Having a screen enclosure built beside or behind your home can give your family a stylish, sheltered outdoor space for entertaining guests, relaxing on quiet afternoons, and everything in between. When you begin to discuss this project with a local company that specializes in custom screen enclosures, one thing that you'll need to consider is what type of walls you want. Some people favor top-to-bottom screen walls, but there are other options that are available. A popular choice is to have tempered glass panels on the lower half of each of the structure's walls. Here are some reasons to use glass panels.

Pet Containment

It can be fun to have your family pet spend time in the screen enclosure with you, but you want to be sure that it doesn't attempt to get out of this space and into the yard. If you were to have a structure with top-to-bottom screen walls, there's a risk that a dog or cat could claw at the screens within its reach and cause damage to them. When you opt for glass panels on the lower half of each wall, your pet won't be able to cause damage to this material. It will enjoy looking through the glass to the yard beyond the enclosure, and you'll take comfort in knowing that the animal will remain safe inside and your structure will be free of damage.

Cleaner

On windy days, sand and dirt from your yard can sometimes blow toward your screen enclosure. When you choose to have glass panels on the lower parts of the walls, it will serve as an impenetrable barrier against this debris. Whereas screens on the lower walls could allow this debris to blow into your enclosure, the glass will keep the mess out of the structure and help to ensure that this outdoor living space stays clean.

Less Wind

The glass will also help to contain the wind, rather than allow it to fully blow into the enclosure. While you'll still get a breeze from the wind blowing through the upper screen portion of each of the walls, the glass will block the wind closer to the ground. This can be ideal in various ways. For example, if you have children who are sitting on the floor of the enclosure and playing a board game, low breezes won't be able to interfere with their game by blowing the game pieces around. Contact a company that provides screen enclosures to learn more.