Turn off Camden Valley Way towards Blackmore Road and the Smeaton Grange you see first is sheds and workshops, but behind them around Bluett Drive and Acacia Court sits a pocket of brick veneer family homes, most built from the 1990s through the 2000s. Nearly all have an aluminium sliding door onto a patio or alfresco, and many of those doors still run with a flimsy flyscreen or none at all. The question we hear most from this part of Smeaton Grange is simple: can a proper security screen go onto the sliding door that is already there?
Key takeaways
- Most existing aluminium sliding doors from the 1990s and 2000s can take a new made to measure sliding screen without changing the glass door.
- The frame needs to be square and sound; installers check this at the measure, not on install day.
- The Bureau of Meteorology records summer days in western Sydney that run noticeably hotter than the coast, which is why a screened door you can leave open matters so much out here.
- Hinged doors and double hung openings have their own screen styles, so one house often needs two or three different screen types.
- Newage measures, makes and installs every screen from its Smeaton Grange workshop, so the fit is to your door, not a stock size.
Does an existing sliding door need to be replaced before a screen can go on?
No. A security screen door is a separate product that sits on the outer track of your existing door frame, so the glass sliding door stays exactly where it is. What matters is the condition and squareness of the frame it will be fixed to.
Most project home sliding doors from the 1990s and 2000s were supplied with a flyscreen track on the outer face of the frame, and a made to measure screen uses that same position. The old flyscreen comes off, and the new screen door runs on its own rollers with a three point lock engaging a strike plate on the jamb.
The frame does need to be straight. In a house of this age it can have moved a few millimetres with the slab or brickwork, so Newage measures the opening at the top, middle and bottom and adjusts on site so the door runs true.
Which screen style suits each door type in a project home?
A sliding door takes a sliding screen, a hinged door takes a hinged screen, and the two should not be swapped. Most homes in this part of Smeaton Grange end up with a sliding screen on the alfresco door and a hinged screen at the front entry.
| Existing door | Screen that suits | What the installer checks | Airflow when open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium sliding door to alfresco | Sliding security screen on outer track | Track depth, head clearance, squareness of jambs | Full width of the opening panel |
| Hinged front entry door | Hinged security screen door, outward opening | Reveal depth, hinge side, threshold and step height | Full door width |
| Stacking or wide sliding door | Sliding screen panels matched to each moving panel | Number of panels, meeting stiles, track condition | Each opening panel screened |
| Laundry or side hinged door | Compact hinged screen, often with a closer | Clearance to adjacent walls or hot water unit | Full door width |
If you are not sure which door you have, the classic sliding doors and hinged doors pages show the frame types most Macarthur homes were built with.
Newage measures existing doors across Smeaton Grange and tells you plainly what will fit. Book a free on site measure and written quote on 0408 585 846.
Why do many homes in this part of Smeaton Grange struggle with airflow in summer?
Because the alfresco door is often the only large opening on the shaded side of the house, and without a secure screen it stays shut. Many homes in this part of Smeaton Grange were set out with the living area and patio facing the back yard, and the bedroom windows facing the street, so the sliding door does most of the work when it comes to moving air through the house.
Western Sydney summers hold the heat into the evening. If you cannot leave the big door open after dark, the house never gets the chance to dump that heat. A mesh screen with a proper lock changes that habit, and it is the most common reason people around Bluett Drive and Turner Road ask about security screen doors made in Smeaton Grange rather than another flyscreen.
The mesh matters for airflow too. Woven stainless mesh lets through more air than perforated sheet and does not block the view the way a grille does; the earlier article on how to choose a security door for your home covers the options.
Which doors in a 1990s or 2000s project home usually get screened first?
The alfresco sliding door first, the front entry second, then the laundry or side door. That order follows how often each door is actually opened, and it is how many Macarthur homeowners stage the job if they are not doing the whole house at once.
Many homes in this part of Smeaton Grange have a hinged front door with a sidelight panel. A hinged security screen in front of it lets you open the timber door for a breeze through to the back and still see who is on the step. Laundry doors are small, quick installs and worth adding to the same visit so the whole house can breathe.
Does adding a security screen need council approval in NSW?
In almost all cases, no. Adding a screen door to an existing opening in a freestanding house is generally treated as minor work in NSW because it does not change the structure, the opening size or the external appearance in any significant way.
The picture changes if the screen is part of a wider job. Enlarging an opening, moving a door, altering a load bearing wall, or working on a heritage listed or strata title home can bring council or a private certifier into it. Like for like replacement windows and doors are usually exempt, but each site is different.
