Motorized Exterior Insect Screens
Your home, extended outdoors.
Texts every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Free consultation and quote · Text us
What it changes
The benefits
A motorized insect screen comes down to close off the sides and bottom of the deck, then rolls back up into its cassette. It uses a zip system with a Somfy motor and an insect screen fabric. It keeps the air and the view while greatly reducing the insects getting in. For covered patios, balconies, verandas, outdoor kitchens and garage doors.
Zero bugs, but fresh air
Unlike a glassed-in veranda, the screen lets the breeze through. You eat outside, you hear the lake, and nobody gets bitten.
It disappears when you don't need it
In the morning, one button, and the screen is in its cassette. No permanent frame, no slamming screen door: a clear view of the yard.
You see right through it
Insect screen mesh is almost invisible from inside. The deck stays open to the garden.
Made for large openings
Up to 20 ft wide and 17 ft high depending on the system: a whole side of a gazebo, a double garage door, a patio wall.
It stands up to wind
The fabric is held along its full height, and an insect screen mesh, being more open, lets wind through better than a tight solar fabric. In high wind, you still raise it. See below.
A little shade too
A 40 or 50% mesh cuts some of the sun. If shade and heat control are what you want first, a solar fabric is what you need — same system, and we'll guide you.
How it works
The same zip system, a different fabric
- A “zip” welded to each edgeBoth edges of the fabric carry a bead welded by electrical impulse that engages in an aluminum track. That's what closes the gap at the sides: no slit, no floating edge.
- An insect screen fabric, not a solar fabricTwo meshes: the standard screen, at 50% openness, which lets air and the view through; and the fine 40% mesh, for no-see-ums and the small insects found near the water.
- A 5 in cassetteThe fabric rolls up into an aluminum cassette mounted above the opening. We recommend the 5 in cassette for tall heights. We also have a 3¾ in cassette for smaller openings or windows.
- A Somfy motor that seals at the bottomThe Maestria sets its limits to the millimetre: the bottom bar comes down exactly where it should to close the gap at ground level. Obstacle detection: a forgotten chair, and the screen stops and goes back up.
Our work on video
In motion
Gallery
Recent installations
Specifications
The numbers
- System
- Zip Track — same cassette, side tracks and motor as our exterior solar shades
- Insect screen fabric
- 50% openness (standard) or 40% (small insects)several colours; solar fabric possible in the same system
- Typical size
- 19 ft wide × 10 ft highone side of a gazebo, a double garage door
- Maximum width
- Up to 20 ft (6.1 m)depending on the system, fabric and height
All specifications
- Maximum height
- Up to 17 ft (5.2 m)
- Maximum area
- Up to 268 sq. ft (24.9 m²)depending on the system
- Cassette
- 5 in (125 mm) — our standard3¾ in (95 mm) cassette for smaller openings or windows
- Side tracks
- Aluminum, zip system, 25 to 37 mm face44 mm bottom bar
- Hardware colours
- White, beige, anodized silver, black, black-brown, brownover 1,800 custom colours depending on the system
- Mounting
- Face mount, recessed or between posts
- Options
- Obstacle detection, insect brush, wind sensor
- Motor
- Somfy Maestria 50 RTS, 120 V1 to 2.1 amps depending on torque; built to operate from −20°C to +70°C; protected against rain and dust (IP 44)
- Power
- Outdoor 120 V outlet near the cassette, or hardwiredseveral motors on one 15-amp circuit
What about wind?
Held along its full height, the screen moves less than a shade guided only at the top and bottom. Its mesh lets more air through than a tight solar fabric. On an open patio, you raise it when the wind picks up; a Somfy sensor can raise it automatically.
Where it goes
Applications
Gazebos and covered patios
Close one, two or three sides of a gazebo: dinner outside without a citronella candle.
Balconies and outdoor kitchens
An outdoor kitchen without flies, an upper-floor balcony you finally use in the evening.
Verandas and sunrooms
The veranda open all summer, air circulating, and nothing getting in.
