My prior home had an Anderson slider and the screen was on outside..In my new home, i had a Pella Designer Series slider installed, and the screen is on inside..The inside screen has the advantage of no rattling of screen in heavy winds, and no accumulation of snow between an outside screen and the slider...

Sliders normally have the screen on the outside. I just recently got rid of a Pella that was only 10 years old. I hated the screen on the inside. If you had the door open and wanted to close or adjust it, you had to open the screen and bugs could fly in. It was particularly bad in the evening with moths and beetles clinging to the screen.

I had screen doors on the outside of sliding glass doors, but screens were fitted on the inside of casement windows, since those opened out. Both worked like a dream, and I never gave it any thought until I read your post. I have to agree with Mona that (at least in Florida), bugs coming inside would be a problem.

We were shocked when we saw the screen doors on the inside in our previous house, which we had built. When we complained about the "mistake" we were told that the manufacturer also sells in northern Australia which gets cyclones and the screen door is required to be on the inside up there so that's how they build them for the entire country. We hated it and when we built this house we made sure it didn't happen again. If you live in an area that gets hurricanes or snow, the benefits of having the screen inside may outweigh the disadvantages. Otherwise I agree with Mona.

In the several homes in Chicago that I've lived in, the screen was always on the inside. It never occurred to me until I read this thread that it could even be placed on the outside, and I've never seen it that way. It must be a regional/climate thing, because a screen on the outside here would be impractical, with snow building up, and the wind rattling it, as Qdognj said. I've never had a problem in the summer with bugs coming in--occasionally a fly will come in, but they'll do that anyway via the front door, garage, etc.

I live in Southern California and just moved into a place with four sliding glass doors. All of the screens are on the inside. We get a strong breeze off the ocean so maybe for rattling...but it is still weird to me. I guess I can live with it now that I know it is semi-normal but it is kind of like having your shoes on the wrong feet.

I just had new patio doors installed in my rental apartment, and was upset because the screen is now on the inside of the glass doors, and it just seemed so WRONG to me! Now I am comforted by the varying comments here....by the way, I live in a suburb northwest of Chicago, so more snow than clinging bugs. I loved that there were comments here about this "issue"!

Detroit here - screens are all outside.

There are obviously regional preferences due to snow, wind and such. However, unless you like the look of the screen on the inside of your house (I don't), you should probably have the screens on the outside. They can be removed during snow season.

On the outside here. The snow piles up against the doors whether or not the screen is in place, so no difference on that count. Never noticed the wind rattling them. If they were on the inside the cats could claw them year round.

I'm in the same boat as Kane, my Apartment just changed our Patio doors too and the screen is on the inside. I don't live on the first floor but we get a lot of skunks around here and the thought of having to open the screen to close the door would freak me out! Hey Kane, maybe we are neighbors in the NW Burbs!

Screens outside; otherwise bugs get caught on the inside.

I also have the Pella slider with screens on inside and last year someone broke into my house by prying the patio door outward over the tracks. I will never have another door with the slider on the outside and screen on the inside. Besides with the screen on the inside it catches bugs in between screen and glass.

We have had the Pella slider with the screen on the inside for 8 years, and I have hated it all those years. Opening the screen to close the door is counterintuitive! It lets bugs into the house, unless you turn all the lights off and want a couple of minutes. I knew it was only a matter of time. A squirrel got in between the glass door, which was open, and the screen. It panicked and couldn't get out until I slowly and carefully pushed the screen open a little and pushed the glass door more open. Now my husband and I are trying to figure out a solution, short of replacing the whole unit. As for our two cats, I screwed a 3 ft. piece of plexiglass to the bottom of the screen preventing them from clawing but still allowing us to see through it.

Outside. Inside is inconvenient, doesn't keep bugs away from the trim, glass and tracks, looks bad inside. Outside is the only way to go.

Usually the screen door is on the outside, but either way works, so it's all about selecting the option that suits your taste. In addition to a screen door, have you considered a sunroom for your home? Sunrooms allow you to enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about the weather or any pesky insects. They also boost the value of your home, so you can look forward to a return on your investment. Sunrooms make it possible to enjoy and entertain in your outdoor living space any time of the year - making your home the best on the block!

Screen inside or out isn't just a matter of taste - it's a matter of common sense and safety. A screen on the inside allows all matter of critters and bugs to try to enter your house. Try to get rid of a fly or mosquito on the screen as you're trying to close the glass door; and, see my comment about the squirrel above. We bought a swimming pool noodle and stuffed it in between the screen and glass to keep the squirrel out while the glass was open. It worked. What a bother!

