How much does a retractable porch screen cost?
A retractable porch screen costs $15 to $25 per square foot as a manual roll-up unit, or $30 to $50 per square foot motorized, per HomeGuide.
Those are material prices for the complete unit — the housing, the track and the mesh — on HomeGuide's screened-in porch guide, which lists them on the same table as bulk screen at $0.20 to $3 per square foot. The gap is the point: a retractable screen is a machine that happens to contain mesh, and the machine is what you pay for. Motorized units come with a remote control on HomeGuide's description, which is the difference between the two rows.
Source: HomeGuide
Retractable versus fixed, on one table
| Screen | Per square foot |
|---|---|
| Fiberglass mesh (bulk roll) | $0.20 – $0.35 |
| Aluminum mesh (bulk roll) | $0.45 – $0.75 |
| Solar sun-blocking mesh | $0.85 – $1.30 |
| Manual pull-down retractable screen (complete unit) | $15 – $25 |
| Motorized retractable screen (complete unit) | $30 – $50 |
Source: HomeGuide
For scale, HomeGuide prices the whole job of screening an existing porch at $10 to $25 per square foot installed, materials and labor. A manual retractable unit's material alone sits at the top of that band, and a motorized one above it. On a 10-by-10 porch opening that is roughly the difference between a few hundred dollars of fixed screening and a few thousand of retractable — before the electrician, whom HomeGuide prices at $50 to $130 per hour for new wiring to the porch.
Source: HomeGuide
A retractable screen is priced per square foot of opening, not of porch. Measure the openings you want to close, not the floor.
What the motor buys
An open porch when you want one. HomeGuide's list of what a fixed screen delivers — bugs out, debris out, some UV — is what a retractable screen delivers only when it is down, and the reason to pay for the track is the days you want it up. The motor adds the remote and the wiring; the manual unit adds a pull bar. Both are complete roll-up units on HomeGuide's table, and both are a different product from the aluminum-and-mesh panel a screen contractor installs.
Source: HomeGuide
Retractable pool enclosures are a different question
The word retractable also describes a whole enclosure that slides over a pool, and HomeGuide prices that at $20 to $200 per square foot — $3,000 to $25,000 for a manual, low plastic one and $30,000 to $150,000 for an automatic glass one. A retractable porch screen is a roll-up shade in a track; a retractable pool enclosure is a telescoping building. If a quote is in five figures, make sure it is for the product you asked about.
Source: HomeGuide
For what fixed screening of a porch costs, by size: screened-in porch cost.
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Questions people ask next
- How much does a motorized retractable screen cost installed?
- HomeGuide publishes the unit at $30 to $50 per square foot and does not publish a separate installed figure for it; the installation is the screen contractor's labor plus an electrician at $50 to $130 per hour on HomeGuide's table for the wiring. Ask for the unit, the mounting and the electrical as three lines.
- Are retractable screens worth it over fixed screens?
- They cost many times more per square foot on HomeGuide's table — $15 to $50 against under $1 for the mesh — and they buy one thing fixed screens cannot: an open porch on demand. If the porch is used screened year-round, the fixed panel is the honest buy.
- Can a retractable screen be added to a pool cage?
- A retractable screen is a track unit for an opening — a doorway, a porch bay — not a replacement for cage panels. HomeGuide prices those as fixed mesh at $25 to $65 per panel to replace. The two products solve different problems.
- How long do retractable screens last?
- HomeGuide publishes no lifespan for retractable units, and this page will not guess one. Its lifespans are for the mesh: fiberglass 10-plus years, polyester and aluminum 20-plus. The track and motor carry the manufacturer's own warranty, which is the document to ask for.
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