Along Kurrajong Track and Commelina Drive in Menangle Park, most of the houses are recent estate builds: face brick or render, open plan living at the back and a wide glass sliding door onto the alfresco. Those doors usually arrive with a light flyscreen panel at most, and the question of when to add proper security screens tends to come up in the first year or two. This guide covers the timing, which doors to screen first and how it plays out in homes of this age.
Key takeaways
- Screens fitted at handover avoid drilling around new blinds, decking and render later on.
- The rear sliding door and the front entry are the two openings most Menangle Park homeowners screen first.
- Bureau of Meteorology records show western Sydney summer days running hotter than the coast, so a door that can stay open safely matters more here.
- Screens added to an existing door in a finished home generally do not need council approval, but a house still under construction sits with the builder’s certifier.
- Made to measure frames suit estate homes, where openings are often a few millimetres off plan.
Is it better to fit screens at handover or after you move in?
If the builder’s doors are final and the keys are in your hand, handover is the easiest time. The house is empty and there are no blinds, curtains or alfresco furniture to work around.
The case for waiting a few months is that you learn how the house breathes: which door you open first on a warm evening and whether the laundry door gets used at all. Either approach works; what rarely works well is leaving it for years and then retrofitting around a deck built hard up against the door sill.
Newage measures each opening on site and makes the security screen doors in its Smeaton Grange workshop, so the lead time is the same whether the house is brand new or ten years old.
Which doors in a new estate home should be screened first?
Start with the door you want open the most and the door that faces the street. For many homes in this part of Menangle Park that means the alfresco sliding door first and the front hinged door second.
The alfresco door moves air through the living area and is the one most likely to be left open while someone is in the yard. A screened front door does a different job: it opens the house front to back for a cross breeze while you can still see who is on the step. The earlier post on cross ventilating a new estate home in Menangle Park covers why that front to back path matters so much in this layout.
Newage measures every door on site and builds security screen doors in its Smeaton Grange workshop. Call 0408 585 846 for a free on site measure and written quote.
How do Menangle Park summers change the timing?
They move it earlier. In the hot months an unscreened door is either shut and the room stuffy, or open and the house unprotected, and most homeowners decide they want neither by the second heatwave.
Many homes in this part of Menangle Park sit on open estate blocks near Lake Yandelora Reserve and Kurrajong Reserve, both about 1.8 km from this corner of the suburb, with little mature tree cover yet. That means plenty of afternoon sun on west and north facing glass, and a real benefit from being able to leave a door open once the evening cools. Mesh security screen doors let that air through while the door stays closed to anything else.
The other local factor is wind and dust off open ground, which homeowners near Caley Drive and Fitzpatrick Street tend to mention after their first spring. A fine mesh keeps the worst of it out of the living area.
A measure booked in late winter or early spring means the screens are in before the heat arrives rather than during it.
Does adding security screens need council approval in Menangle Park?
In most cases no. Fitting a security screen to an existing door or window in a finished home is generally treated as minor work in NSW and does not need a development application, as long as it does not change the structure, the opening size or any fire related element.
There are a few situations where it is worth checking. If the house is still under construction, the builder’s private certifier controls what goes on the home before the occupation certificate is issued, and screens may need to wait until after that point or be approved through the builder. If the property is in a mapped bushfire area, there can be requirements about the material and mesh used on external openings. If you are replacing the whole door and frame rather than adding a screen, the general NSW rules for window and door replacement apply: like for like swaps are usually exempt, changes to the opening size may not be.
Newage advises on this as part of the quote and can tell you early whether a job is a simple fit or one that needs a certifier involved. You can read more about the team on the About Newage page.
What happens on the day a screen door is fitted?
A screen fit is a short job per door, and a full set on a typical estate home is usually done in one visit.
- Site measure A Newage installer measures each opening, checks the track and sill, and confirms which way each door opens and locks.
- Written quote You receive a written quote listing each door, the screen type and the colour, with no obligation.
- Workshop build The frames are cut and assembled to the measured sizes in the Smeaton Grange workshop.
- Fitting On the day, each screen is hung, aligned and fitted with its lock, then tested on the existing door.
- Handover The installer shows you the lock and how to keep the mesh clean, and leaves the area tidy.
A Newage installer can look at your Menangle Park home, point out the openings that matter most in summer and quote each door separately so you can stage the work.
