Work With Screen Solutions on Motorized Shading Systems for Architects
When you bring in Screen Solutions at schematic design, you receive the full benefit of our architect trade resources. We make sure the shading on your California projects stays tucked into the architecture, protecting the sightlines you drew from the very first sketch.
A Technical Resource for Architects
You spend months shaping a facade around a view. The last thing that elevation needs is a bulky shade housing bolted to the header after the drywall goes up. Neither you nor your client wants a haphazard design.
Screen Solutions gives you a shading specialist on the design team from the first schematic review. Whether you lead the firm or carry the drawing set as a job captain, you get someone who reads plans the way you do. We coordinate with you on shading frames and pockets, avoiding the change orders that come with having to re-open walls later on in the project. The goal is simple. Shading and screening should work smoothly in the background, then disappear into the architecture when no one needs them.
We’ve worked on custom homes in the Bay Area since 1999, and that local experience shapes every recommendation we make. You can see how we support design professionals on our trade resources page.
Integrating Shading and Screening Into the Design
Most integration problems start as a missing dimension. A header is stuck in a too-shallow frame. A motor ends up in plain view. The fix is timing. When we’re involved in your plans during the design phase, the pockets and motors earn their place in the drawings before anyone frames a wall. Whether you’re working in San Francisco or the South Bay, we always begin with a consultation. Here is an overview of our process:
1. Schematic Design
We go over your plans, as well as any schematics from the interior design and build teams. During review, we mark the openings that call for concealed shading or screens.
2. Construction Documents
We supply product details and manufacturer documents for your drawing set.
3. Construction & Commissioning
Our team coordinates rough-in with the trades on site. We handle mounting, wiring, and equipment setup. Commissioning, the final round of testing and adjustment, happens before your clients ever touch a keypad.
4. Ongoing Support
We answer your clients’ questions and provide resources long after installation. If a screen or pergola requires an update years down the line, we’re on it.
Larger systems in particular benefit from detailed structural planning. A louvered pergola tied into a roofline depends on attachment details that our engineering team reviews with your engineer of record. The same goes for a screen spanning a wide multi-slide door. Cassettes, the housings that hold a rolled screen, recess into pockets and wall cavities so the hardware stays out of sight. Our full design and installation process follows these steps on every project, large or small.
Technical Planning Details
Clearance depends on the pocket size and the cassette that fits it. We confirm exact requirements in project-specific submittals, so your details match the product being installed.
Side tracks guide the edges of a screen and hold it steady in the wind. We detail them to finish flush with drywall or steel mullions, and we plan the returns when stone veneer wraps the opening.
Pre-wire means running control wiring before the walls close. Your electrician receives a rough-in schedule that shows where power and control wiring belong at each opening.
Louvered roofs collect rainwater and carry it down through the structure. We coordinate that path with your design team, to make sure the pergola does not have visible gutters.
Solutions for Architectural Specification
We’re committed to tailoring screen and pergola solutions for architectural projects. Each system below can stand on its own or join a full outdoor living plan with outdoor entertainment features. Here is what each one brings to your design.
Motorized Outdoor Screens
As the exclusive local distributor of Phantom Screens, we specify concealed pocket screens for oversized multi-slide openings. The screen lowers for bug and sun protection, then retracts fully into the header. We work with you on outdoor shading design coordination.
Motorized Pergolas
StruXure louvered roofs adjust from open sky to full rain cover. Integrated drainage and lighting keep the profile clean. Explore motorized pergolas.
Retractable Screens
Wide doorways let the breeze in while insects and harsh sun stay out. Once retracted, the view is completely clear.
Interior Shading and Lighting
Lutron shades manage daylight and glare across glass walls. Ketra tunable lighting shows your finishes in true color at every hour of the day. Explore lighting and shading control.
What Architects Can Expect
You should know exactly what you get before you put our name in a specification. Every project includes:
-
Design-phase plan reviews with markups for pockets and headers
-
CAD-ready product details
-
Manufacturer details ready for your construction drawing set
-
Direct coordination with the framer and electrician
-
Rough-in schedules and lead-time checkpoints that protect your construction timeline
-
A dedicated project manager from installation through commissioning
-
A homeowner orientation at handover, so your clients feel confident from day one
Have a project in schematic design right now? Send us the plan set, and we will mark it up with you.
Why Architects Work With Screen Solutions
As a busy professional, you’re always seeking someone who will make projects simpler and smoother, not more complicated. We provide detailed information and architect resources for motorized screens, so you’re never left feeling disconnected from your own project.
We choose trustworthy brands like Phantom, StruXure, Lutron, and Ketra to preserve clean lines and emphasize the architectural design you worked hard to create. Our team also knows Bay Area conditions firsthand. Afternoon sun in Atherton and Los Altos Hills calls for different fabrics than the wind and salt air on a Santa Cruz bluff. Our choices are shaped by the environment and California energy codes. We make sure everything is functional and beautiful.
One specialist owns the work from design through long-term service, so you never field calls from clients about which trade caused a lighting or shading problem. Unified keypads and schedules manage lights and shades from a single system, which makes life simple for the homeowner. Browse our project gallery to see finished installations.
| Specialist Design-Phase Integration | Multiple Uncoordinated Subcontractors | |
|---|---|---|
| Concealment | Hardware planned into headers and pockets | Varies by installer |
| Structural Coordination | In-house engineering reviews attachments with your engineer | Left to the general contractor |
| Accountability | One specialist from design to service | Several contacts per issue |
| Controls | One system for shading and lighting | Mixed brands and apps |
| Long-Term Service | Same team, original specs on file | Depends on each trade's availability |
Frequently Asked Questions
Bring a shading specialist in during schematic design. At that stage, pocket, header, and pre-wire plans can still change at no cost. Early input also shapes the structural details for larger openings. It sets lead times for long-order products before the build schedule locks.
Motorized exterior screens perform well on coastal homes when the finish and fabric match the site. We select corrosion-resistant finishes for salt air exposure. Fabric and track choices follow each opening's wind exposure. Wind sensors can retract screens automatically when gusts pick up.
Automated shades and louvered pergolas reduce solar heat gain, which is the heat that builds up when sunlight passes through glass. They support Title 24 compliance in several ways:
- Exterior screens block sun before it reaches the glass
- Louvered roofs shade large doors and windows during peak hours
- Scheduled shades lower when the sun hits each elevation
- Interior shading cuts cooling demand in west-facing rooms
Your energy consultant can factor these systems into compliance calculations.
Clearance depends on the width of the opening and the cassette that fits it. Wider openings and heavier fabrics call for larger housings. We provide exact pocket dimensions in project-specific submittals, so your header details match the product we install.
We provide CAD details and submittal packages for each system you specify. Revisions follow your drawing updates, so your set stays current through permitting.
Motorized screens and shades can run from the same Lutron system that controls the lighting. Homeowners use one keypad style throughout the house, plus scheduled scenes that adjust on their own through the day.
Screen Solutions stays your client's point of contact for service and warranty support after handover. Our team walks homeowners through every system at completion. We keep the original project documentation on file, so service visits start with the specs already in hand.
Schedule a Design-Phase Consultation
Tell us where your project stands, and share the plan set if you have it. Our team will review it with you and point out where shading and screening fit best. We work with architects across the Bay Area and coastal California from our Campbell headquarters.
Prefer to meet in person? Consultations and walkthroughs of our three-environment showroom are available by appointment. Fall and winter are the ideal window to specify systems for spring builds, so now is a great time to start the conversation.
