Porch Screen Protection From Dogs.

Cmoonlitwolf
by Cmoonlitwolf
4 Materials
$10.00
1 Week
Easy
We have a big screened-in front porch that we love to sit out in with the 4 leggeds. The only problem is the dogs get excited and jump up on it whenever someone walks by, especially if they are walking their dog. Baby carriages are perceived as dangerous alien spaceships. It doesn't matter if people are walking on the sidewalk across the street. Too close! And every year we have to replace the whole mess. We have six rescues, three dogs and three cats. And the dogs are big. We put up new screen, added wire fencing over that so the cats can't hang off the screens (yes, we even bought the screen for animals), added lattice too, stapled it and added more trim wood to help secure it in. But when you got 200 + lbs of rapid thrust moving against the screen, eventually it gives out. We put a picnic table on the porch against the front screens thinking it would keep them from doing any damage. All it did was give them extra height so they could thrust thru the top of the screen instead of the bottom. So the last time we were redoing the porch screen a friend brings over a bi-fold wooden door from a closet in his house, thinking I could use it in a project. I had no place to put it for the moment so it got stored on the porch behind the picnic table on the seat, leaning against the screen. Sitting out there one day I noticed the dogs were leaning their paws on it instead of the screening, barking their heads off. And here came the idea. lol Why don't we mount the door sideways to the posts? So that's what we did. We liked it so well we went hunting the thrift stores and found enough to do the entire front porch. Some were different sizes and I added a piece of wood along the side to make the doors all uniform. They got painted before mounting. This was an old project so I only have 'after' pictures.


The Dog Lounge.
This little gate on top the picnic table was added so dogs couldn't go flying off the top of the table and possibly get hurt.
Got crazy with the bi-fold doors. But when your walking past the house and look into the porch it is beautiful from the outside. Added privacy for us also.
The doors were mounted so the louvers went in both directions. So no matter which way the wind is blowing, you get a breeze on the porch.
This worked out so good. The dogs must feel more protected because they bark less. They rest their paws on the doors and not on the screen. And they even learned how to go in 'stealth mode', peaking under the door while protecting the house from the picnic table top. This project might not work for everyone but it sure did work for us. icon
Suggested materials:
  • Wood bi-fold closet doors   (some free, some thrift store)
  • Screws   (hardware store)
  • Paint   (left over)
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