A Phantom Screen

I canceled a bunch of meetings yesterday morning and went out to the house - it was a perfect day to go if I needed reassurance about things (which I didn't need).

The driver to go to the house was that the guys were scheduled to install the screen that goes on the outside of the big folding doors (see Feb 24 post). The house design is such that when the big door opens, you would have a wide open pass-through. In the woods of New England, having something to keep the bugs out, the cats in, and maybe even the coyotes, bear, and neighborhood cats out seemed like a good idea. The solution: Phantom Screen's Executive Screen, which is a retractable powered screen that is mounted into an overhang outside the folding door and comes down on tracks along each wall edge. We had seen this at a "This Old House" tour a few years ago and thought it was pretty cool back then.

To hold/hide the screen, Steve and his guys engineered the housing that the screen retracts into. It's quite a set up, and it gives us an access panel for when the screen or its motor requires any maintenance. Without this, it would have meant minor de-construction. This may also be handy for the pest guy to check and treat for bees, wasps, and whatever else tries to take up residence. Below is a shot looking up and across the length of the housing. (For some reason the photo keeps reverting to un-rotated, so it's a little awkward.)















Here's the roller during installation...














...everyone breathed easier when it really fit. Apparently there was some question about how it would do. It's really a lot like a big window shade, but the screen slides in to a slot at the top. Here are some of the guys pulling the screen into place on the roller. I wasn't able to stay for the whole deal, so I'm looking forward to getting back on Saturday to see it in the finished state. A few of the Empyrean guys came over to check it out - they're going to see about actually pre-fabbing the housing, rather than having the builder make it on site.















The rest of the house was busy. The tile guys were working on the surround for the fireplace, and the flooring guys were installing more of the bamboo; the hardwood was due to be delivered, and will need to sit a few days to acclimate before install. On the outside, the painters were busy getting the stain on the clapboards.














We ordered the granite for the kitchen counter. After a certain amount of dithering, we finally settled on a fairly standard granite...we had this whole great plan of distressed granite for more of a raw, rough look, but we decided against it because of the maintenance requirement. We also decided firmly against a piece that, while beautiful, would have required a 3 hour+ drive to confirm it was okay. All the counter tops should be done and delivered/installed Tuesday of next week, which will be pretty cool. With that in, the appliances can go in, and the wrap-up will begin.

After the visit to the house, I was giddy...not a normal state for me, but everything sure is looking good. Can't wait for move-in day.