Heres the direction I am heading: The opening is actually 35", so I am going to buy 36" vinyl screen door (low maintenance is desired) that is 1" thick. On the latch side of the door, I will route a 1/4" inch overlay lip. This will cover the door/rail seam and act as the door stop preventing the screen door from swinging into the front door. I might put a 1/4 round detail on it. I will buy face mounting "self close" screen door hinges, make 1/4" pads to mount under them on the rail side, then screw them to the rails and the door. The door will extend 1/4 inch beyond the door rails and only take up 3/4" of the 1 1/2" space between the rail fronts and the front door. I hope this will not interfere with the existing door hardware. If it does, I will make the lip and pads deeper to move the door forward. I cannot use the latches commonly available at the hardware store or big box store as these almost all require 1 1/2" to 2" inches to mount. My thinking now is a simple pull handle on the outside, and a push plate inside. I am thinking to use a magnetic catch, a bullet catch or the latch listed below. I may hold off on the catch after I see how firmly the screen door hinges hold the door closed. If anyone has latch/catch ideas, I am all ears! Here is a link that might be useful: latch

My kids are 8, 5, 2, and 2. And yep, we have a spunky little mutt that flies in and out right alongside the kids. The doors would be our primary in and out to our deck and backyard, which is the primary play-spot for our kids, as well as half the neighborhood kids, too. And the in and out is constant--drinks, snacks, potty breaks, etc. These retractable screens sound great, but not right for our house and our uses. I'm kinda diggin' the idea of a pair of old-fashioned wooden screen doors, that self-close behind all those kids :) Guess I will have to continue my research...but I'm sure it's a possibility.

L-Lass, I'm in North Carolina, but we sure do have mosquitoes. Off-topic, but has anyone tried that new mosquito stuff that doesn't kill the mosquitoes but prevents them from breeding? We had it for the first time last summer, and wow does it work. Yes, leaving the doors open does sound nice. My idea was that it'd be nice to be able to walk from the dining room straight out the back door ... with the only door to open being the slider in the dining room. I had also considered screening in the whole thing ... keep the exit door in the dining room and have another door straight ahead of it ... now I'm thinking that might be the better option. But, no, I'm not loving the flip-flop idea. I understand about improving other people's things. In my work, I often proofread and critique other people's creative writing /photography, and although I'm not so good at STARTING a project, no one beats me in polishing up other people's work! Cpartist, retractable screens around a whole pool would be so expensive! And -- obviously -- we'll have a fence around the pool /back yard area, so that'll keep out big critters. Glad you like the layout, Autumn! As I said earlier, we'll tweak it a bit here and there, but I'm sold on it, and -- yes -- the kitchen /butler's pantry, and its flow and connection to the rest of the house is kind of the "it" factor that attracted us to it. We have a garage issue, which I think I'll post in a separate thread, but I think it's do-able.

That's a nice space, I can understand why you would want to use it during the cold months. You might want to check into things like windbreak panels or fences. Panels are usually sturdy stuff like metal or heavy plastics, commonly used in agriculture. Fences are usually a screen or mesh kind of material, and are used a lot in more human applications. You might also find privacy mesh, it's a bit different than windbreak fence, but might suit your needs. How you utilize it will depend on what you pick. Want to place the fence or mesh in the wooden frame? Do you use that grill on the other side of the opening when it's cold out? You might need a solid panel on the outside of the area with the grill then so you can get to it.