Australia’s nice warm weather may mean more enjoyable outdoor dining and great sports on television, but it also means unwelcome house guests in the form of flies. Australia is home to around 30,000 species of fly, with the bush fly, house fly, blow fly and mosquito the most common.
Flies are important for Australia’s ecosystem (playing a key role in agriculture, the food chain and the pollination of flowers) but that doesn’t mean we want them in our houses. There’s nothing worse than trying to get some shut-eye to the background noise of buzzing and as flies frequent bins, decaying flesh, rotting food and manure, they can spread more than 200 known pathogens and parasites to humans.
Keep them out we say, and even better, keep them out with an Artilux flyscreen system.
How much do flyscreens cost?
Like any other product for your home, there are cheap fly screen systems and there are expensive fly screen systems. What you choose will depend on your needs and budget.
Doors & Windows
For windows, retractable fly screens start at around $450 for a small window and range up to $900 for a medium size to big window. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, fixed screens can be more budget-friendly and convenient when you want a screen locked in place. Fixed screens can also offer your home extra security and can help prevent window falls from young children.
Retractable fly screens for doors can start at around $900, and depending on the model, brand, and size of the span you are screening, can reach over the $10,000 mark.
You can get cheap alternatives, but at the risk of cheapening the value of your home and quality of the product. As a general guide, the standard price you should be looking at is $1,800 to $3,000.
For pleated insect screens, the price of a small door could start at around $1,200 and for a big opening (for example, 8 metres wide by 2.5 metres height) the average price would be around $4,800.
What’s the difference?
In a nutshell, retractable fly screens offer a super effective, stylish and discreet design that blends effortlessly into your home so that you can maximise on both views and comfort. Working the same way as a roller blind, a retractable fly screen rolls into a cassette that can be fitted either horizontally or vertically when not in use.
A pleated screen doesn’t use a cassette, but it does use plates that conveniently stack back to give the same effect of a retractable screen. We’re the first company in Australia to introduce pleated insect screens into the Australian market and they are becoming increasingly more popular due to their smooth, free-sliding design and lower price.
Your choice of fly screen, besides the practical considerations, can also come down to personal or aesthetic preferences for what best suits your home.
Cost factors to consider
There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to costing fly screen systems. Every home is different, therefore it’s important you book your free on site consultation so that we can give you an accurate quote. Things you need to consider when screening your home are things like:
Materials – There are two elements to a fly screen, the mesh and the frame. When choosing a mesh, you want a mesh that has good visibility and durability, not a mesh that obscures too much light and view. Aluminium and stainless steel both offer good visibility, durability and fire resistance. Hybrid mesh made of stainless steel coated in polypropylene is an even better option.
Bifold screens
There is widespread belief that bifold doors are too difficult to screen or that screens don’t look good with bi-folds but this simply isn’t true. We offer a great range of solutions for bifold doors not just based on the size of the opening, but on how you actually use your doors.
French screens
Screens for French doors have typically been quite clumsy looking and defeat the purpose of having “good looking” doors. We, however, have some great solutions that keep the classic look and functionality of French doors.
Stacker screens
Screens for stacker doors can be a bit of a challenge but we have designed two ways to not just work with them but compliment stacker doors. Watch the video and talk to us about which option you prefer.
The important thing to remember when getting quotes for your flyscreen system is to think about how you can live more comfortably and more securely while in your home. Quality is the key here, so don’t just choose the cheapest system available. Get a free on-site consultation and opt for unrivalled industry experience.
