The one screen built for the Cape Doctor

Why an ordinary drop screen fails on this beach

A loose drop screen or an ungoverned outdoor blind flaps and works its way out of its guides the first time the south-easter gets under it — which, on an exposed Bloubergstrand patio, is most weeks between October and March. A zip screen welds the fabric edge into a zipper that runs captive inside an aluminium channel on both sides, so it holds real tension in wind that would defeat a standard screen within a season.

What it actually gives the patio or braai room

Closed, a sunscreen-mesh zip screen cuts wind, glare and UV while keeping the view through the weave — turning an exposed patio or braai room into something usable on a gusty afternoon rather than an abandoned corner of the garden. A clear PVC panel option seals the same opening against wind and rain for a cold, blustery evening rather than a hot one.

Sand as much as wind

Behind the beachfront strip, the Blaauwberg dune belt means the wind carries fine sand along with the salt — a factor that matters more for a zip screen's channel and motor than for almost any other product on this site. We spec sealed, colour-matched channels and motorised operation with wind-sensor retract on wide spans as standard, and we say plainly that even a well-sealed channel benefits from an occasional clean this close to the dunes.

What a zip screen costs

A screen is quoted by the square metre of opening it closes, fitted. A crank-operated screen falls between R2,800 and R4,500 the square metre; motorised, with the wind sensor that this coast really does need, R4,000 to R6,000. Mesh choice, the track detail and the height of the drop all move a screen within its band.

Under about a square metre a screen is billed at a minimum instead of an area: two side channels, a top box and a morning of setting out, whatever the span between the columns. Treat both bands as planning figures — the real numbers per opening follow the free measure and come to you in writing.