Storm + Screen Doors

Good friend and skilled carpenter Kevin Boyle built screen doors for Rosslyn’s exterior mudroom entrance and pantry entrances, and he installed them this past Sunday and Monday.

My bride had leaned on him to squeeze the installation in between two rounds of houseguests, and Kevin was gracious enough to accommodate her by working on a weekend day that I’m certain he would have preferred to spend motorcycling with his wife.

Thanks, Kevin!

Storm + Screen Doors

Kevin joined Rosslyn’s finish team back in about 2007 or 2008, and his legendary preservation and carpentry skills are evident throughout. He’s continued on-and-off ever since, tackling sensitive projects as they arrise, and he has always, always met or exceeded our exacting expectations. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate that Kevin has invested so much in rehabilitating Rosslyn.

We actually schemed up these hybrid screen+storm doors years ago, but some other project has always gotten in the way. At last they rose to the top of the punch list.

My bride and I dallied altogether too long disagreeing about the design, but we finally agreed that they should echo the design of exterior doors they would accompany. We had agreed from the get-go that the ideal design for screen doors would allow us to swap out the screen section for glass when autumn becomes chilly, and Kevin handily accommodated our wish. (It’s worth noting that he had built and installed a similar screen+storm door for our front entrance years ago, and it has performed admirably.)

Accoya: A Better Wood

I believe that Kevin fabricated our front screen door out of red cedar, but this time around he encouraged us to consider another material with which he’s been very satisfied for exterior doors called Accoya.

I have been using Accoya wood for several years for applications just like your storm / screen doors. Its stability is superior to any other species I’ve used so far. It finishes well with paints (doesn’t stain well with transparent finishes)… [and offers] good durability. ~ Kevin Boyle

The explanation above was received via email, and Kevin included a link to Accoya’s lengthy product description that includes the following highlights.

By significantly enhancing the durability and dimensional stability of abundantly available certified wood species, Accoya® wood provides compelling environmental advantages over scarce slow growing hardwoods, woods treated with toxic chemicals, and non-renewable carbon- intensive materials such as plastics, steel and concrete. In comparing Accoya® with other materials, it is necessary to take the full life cycle into account, from ‘cradle to grave’. (Source: www.accoya.com)

Accoya® wood waste can be handled in the same way as untreated wood. Accoya® wood is non-toxic and does not require any special disposal considerations. Given its long life, multiple applications and non-toxicity, Accoya® wood is suited to re-use and recycling. (Source: www.accoya.com)

It seems to check all of the most important boxes!

Kevin actually installed a third screen door, a second story access from the master bedroom to a small balcony that overlooks the barns, meadows, and Adirondack sunsets. But this was a door that we had manufactured offsite, long ago (almost a decade?!?!) when we were first renovating Rosslyn. It’s a full width, floor-to-ceiling screen door with only a slim frame around the exterior. After deciding to postpone installing it once upon a time, we opted to try it on for size. And the conclusion? Compared to Kevin’s elegant, functional storm + screen doors, the factory manufactured design falls short. But… the view and airflow are addictive! So we’ll use the current screen door for the duration of the summer, and then Kevin will build us another custom storm + screen door that he’ll [hopefully] install in the autumn. He might even squeeze in a pair of customer storm windows to flank the door.

I’ll close with an inside-out look at the mudroom’s new storm + screen door. Thank, Kevin!