Patio doors
The patio door open all summer, without the back-and-forth of the screen door.
Garage doors
Door open, air circulating, and nothing getting in — not insects, not a mouse. Very popular with people who keep a collector or luxury car in the garage. A double door is our typical size.
Commercial
Restaurant terraces, daycares, condo buildings: several screens on the same order.
Certified Somfy Expert
Somfy Maestria motorization
The Maestria 50 RTS is the motor Somfy designed for exterior shades with side tracks — insect screens included. Its precise limits make all the difference: the bar comes down exactly where it should to close the gap. It is the only motor we use on our motorized screens, no exceptions: the Maestria+ 50 on 120 V.
Compare the 4 Maestria+ 50 motors
Warranty. The system is covered by a 5-year warranty from Le Gars des Stores: cassette, tracks, insect screen fabric and installation. The Somfy motor is also covered for 5 years; some parts may also carry an additional manufacturer's warranty. Accidental damage, ice damage and use contrary to the instructions aren't covered.
Our warranties are in addition to the warranties provided by law.
- Limits set to the millimetre: the screen really seals at the bottom
- Obstacle detection going down and going up
- Somfy RTS remote (1 or 5 channels), or TaHoma for the app, schedules, Alexa, Google and Apple — the screen comes down on its own at 7 p.m.
- Manual version available: with an 8 ft crank, for those who prefer no electronics at all
- Optional Eolis wind sensor: automatic raising
- Built to operate from −20°C to +70°C, and protected against rain and dust (IP 44 rating)
- 120 V installation by our installers; certified Somfy Expert
Frequently asked questions
We answer
40% or 50% openness?
50% is the standard screen: it stops mosquitoes and flies, and lets through the most air and light. 40%, with a finer mesh, also stops no-see-ums and the small insects found near the water — we recommend it near a lake or a wooded area.
How is it different from a regular insect screen?
A regular screen is a fixed frame or a sliding door: it's there all the time, it blocks part of the view, and it can't cover a 19-foot side of a gazebo. The motorized one disappears into its cassette, covers very large openings, and is controlled with a button or the app.
Does it provide shade?
A little: a 40 or 50% mesh cuts some of the sun. But if your first need is shade and heat control, choose a solar fabric instead — it's the same system, with a tighter fabric. We install both, and we'll tell you which one suits your deck.
Does it really keep mice out of the garage?
The screen seals at the sides thanks to the zip, and at the bottom thanks to the bottom bar that comes down to the floor. No more open gap: that's exactly what our clients are looking for when they air out a garage where a collector car sleeps.
What about rain?
Insect screen mesh lets water through. It cuts the spray on a covered deck, but it isn't a shelter. To cut wind and rain, we're talking about a solar fabric or a clear vinyl, in the same system.
What about winter?
You raise it into its cassette for the winter. Neither the fabric nor the aluminum minds the cold, but we never lower a screen when there's ice in the tracks.
How do I close the strip of light at the sides?
We add side tracks: rails on each side of the shade, like on a roller shutter, that trap the edges. It's an extra option, mostly requested for a home theatre or a night-shift worker's bedroom.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the width and height, the number of sides to enclose and the installation. Text us a photo of your gazebo or patio with approximate measurements (width × height, in inches) at (514) 967-3629 and we'll quickly give you a first idea; the firm price comes after the measurements are verified.
Where do you install?
The West Island and Montreal, Vaudreuil-Dorion, the South Shore, the North Shore, western Laval, and the Eastern Townships with our local team, waterfront gazebos included. Elsewhere, depending on the project.
Free consultation and quote
A gazebo, a patio, a garage to close off from the bugs?
Free in-home consultation and quote, installation included.
Text us a photo of your windows · Texts every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Free consultation and quote
Somfy®, TaHoma® and RTS® are registered trademarks of Somfy SAS. Reg. TM of Somfy SAS. Le Gars des Stores is an authorized dealer and a certified Somfy Expert.