There's equal trade off's bug, critter and weather wise. The key issue is security. If your screen is on the inside and the glass is on the outside, you can't lay the broomstick on the lower track of the glass which is the most suggested security method for a sliding glass door. Nothing is burglar proof. Just makes it easier for the bad folks to enter your home if the screen is inside. Mine is on the inside BTW. Not crazy about it. I don't live in a high crime area but if I did, I'd change it.

I was so happy to see others who do not like the screens on the inside. I bought a townhome in Southern California and the whole complex has screens on the inside. Makes no sense to me. I thought either the contractors were drunk when they installed them or there must be some Godforsaken reason that I was not aware about. Wish they were on the outside as I see no good reason for having them on the inside! Plus I can't put the broomstick handle in the track for home security!

I just came home from work last night to find our Pella sliding door installed. I was certain they had installed it inside out! That is how I found this thread. Never have I ever seen a screen on the inside and I have lived in Wisconsin and Chicago. When we were in the showroom, the door sits in the middle so fully comprehending which side is the "inside" face was apparently lost on me. I WOULD NEVER HAVE WANTED THE SCREEN ON THE INSIDE! It looks horrible. Aside from it being a utility piece and flimsy, the trim around the screen material is about 2 inches while the trim around the glass is about 4 inches, so it creates a break in the line, and also the extra lock on the base is black against all of the white so it attracts your eye instead of blending in. I hate this door. I hate how it looks. And I can only imagine how poorly it will perform given that I will be forced to have to open the house to bugs while I move doors around to close the house to bugs.

I am so glad I read these comments. Was almost ready to install a Pella sliding door when the salesman said something about an inside screen. Can’t do it........it is wrong for so many reasons.

https://pella.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/421/~/putting-sliding-screen-door-on-the-outside-of-my-patio-door

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. A screen door vendor recommends installing interior wall screens for patio sliders. I’d always assumed they would be outside. I’ve visualized them inside, but don’t like the idea of all the hardware in the rooms. Also, I believe cleaning them will be easier if they are outside.

You have reaffirmed my instincts and I will have them installed outside. Thank you again.

Bugs, dust, leaves etc all get caught on the screen and are inside the house. We HATE inside screens. We were niave in ordering these doors. Never ever again will we use Pella.

Side bar: We ordered bronze doors and the thresholds are golden oak. So ugly. Plus they are 3.5 inches tall which makes them a trip hazard. Worst purchase ever.

Ugh! we just had Pella Lifestyle patio door installed, it was NEVER mentioned that the screen was on the INSIDE!! we have dogs, this wont be good! While we are in Wisconsin now, we have lived in northern IL snow could be a problem, but not that bad Never had a home with a screen inside Pella was a brand we knew, but never questioned where screen is placed. so I googled and found this forum. Never thought about the other things like bugs….ugh! safety there is a double lock on handle and a lock on floor, that is black! lol thank you all for

your comments wishes we knew what we were getting!

We just pulled apart the Pella patio door screen in out bedroom, a waste for sure. I had alway thought the contractor installed the doors backwards(we didn't build, we bought) until today when i googled and found that's the Pella way. We live in northern Wisconsin, mosquitoes are terrible!!! Imagine a screen full of mosquitoes, which i must get rid of in order to close the glass door. Of course, many get in as they are right there

. Then, if the glass door is open, and we get a big wind along with a storm, i must open the screen to get at the glass door. To me, it's backwards, and i would never ever buy a Pella patio door.

Found this thread because we are being irritated by our sliding screen doors installed on the inside of our newly constructed home. Like others, I had never seen this and was going to complain to the contractor that they installed them backwards. Apparently not. But the screens inside are just plain stupid. You have to open them to grab and close the glass outer doors, which is inconvenient and also lets the bugs in while you do it. If you have the screens only partially open, there is a large gap left between the glass slider panels and the screen panels that mosquitoes and flies can fly right through. So the glass panels have to be 100% open (and perfectly aligned with the screen door panels) to avoid any gap. What if I only want to have a little air on a cool morning, and not have to open the doors all the way??? I tried leaving the glass doors partially open last night (screen doors completely closed, but again, there’s that gap); guess what??? I have mosquito bites all over my FACE this morning. We live in Baja Mexico so both hurricanes and bugs (especially mosquitoes) are an issue, but I think the clear choice is put the screen doors on the OUTSIDE. Hurricane protection is dealt with in other ways that would also protect the screens! And BTW I also grew up in Hawaii and have never, ever seen screen doors installed on the inside of sliding doors. It’s incredibly stupid.