Stonington · Pawcatuck · Mystic · North Stonington
Motorized Exterior Shades in Stonington, CT
Exterior solar shades and motorized retractable screens for Borough cottages, Pawcatuck colonials and North Stonington farmhouses. Stop the sun at the outside of the glass, keep the view, and run it all from a remote.
Or call us directly: (860) 510-3862
In this guide
- Why motorized exterior shades work in Stonington, CT
- Four neighborhoods, four different briefs
- Exterior solar shades: the first product to look at
- Retractable screens for porches, decks and patio openings
- Wind, salt and weather on the Stonington shoreline
- Historic districts, flood zones and approvals
- What about a retractable awning?
- What it costs
- How a Stonington estimate works
- A look at the products
- Why Stonington homeowners call Shoreline Shade
- Also serving nearby shoreline towns
- Stonington shade and screen questions
- Get a free estimate in Stonington
Why motorized exterior shades work in Stonington, CT
Stonington is really several places under one town name. The municipal limits take in the Borough, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point and Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of Mystic and Old Mystic. Next door, North Stonington is its own town with a very different landscape. What these places share is a lot of glass facing water, marsh or open field, and a lot of afternoon sun coming straight through it.
That is the problem motorized exterior shades solve. A blind or curtain inside the window stops the light but not the heat, because the sun has already come through the glass by the time you close it. An exterior shade sits outside the window or porch opening and stops the solar energy before it reaches the glass. The room stays cooler, the glare comes off the TV and the kitchen table, and with the right fabric you can still see the water.
We are a Connecticut shoreline company based in Clinton, and we serve the whole state, so Stonington is a regular stop for us. This page is written for homeowners here: what to put where, what the wind and the water do to outdoor products, and the honest cases where we would tell you to buy something else.
Four neighborhoods, four different briefs
A summer house at the end of a Borough street and a ranch on a North Stonington hilltop do not need the same product. Here is how the requests usually sort out.
Stonington Borough
Older houses, tight lots, water views to protect. The priorities are a clean look from the street, hardware that does not fight the trim, and a dark, open-weave shade fabric that keeps the harbor visible. Check district rules first (more on that below).
Pawcatuck and Wequetequock
Family neighborhoods with rear decks, sunrooms and patio doors facing west. Here the request is usually heat and glare on a big slider, plus a screen or awning to make the deck usable in July.
Mystic and Old Mystic (Stonington side)
River and cove properties with porches and docks. Waterfront means wind and salt air, so mounting and fabric choice matter more than they do inland. Bugs near the water are a real issue in late summer.
North Stonington
Larger lots, open fields, wooded edges. You get more wind across open land, more insects near brush, and room for a wide screen across a covered porch or a pergola bay.
Exterior solar shades: the first product to look at
If your problem is a hot room, a faded floor or a screen you cannot read at 4 p.m., start with exterior solar shades. They are the most effective of our products for heat and glare, and they are motorized, so they go up and down with a button or on a schedule rather than staying in whatever position you last left them.
Choose the openness level for the room
Solar shade fabric comes in three openness levels. The lower the number, the denser the weave:
| Openness | UV blocked | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1% | 97% | Maximum heat and privacy control on a hot west or south exposure; outward view is minimal. |
| 3% | 95% | The balanced choice and the most popular for homes: strong sun control with a usable view out. |
| 5% | 90% | Covered or partly shaded areas where you want light, airflow and the best view of the water. |
Hardware comes in white, grey, charcoal, black and bronze, and fabric in neutral tones such as charcoal, pewter, mocha and linen. Dark fabrics tend to let you see outward more easily, which is why they suit water views. Fabrics are warranted for 10 years against fading and material defects, Somfy motors carry a 5-year manufacturer warranty, and powder-coated frames carry a 10-year warranty for the original purchaser. Our installation work is guaranteed.
For a deeper look at how the fabrics perform, read our guide to exterior solar shades in Connecticut or see the full exterior shade line.
Retractable screens for porches, decks and patio openings
Shades are for sun. Retractable screens are for bugs, wind and privacy, and they are a good fit for a Stonington porch that you want to use on a still August evening without feeding the mosquitoes. The screen rolls into a housing above the opening and drops on side tracks at the touch of a remote.
Our motorized retractable screens run up to 25 feet wide in a single unit, and wider openings can be split into side-by-side units. There are four mesh options: standard insect mesh, a solar mesh that blocks up to 97% of UV, a privacy mesh and a wind mesh that cuts gusts by up to 65%. The Somfy motors run on standard household current, and wind and sun sensors are optional.
Mounting that suits older houses
The cassette can be recessed into the ceiling or header for a built-in look, surface-mounted on the header or soffit, or set between existing posts or columns. On a Stonington Borough porch with turned posts and original trim, between-the-posts mounting or a colour-matched surface housing usually looks best. We look at the framing during the measurement visit, because old houses rarely have square openings.
Connecticut tracks mosquito activity each season through the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program, and marshy edges along the Pawcatuck River and the coves are classic mosquito habitat. For more on that side of the decision, see mosquito protection with retractable screens.
Wind, salt and weather on the Stonington shoreline
Stonington sits on Fishers Island Sound, and the Borough is on a narrow point with water on several sides. Open water means steady breezes and sharp gusts when a front comes through. That does not rule out exterior products, but it does change how we recommend them.
- Specify wind sensors on exposed sites. An optional sensor retracts the screen or awning automatically when wind passes a safe level. On a waterfront lot we recommend it rather than treating it as an extra.
- Use the heavier mesh where it blows. Wind mesh reduces gusts by up to 65% and is built to take the load. Standard insect mesh is the wrong choice for a porch that faces the open Sound.