Which screen type suits which door?
For a glass sliding door onto an alfresco, stainless steel mesh is the usual choice because it keeps the view and lets the most air through. For a street facing front door, some homeowners prefer a heavier grille for the look alone.
| Screen type | Suits | Outlook and airflow | Worth noting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel mesh | Rear sliding doors, alfresco doors, large openings | Clear view, high airflow | Rinse regularly on open or dusty blocks |
| Perforated aluminium sheet | Front doors, side doors where privacy is wanted | Partial view, good airflow | Lighter than mesh, no welding at the mesh edge |
| Diamond grille | Laundry and garage access doors | Open pattern, high airflow | Traditional look, suits older homes more than new estates |
Whichever type you choose, the frame is powder coated to match or contrast with the door, and a colour match tends to disappear visually, which is what most people want on a glass door.
What should you check before booking a measure?
Three things: whether the builder’s maintenance period is still running, whether anything is planned near the doors, and which doors you really use.
If the builder is still due back for maintenance, let that happen first so the screen is fitted to the door’s final position. If a deck or pergola is on the cards, mention it at the measure so the sill clearance allows for it. If you are unsure which doors to include, start with the two that matter; the made to measure security screen doors from Newage are quoted per opening, so there is no need to do everything at once.
Most estate homes in this area have aluminium sliding doors at the rear and a hinged door at the front, and the screen is built to suit each.
What homeowners near Kurrajong Track usually run into
The first thing installers tend to see on homes of this age is a sliding door that has had no proper screen since handover, only a flyscreen panel never designed to lock. The frame is usually in good condition because the house is young, but the opening is rarely exactly the size on the plan.
The second is the sill detail. Many homes in this part of Menangle Park have the alfresco tiled level with the door track, or close to it, so the screen has to clear the tile and still seal at the bottom. It is easy to get wrong if the screen is ordered before anyone has looked at the sill.
The third is orientation. Blocks here are laid out on a new grid rather than around old trees, so a fair number of living areas face west across open ground towards the reserves. Those owners are usually the most motivated to open up safely in the evening, and keeping the outlook through a mesh screen is the point most of them make at the measure.
Finally, matching. With new render and new frames, a screen in the wrong colour stands out, so most people settle on a match to the door frame so the screen reads as part of the door rather than an addition.
Planning new security screens in Menangle Park?
The Newage workshop at Unit 2/16 Blackmore Rd, Smeaton Grange is about 5 km from this part of Menangle Park, so the measure, build and fit are handled by the same local team. Newage has made screens, windows and doors to measure since 2009, with 2,500+ projects completed and 4.7 stars on Google, and covers Menangle Park as part of the Macarthur service area.
If your estate home is still waiting on its first set of security screen doors, or you want to add the front door to a rear screen fitted at handover, call 0408 585 846 for a free on site measure and a written quote. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.
The Smeaton Grange workshop is about 5 km away. Phone 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm, for a written quote on security screen doors with no obligation.
Every screen is made in the Smeaton Grange workshop and installed by the Newage team, backed by its workmanship warranty.
FAQ
When is the right time to add security screens to a new build?
The easiest time is at handover, while the house is empty and before blinds, furniture and alfresco additions get in the way. If the builder still has a maintenance visit due on the doors, waiting until that is done means the screen is fitted to the door's final position.
Which doors in a Menangle Park estate home should be screened first?
For most homes in Menangle Park the rear alfresco sliding door comes first, because it is the one left open on warm evenings, followed by the front hinged door so the house can be opened front to back. Laundry, garage and side doors can be added later as separate quotes.
Do security screens need council approval in NSW?
Generally no. Adding a screen to an existing door or window in a finished home is usually treated as minor work and does not need a development application. Homes still under construction, mapped bushfire areas and full door replacements can be different, and Newage advises on this at the measure.
Can a security screen be fitted to a door that sits flush with a tiled alfresco?
Yes, but it has to be measured on site rather than ordered from the door's nominal size. The installer sets the screen frame to clear the tile line while still sealing at the bottom, which is one of the main reasons made to measure screens suit new estate homes better than stock sizes.
How long does it take to fit a full set of screens?
Each door is a short job, and a typical estate home with one sliding door and one or two hinged doors is usually completed in a single visit. After the site measure and written quote, the frames are built in the Smeaton Grange workshop and fitted by the Newage team.
