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Zip screens and sliding glass
Close the sides of a pergola, loggia or veranda: zip screens for low sun, glare and privacy, sliding glass for wind and the cooler months.
Closing the sides
Screens for sun, glass for weather
A roof stops the high sun. Morning and evening sun, glare, wind and the odd mosquito come in from the side, and that is what screens and glass are for.
Zip screens
A zip screen is a roller blind whose fabric edges are held in side channels, a bit like a zip, so the fabric stays taut and in its tracks rather than flapping. It drops from a cassette at the top and can be fitted to the side of a pergola, a loggia or an opening in a wall.
Fabrics range from open mesh, which cuts glare and heat while you can still see out, to dense and blackout fabrics for privacy. Closed, they also help keep insects out.
- FabricMesh, dense or blackout
- ColoursFabric and frame colours to choose
- ControlMotorised or manual
- Sensors (options)Sun and wind
- FitsPergolas, loggias, wall openings
Sliding glass enclosures
Glass panels run on a floor track and slide past each other to stack at one side, so the space can be fully open on a still evening and closed in on a windy day. Frameless panels give the clearest view; slim-framed systems are another option.
Paired with a louvred roof, sliding glass turns a terrace into a room you can use in the cooler months, with the roof still opening above you.
- PanelsFrameless or slim-framed
- OpeningPanels stack to one side
- TrackFloor track, sized at survey
- Pairs withLouvred and retractable roofs, verandas
Mixing them
Screens on one side, glass on another
You do not have to choose one. A common arrangement is glass on the side that catches the wind and a zip screen on the side that catches the low evening sun. We look at where the sun sets and where the wind comes from at the survey.
Every screen and glass system has limits for wind. We give you the ratings and certificates for the system before you order.
Installed
Screens and glass in use
Finished projects, photographed by the manufacturer. Fabrics, colours and glass are chosen at the survey.
Questions
Common questions
Do zip screens keep out the wind?
They are much steadier in a breeze than an ordinary blind, because the fabric is held in side channels along its whole height. They are not a windbreak for a storm: every screen has a wind limit, and a wind sensor can raise them automatically. For real protection from wind, sliding glass is the better choice.
Can I see out through a zip screen?
With a mesh fabric, yes: you see out during the day while cutting glare and heat. Denser fabrics give more privacy, and blackout fabrics block the view entirely. We bring samples to the survey.
Will glass on the sides need planning permission?
Possibly. Closing in the sides of a pergola can change how the structure is viewed for planning purposes. Ask a perit before you order. Our planning guide explains the background.
Next step
Want to close in your terrace?
Tell us which sides catch the sun and the wind. Photos help.