- Retract before a storm. Sensors are not a substitute for judgment. Before a Nor’easter or a tropical system, roll everything up. Our guide to windbreak screens in Connecticut explains what screens can and cannot do in wind.
- Rinse and inspect. Salt air is hard on any exterior product. Powder-coated aluminum frames and solution-dyed fabrics hold up well, and a periodic freshwater rinse helps. Ask us about care when we measure.
Historic districts, flood zones and approvals
Before you order anything for the outside of a house in Stonington, find out whether the property needs a review. Parts of the town are in historic districts, and some shoreline parcels are subject to coastal area management or flood hazard rules. We are not the permitting authority and we do not want to give you the wrong answer, so please check with the Town of Stonington early. Ask which commission, if any, reviews exterior changes at your address.
What we can do is make that conversation easy. We supply the product, color options, mounting details and sizes you would need for an application, and we measure the opening so the drawing is accurate. A retractable shade that disappears into a slim housing is often an easier conversation than a permanent structure, but that is the town’s call, not ours. If you own a Borough property, start with the town before you start with us.
What about a retractable awning?
An awning does something shades and screens do not: it puts a roof of shade and rain cover over a deck or patio. Our retractable awnings are built by SunPro, come in widths from 10 to 40 feet with up to 12 feet of projection, use Sunbrella solution-dyed acrylic fabric and Somfy or DOOYA motors, and include an LED light bar and wireless remote. A wind sensor is an optional add-on.
On a Stonington deck that gets full afternoon sun, an awning is often the right first purchase. If you are weighing it against screens, our comparison of motorized screens versus retractable awnings goes through the trade-offs, and the awning cost breakdown shows what each tier typically costs.
When this is not the right product. Exterior shades will not give you rain cover. Screens will not give you much shade on a sun-baked deck. An awning is a poor choice for a spot that takes direct, unobstructed wind off the water with no way to retract it before storms. If the real problem is a leaking roof, an overgrown tree or an unshaded west wall that needs a structural fix, we will say so. We would rather sell you the correct product once.
Want a firm number for your home?
What it costs
Exterior shades are priced by size, fabric, mounting and motor controls, and we do not publish a number for them because it changes too much between a single window and a wall of glass. We quote after measuring. For retractable screens, our motorized screen cost guide lists typical installed ranges: about $800 to $3,000 for a single door or small opening, $2,500 to $7,000 for a large porch or patio opening, and $8,000 to $20,000 or more for a full multi-bay enclosure. Awnings are covered in the awning cost guide linked above.
If you already have a quote from someone else, bring it. We offer an apples to apples price match guarantee, which means we compare like products and like scope, not a bare unit against a fully installed system.
How a Stonington estimate works
Free on-site measurement
Tom or a member of our team comes to the house, looks at the exposure and framing, and takes exact measurements.
Swatches and options
You see physical fabric and frame color swatches and talk through openness, mesh, motor and sensor choices.
A clear written quote
You get an upfront, no-obligation quote. No pressure, and no charge for the visit.
A look at the products
Why Stonington homeowners call Shoreline Shade
- ✓Owner-operated: Tom Magnoli is involved from consultation to final walkthrough.
- ✓12 years in the industry and 500+ installations across Connecticut.
- ✓An authorized SunPro dealer and certified Mirage screen installer.
- ✓Our own trained team installs every job, never subcontractors.
- ✓Apples to apples price match guarantee.
- ✓After-sale support and warranty service.
Read what customers say on our testimonials page or learn about Shoreline Shade.
Also serving nearby shoreline towns
We work along the whole southeastern Connecticut coast. If you are a little further west or north, see our pages for Montville, East Lyme, Bozrah and Old Saybrook.
Stonington shade and screen questions
Do you install motorized exterior shades in Stonington Borough and Pawcatuck?
Yes. We install exterior solar shades, retractable screens and retractable awnings throughout Stonington, including the Borough, Pawcatuck, Wequetequock, Lords Point and the Stonington side of Mystic and Old Mystic, plus neighboring North Stonington. Every job starts with a free on-site measurement.
Do I need a permit or historic-district approval for exterior shades in Stonington?
It depends on the property. Parts of Stonington are in historic districts, and some waterfront lots are subject to coastal or flood-hazard review. Check with the Town of Stonington before you order. We can supply product drawings, colors and mounting details for your application.
How much does a motorized exterior shade or screen cost in Stonington?
Price depends on width, height, fabric, mounting and motor controls, so we quote after measuring. For screens, our published cost guide shows roughly $800 to $3,000 for a single door or small opening, $2,500 to $7,000 for a large porch or patio opening, and $8,000 to $20,000 or more for a full multi-bay enclosure.
Will a screen or shade survive wind off Fishers Island Sound?
Our screens are rated for moderate wind, and heavier wind mesh is available. Optional wind sensors retract the system when gusts get strong. No retractable product belongs deployed in a storm, so you should retract it before a Nor’easter regardless of sensors.
Should I choose exterior shades, retractable screens or an awning?
Exterior shades are the strongest answer to heat and glare on glass. Retractable screens add bug protection and wind reduction to an opening. An awning gives you rain cover and a roof-like shade over a deck. Many Stonington homes end up with one of each on different sides of the house.
How long does installation take?
Installation time depends on the size and number of openings. After the free on-site measurement and quote, we confirm the schedule with you. We do not promise lead times on this page because they change with the season and fabric availability.
Get a free estimate in Stonington
Tell us which side of the house takes the sun and we will come out, measure and show you the options. Our apples to apples price match guarantee applies to every quote.
Or call (860) 510-3862