accessible. Also, if you have a lot of heavy furniture in your home, a sliding glass door is often the best exit and entry point for these items.
A pet that goes in and out of the home can also be accommodated much better by installing a sliding glass door for them to go in and out. Doggy doors can be problematic in a variety of ways, and especially if you have a dog that likes to run free and come back on its own time, it’s nice to be able to see him or her show up immediately so you can let them in before they wander away again.
When is it a bad idea to have a Sliding Glass Door With Screen on the inside?
While sliding glass doors are incredibly useful and beneficial to some, not every home is suited for one. If you have small children, for instance, the screen door can be an issue. Kids tend to poke holes in and generally damage screens of all shapes and sizes, so you might want to avoid it if you have one or more rambunctious children frequenting the area.
Pets are another hazard for screen doors. They tend to forget about the screen when they see animals outside or hear their name called. Many a screen door has been ruined by a dog running right through it. Not just dogs, but cats as well as anything with claws can end up tearing holes in your screen if you aren’t careful.
Also, if the area you are thinking about putting the sliding glass door in is higher than ground-level, it might be a good idea to avoid it. This can be a safety hazard for obvious reasons and should be avoided whenever possible. The only exception would be if you were to put up an impassable set of bars or a gate in front of your sliding glass door. If you enjoy your privacy, a sliding glass door can be somewhat of a hindrance to that as well.
Also, if you live in an unsafe neighborhood, skip the sliding glass door. Unless you’ve got a serious security system set up, sliding glass doors on the ground level are a burglar’s best friend.
One last reason to avoid installing a sliding glass door with a screen on the inside would be if you live in an area that gets extremely hot or extremely cold. Not only is a sliding glass door very hard to insulate it can break down very quickly in extreme temperatures.
How to Know if a Sliding Glass Door is for You
Sliding glass doors offer a ton of value and a variety of benefits that are enticing to many homeowners. From letting in natural light to providing an easier way to move furniture and making for easier access to your yard, there’s no doubt that sliding glass doors with a screen on the inside have a lot to offer.
However, they can be dangerous and unwise to install in certain situations as well. Kids and pets are not friendly to screens in general. The choice to install a sliding glass door with a screen on the inside is ultimately yours to make. Hopefully, after reading this article you’ll feel more equipped to make a final decision for your home.