Newage advises on this at the measure. If your plans go beyond a screen on an existing door, the team will tell you plainly whether sign off is likely to be needed before anything is ordered, so there are no surprises mid job. You can read more about how the business works on the About Newage page, and the installer will answer the approval question for your specific home at the measure.
Every screen is made to measure in the Blackmore Road workshop and installed by the Newage team. Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm.
How is a made to measure screen fitted to an existing door?
The job runs in five steps and most of the care goes into the first two.
- Site measure A Newage installer measures the opening at three heights and widths, checks the track and jambs, and confirms the lock side and frame colour.
- Written quote You receive a written quote listing each door, the mesh type, the frame colour and the lock, with no obligation.
- Manufacture The screen is cut, tensioned and assembled in the Smeaton Grange workshop on Blackmore Road to the exact sizes taken.
- Install The old flyscreen comes off, the new screen is hung, the strike and lock are fitted and the door is adjusted until it runs and latches cleanly.
- Handover The installer shows you the lock, the roller adjustment and how to clean the mesh, and leaves the keys and workmanship warranty paperwork.
Can you match the frame colour to a 20 year old door?
Usually yes, or close enough that nobody notices. Where the existing frame has faded in the western sun, common on west facing alfresco doors around Smeaton Grange, the installer brings colour samples to the measure so you can choose between the original shade and a deliberate contrast.
What homeowners near Blackmore Road usually run into
The most common thing installers find in homes of this age is a frame that has drifted out of square. Brick veneer houses move a little with wet and dry seasons, and a frame that was plumb when the house was built might now be a few millimetres wider at the top than the bottom. It makes no difference to the glass door, but it is exactly why a screen cannot be bought off the shelf and expected to seal.
The second is a worn outer track. Years of a cheap flyscreen dragging across it can leave the track pitted or bent at the ends. In most cases the new screen’s rollers still run on it fine, and where they will not the installer says so at the measure, not after the screen is made.
The third is clearance. Alfresco slabs poured later, outdoor kitchens, downpipes and hot water units all end up close to doors that were once clear. A sliding screen needs the full track to open and a hinged screen needs room to swing, so the installer looks at what is outside the door as carefully as the door itself.
Last, there is the lock. Older screens often had a single latch. A three point lock throws bolts at the top, middle and bottom of the stile, and the jamb needs to be solid enough to hold them; where it is not, the installer may add a reinforcing strip.
Planning a new security screen in Smeaton Grange?
If your home is anywhere in Smeaton Grange, the Newage workshop at Unit 2/16 Blackmore Rd is about 0 km away, in the same suburb as your home, which means the installer who measures your door is likely to be the same person who makes it. Newage has been making made to measure security screen doors and aluminium windows and doors in its own workshop since 2009, with more than 2,500 projects completed and a 4.7 star rating on Google.
The team also looks after neighbouring suburbs; see the Narellan service page for homes on the other side of Camden Valley Way, and the Macarthur service area for the wider region. Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm, to book a free on site measure and written quote for security screen doors on your existing openings.
Get a free measure and written quote for security screen doors on your existing openings in Smeaton Grange. Call Newage on 0408 585 846.
FAQ
Can a security screen door be fitted to an existing sliding door?
A security screen door can almost always be made to measure for an existing aluminium sliding door, because it runs on its own outer track and the glass door stays put. Installers measure at several heights because frames in older homes often sit a few millimetres out of square, and the screen is built and adjusted to suit.
Which mesh lets the most air through?
Woven stainless mesh in a tensioned frame lets through the most air and keeps the view clear, which suits the alfresco door you want open on hot evenings. Perforated aluminium sheet gives more privacy from the street side. Both are made in the same frame colours so a house can mix the two.
Do I need council approval to add a screen door in Smeaton Grange?
In most Smeaton Grange homes, no. Fitting a screen door to an existing opening is generally treated as minor work in NSW because it does not alter the structure or the opening. Enlarging an opening, moving a door or working on heritage or strata property can change that, and Newage advises at the measure.
How long does the install take?
Most single screen doors are installed in around one to two hours once the screen has been made. Manufacture happens in the Smeaton Grange workshop after the site measure and written quote, and the installer fits the lock, adjusts the rollers and hands over the keys and warranty paperwork on the same visit.
Can the screen frame match my old door colour?
Usually yes, or close enough that it is hard to spot. Screens are made in a wide range of powder coat colours that cover the standard shades used on 1990s and 2000s project home doors. Where the old frame has faded, the installer brings samples so you can choose between the original shade and a contrast.
