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JULY 2017 HOMES PLUS 5 18 Full-size Doors On Display, Our Installers Are Licensed & Bonded 16'x7', 25 Gauge...Non Insulated Steel $ 745 Lifetime Door Co. TRUCKLOAD SALE on Garage Doors & Door Openers Installed Tax Included $ 945 • Other Sizes Available • 2000 Garage Doors in Stock Special! - Take down and haul away old door for FREE! 16x7 SAVE $ 240 NOW Model 8365 ORDER A LIFTMASTER 1/2 HP GARAGE DOOR OPENER & GET 2 REMOTES & KEYPAD. $ 345 Installed Tax Included • Two-Sided Pre-Finished Galvanized Steel • R-10 Insulated • 5 colors to choose from 12645 W. Townsend (2 blocks N. of Burleigh, enter off 124th St. only) Free Estimate 262-783-4004 Monday - Friday 7am-5pm www.lifetimedoor.net 2 5 3 5 2 7 0 0 7 Full Year Warranty, parts and service on installed operators. FREE Internet Gateway with order Dear Jim: I like screen doors for natural ventilation, but they seem expensive, incon- venient and don't look really good. Are hideaway retractable screen doors easy to operate and durable? — Dan J. Dear Dan: Natural ventilation is obvi- ously more efficient than using fans or air- conditioning. Just a gentle breeze can make it feel like the air temperature is several degrees cooler than it actually is. Other than days with smog alerts, fresh outdoor air is typically less polluted than indoor air in an efficient house. Before deciding against a screen door, check out some newer designs. There are some very attractive screen/storm doors, often more attractive than many primary doors. Some wrought iron ones also provide considerable security. By installing a good- quality screen/storm door, your wintertime utility bills also will be lower. A retractable screen is probably your best alternative choice to a screen door. Ten years ago, I installed a Dreamscreen retractable screen on my double front doors and it still works well. When it is retracted, guests do not even realize I have one. The only maintenance is spraying a little sili- cone lubricant in the tracks each spring. A 2-inch square cassette, the height of the door, is mounted vertically on one side of the frame. It is spring-loaded to automati- cally roll up the screen inside of the cas- sette. A same-length mating steel strip is installed on the other side of the door frame. Narrow horizontal aluminum tracks are installed across the top and bottom to support the closed screen and to seal out insects. To close the screen over the door opening, slide the edge of the cassette side across to unroll the screen. Pull it over to the mating strip. A magnetic edge on the screen edge holds tightly to the mating steel strip on the other side. An adjustable spring inside the cassette holds the screen taut for a crisp appearance. My screen has bulged out only a couple of times in very strong winds. It snaps back into the track when it is opened again. The same basic spring-loaded design, but shorter, is available for windows. The cas- sette is also smaller because it has to hold less screening. Very large motorized retractable screens are available for bal- conies that can cover the entire opening. Another less expensive screening option for front or back doors is a removable hang- ing Bug Off Screen. It takes only a minute or two to put up and take down. Two sec- tions of screening hang from an expandable rod (similar to a shower curtain rod). They stick together in the center with small mag- nets and to the door frame sides with adhe- sive-backed hook-and-loop strips. It is easy to walk through and seals out bugs fairly well. The following companies offer retractable screens: Bug Off Screen, 888-342-5270, www.bugoffscreen.com; Dreamscreens, 888- 757-0929, www.dreamscreens.com; Mirage Screen Systems, 855-488-7655, www.mirage- screensystems.com; ODL, 800-253-3900, www.odl.com; and Phantom Screens, 888- 742-6866, www.phantomscreens.com. Dear Jim: I have thought about installing foil in my attic as you recommended to keep my house cooler during summer. It should lower my cooling bills, but won't it increase my heating bills during winter? — Annie H. Dear Annie: Stapling foil under your roof rafters will have little or no negative effect during winter. The amount of heat radiated down from the roof to the ceiling below is negligible during winter. Radiant heat transfer from a hot object, such as a roof in the summer sun, is dependent upon its temperature. It can be significant during summer. During winter, the roof temperature is not hot enough to transfer much heat downward anyway. (Send inquiries to James Dulley, The Free- man, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.) Retractable screen is alternative to screen door James Dulley A retractable screen door goes over the opening half of a sliding glass patio door. The screen uses magnetic latches to keep it in the closed position and retracts into a small roll on the side of the door when open. Dreamscreens A retractable screen covers just the moveable side of a sliding glass door. The matching screen door frame is barely noticeable. JAMES DULLEY

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