Why Made to Measure Fly Screens Beat Ready-Made Ones

Ready-made fly screens come in standard sizes, but your windows do not. That single mismatch is the reason made to measure fly screens exist, and the reason we make every screen in our Dubai workshop instead of selling stock sizes.

This article compares the two approaches honestly: what ready-made screens offer, where they fall short, and why custom-made wins for most UAE homes. If you are new to the making process, start with how fly screens are made.

Standard sizes versus your actual windows

Ready-made screens are manufactured in a fixed range of sizes. If your window opening matches one of those sizes, the screen fits. If it does not, you are left with three bad options: a screen that is too small and leaves gaps, a screen that is too big and needs cutting down on site, or no screen at all.

Made to measure screens start from your window’s actual dimensions, taken at the free measurement visit. The frame is cut to those dimensions, so the screen fits the opening it was made for. There is no trimming, no packing out gaps, no compromise.

UAE windows are not standard

The case for custom is stronger in the UAE than in many markets. Villas and apartments here were built by many different developers over several decades, with window frames from many suppliers. Two windows in the same room can differ by a few millimetres. Openings are often slightly out of square.

A ready-made screen assumes a standard opening. A made-to-measure screen assumes your opening, measured at several points, with the smallest reading deciding the size. That is the difference between a screen that fits and a screen that almost fits.

Gaps are the whole point

A fly screen has one job: no insects get through. A ready-made screen that leaves a 5-millimetre gap down one side fails at that job completely. Mosquitoes do not need much of an opening.

Custom screens are cut with a small clearance deduction so they sit snugly without jamming. The fit is checked at the quality bay before delivery and again at fitting. The result is a screen with no gaps to seal and no edges to tape.

Every window type gets the right screen type

Ready-made ranges cover the common cases: a basic sliding screen, a basic fixed screen. Unusual windows are on their own. Hinged windows that open inward, sliding doors with deep tracks, fixed panels in odd shapes: these need screens designed for the window, not adapted from a standard product.

At the measurement visit, the technician records each window’s type and designs the screen around it. Sliding windows get sliding screens. Hinged windows get hinged or openable screens. The screen type follows the window type, not the other way round.

Finish and colour matching

Ready-made screens come in the colours the factory chose. Made-to-measure frames are finished to match your window frames, so the screens look like part of the window rather than an add-on. On a villa with dark bronze aluminium windows, a white stock screen would stand out. A custom screen blends in.

Repairs favour custom screens

When a ready-made screen breaks, you buy a new one, assuming the size is still in the range. When a made-to-measure screen needs attention, the workshop that made it can re-mesh the frame, replace a handle, or make a single replacement screen to the original measurements, which are kept on file.

Over the life of a home, the repairable screen costs less in hassle and waste than the disposable one.

What ready-made is good for

Ready-made screens have one genuine advantage: speed. If your window happens to match a stock size, you can buy a screen today. For renters who need something temporary, or for a single standard window, that can be enough.

For a home you live in, where every window matters and the screens need to last, custom-made is the better choice. The making process takes a few working days from the free measurement visit, which is a short wait for screens that fit properly.

How to get made-to-measure screens

It starts with the free measurement visit. The technician measures every window, notes every type, and you receive a quote with no obligation. The quote is free at the measurement visit. To book, call +971 52 443 2655 or WhatsApp wa.me/971524432655. We serve Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, and Ras Al Khaimah.

Wondering what the visit itself is like? Read what happens at a fly screen measurement visit.

FAQ

Are made to measure fly screens better than ready-made?

For most UAE homes, yes. Windows here vary in size and are often slightly out of square, so custom screens fit where stock sizes leave gaps. The measurement visit is free, so there is no cost to finding out what your windows need.

How much longer does custom take than buying ready-made?

A few working days from measurement to fitting. Ready-made is instant only if your window matches a stock size, which is the exception rather than the rule.

Can you copy the size of my existing screens?

The technician can measure your existing screens as a starting point, but the window openings are always measured too. Old screens may have been the wrong size all along, so the window is the authority.

Do custom screens cost more?

Cost depends on the number of windows, the screen types, and the sizes. The quote is free at the measurement visit, so you will know the exact figure before deciding anything.

What if I move house after getting custom screens?

Custom screens are made for your current windows and may not fit a new home’s openings. Many customers take the measurement-visit approach again at the new place, since the visit itself is free.