Replacement Windows With Retractable Screens — Clear Glass Until Open
The view is why you bought the place, and a grey screen sits in front of it eleven months a year.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Replacement windows with retractable screens keep a roll-up screen hidden in the frame until you open the window, so the glass stays clear for the view the rest of the year. On a Minnesota house they are worth it on the lake side, a picture window's flanking casements, and any window you look through more than you open. JMB Builders supplies and installs them across the Twin Cities, priced per window; send photos and we reply within one business day.
- Screen rolls into the frame when the sash is closed
- Offered mainly on casements and awnings
- Priced per window, windows supplied
A standard window screen lives in front of the glass all year, on the outside of a double hung or slider and on the inside of a casement. It dulls the view and collects dust and pollen. A retractable screen is a roll of mesh in a cassette built into the frame; it pulls across when you open the sash and rolls back out of sight when you close it. Some makers build it in at the factory; others sell it as an accessory that fits their frames.
It is mostly a casement and awning feature, because those sashes swing out and the screen sits inside, where a cassette fits cleanly in the frame. A few lines offer a retractable screen on double hungs, and gliding patio doors have had them for years. On a picture window there is no screen at all, which is the simplest way to get a clear view: a fixed center unit with retractable-screen casements on each side is the setup we install most on lake and backyard walls.
The screen is a mechanism, so it has a cost and a few habits. It should be rolled away in winter so ice and wind do not load the mesh. The mesh is finer and a little less rigid than a framed screen, so a dog that pushes on screens is a reason to keep a framed one. And a retractable screen adds cost per window, so we suggest it for the windows you look through and standard or removable screens for the bedroom and bathroom windows nobody stares out of. JMB Builders writes the screen type per window on the quote and installs the windows with the cassette side planned so the pull is reachable.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Which windows you look through most and want clear, and which you open most
- Whether there are dogs or kids who lean on screens
- Frame style and finish choices, same as any replacement
- Clear access to each window inside
What JMB supplies
- A screen plan on the quote: retractable, removable or standard, window by window
- In-home measure of each opening before anything is ordered
- The windows, in one line and color, with the screen type named per unit
- Removal and haul-away of the old windows
- Sill pan, shims, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant at every opening
- Interior stops or casing, primed; painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
- Photos of the finished windows in your job folder
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Retractable screens add cost per window over a standard framed screen
- How many windows get them: the view wall vs. the whole house
- Casement and awning frames, where the feature is offered, vs. double hungs where it is limited
- Fixed picture units in the middle of a view wall, which need no screen at all
- Insert vs. full-frame install
- Window count and second-story access
Send a photo of each window from inside with the view showing. Tell us which ones you actually open. The quote marks the screen type on every line.
How long it takes
Screens do not change install pace: three to five windows a day as inserts, fewer full-frame. Factory lead time on the windows comes first.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Retractable screens on the view wall only
Lake side or backyard casements get the hidden screen; bedrooms and bathrooms keep standard screens. The way most people buy it, and the way the cost stays reasonable.
Picture window with retractable-screen casements
A fixed center lite with no screen at all, flanked by casements that vent with the screen pulled only when open. The clearest view you can get from an operating window wall.
Removable screens as the cheaper option
Standard framed screens that lift out in a few seconds and store in the garage from October to May. No mechanism, no upcharge. Right for a house where the view matters in winter and the windows stay shut.
Casement with the screen left off
On windows you will never open, order the casement without a screen, or a fixed unit. Nothing in front of the glass, nothing to maintain, and the fixed unit seals better and costs less.
Replacement Windows With Retractable Screens — Clear Glass Until Open: questions, answered
Which window styles come with retractable screens?
Casements and awnings, mainly, because the sash swings out and the screen cassette fits inside the frame. Gliding patio doors have offered them for years. A few lines offer them on double hungs, with more limits on size. Sliders and picture windows generally do not; a picture window needs no screen at all, which is the simplest clear view.
Do retractable window screens hold up in Minnesota winters?
Yes, if they are rolled away when the windows are closed for the season, which is how they are designed to sit. The mesh stays in its cassette out of the ice and wind. A screen left pulled across through a winter will stretch and may freeze to the frame, so the habit is to open the window, pull the screen, and let it roll back when you close up.
Are retractable screens as strong as regular screens?
No. The mesh is finer and held by tension rather than a rigid frame, so a dog or a kid who pushes on screens will damage it faster. For a house with a screen-leaning dog, keep framed screens on the low windows and use retractable screens on the windows up high or on the view wall where nobody touches them.
Is a retractable screen worth the extra cost?
On a window you look through every day and open a few weeks a year, yes; the view is clear and the screen is there when you want air. On a bedroom window you open all summer and never stare out of, no; a standard screen does the job for less. We put the upcharge where the view is and leave it off the rest.
Can I just take my regular screens off in winter instead?
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to get a clear winter view. Framed screens on casements lift out from inside in seconds; on double hungs they come off from outside or by tilting the sash. Store them flat in the garage. The only cost is the twice-a-year chore and a place to keep them.
Can I add retractable screens to windows I already have?
Sometimes, with an aftermarket cassette screen that mounts to the inside of the frame on a casement. The fit is never as clean as a screen built into the window, and it depends on the frame depth. If the windows are coming out anyway, order the screen built in; if they are staying, a retrofit cassette is the option and we can look at it with you.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 10, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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