Midland, Texas

Motorized Patio Screens in Midland, TX

More outdoor living is being built in Midland than retrofitted, and that changes the entire conversation. If your covered patio is still a drawing, almost everything that is awkward about adding screens later is close to free right now.

Request a Design Consultation The screen solutions

The local reality

In Midland the useful conversation happens before the finishes go on

Midland is the fastest-growing market on our list and the driest, and those two facts point in the same direction. Dry air, hard sun and blowing dust make a closed opening genuinely valuable — and a wave of new construction means a great many of those openings do not exist yet.

That is the argument for this page. On an existing patio we work with the header depth, mounting surfaces and power routes already there, and sometimes those constrain the answer. On a Permian Basin house still being framed, all three are still decisions: recessed housings, concealed power and control positions cost almost nothing to provide for and are disproportionately awkward to add afterwards.

If you are building, involve someone before the soffit closes. If you are retrofitting, the picture is still good — it is just a site assessment rather than a drawing exercise.

The fastest-growing market we serve

Midland's population is estimated at 147,615 as of 1 July 2025, against 132,524 at the 2020 Census — growth of roughly 11% in five years, the fastest of the nine markets on our list. A large share of that arrives as new housing with covered outdoor living built in from the start.

The driest air in the footprint

Midland's 1991–2020 annual precipitation normal is 13.51 inches, the lowest of our nine markets and confirmed independently by the NWS Midland office. The 1991–2020 normals also give roughly 115 days a year at or above 90°F and about 24 days at or above 100°F.

Dust and wind arrive together

The NWS Midland/Odessa office documents that blowing dust and significant wind events tend to occur concomitantly across west Texas and south-east New Mexico. That pairing is why a closed opening is worth more here than a shade-only answer.

Permian Basin · Midland County · 1991–2020 NOAA normals · Census 2025 estimate

Midland properties

What shapes a Midland specification

Three considerations that come up here more than elsewhere in the footprint.

New build changes what is possible

A recessed housing sits inside the structure and largely disappears. It needs depth in the header and it needs to be known before the ceiling or soffit is closed — which on a Midland new build is a live decision rather than a lost opportunity. So is running power to the opening itself rather than to a wall nearby.

Recessed is not universally achievable even on new work; header depth and framing still decide. But the odds are far better when the question is asked at framing.

  • Recessed housings need known header depth, decided early.
  • Power to the opening determines later automation options.
  • Blocking at framing costs little; retrofitting it does not.

Dry air and hard sun

With the lowest annual precipitation of our nine markets and roughly 115 days a year at or above 90°F on the 1991–2020 normal, sun control leads most Midland projects. A solar mesh on the west elevation is where the majority of the daily benefit sits.

  • West-facing openings carry the afternoon load.
  • Shading is a comfort decision, not an air-conditioning one.
  • We do not quote temperature reductions.

Dust settles on everything

Because blowing dust and strong wind tend to arrive together across the Basin, an outdoor kitchen here has a grit problem as well as a sun problem. A closed opening on the windward side keeps the worst of it off counters, cabinetry and cushions. It is not a seal, and it is not a measure against a severe regional dust event.

  • Windward elevation takes most of the everyday grit.
  • Outdoor kitchen surfaces benefit most from a closed side.
  • Clear vinyl shows dust more readily than a mesh does.

Approval

What to establish before ordering in Midland

Midland has a substantial number of registered homeowner associations, and on a newer subdivision the likelihood that architectural rules apply to your property is real. Those rules are private and sit entirely separately from anything the city requires.

On the municipal side, requirements for work on an existing or new covered structure are set by the City of Midland and depend on your specific scope. On a new build the builder may already be handling permitting for the structure itself, which does not automatically cover a later screen installation — worth clarifying rather than assuming.

We raise both questions at the start. We are not the approving authority, we cannot promise an outcome, and we do not file on your behalf. The approval guide explains how to establish which requirements apply to a specific address.

What we install here

Screen solutions we specify in Midland

Resequenced for a market where sun and dust lead and much of the work is new.
Solar & Heat Control The daily problem on a west elevation, and where most Midland projects begin. Vinyl Weather Protection A closed windward side against blowing grit and wind-driven rain. Smart Home & Controls On new build this is a wiring decision, which makes it far cheaper to get right. Insect Protection For the weeks after rain, which in the Basin are fewer but still real. MagnaTrack® Motorized Screens The system layer, and what a recessed housing has to accommodate. Wind, Hail & Blowing Dust What a screen genuinely answers about Basin weather, and what it does not.

Spaces we serve

Outdoor spaces we screen in Midland

Weighted toward new construction, which is what this market is building.
New Construction & Recessed The largest share of Midland work, and the easiest to do well. Covered Patios & Outdoor Kitchens Where dust protection and sun control both land on the same structure. Pool Areas Covered poolside structures on newer builds, planned alongside the pool. Garages Workshop and gym conversions, where keeping grit out is half the point.

Worth reading

Two guides that matter most here

Chosen for a new-build market.
Planning screens at framing stage What to provide for, and when to involve us in the drawings. What motorized screens cost Why new construction and retrofit produce different numbers, and what a quote should itemise.

Nearby

Other markets we serve

Ordered by how the Basin actually connects.
Odessa The other half of the Permian Basin metro, twenty minutes west. Big Spring North-east along I-20, in Howard County. Lubbock North on the South Plains — a different region with a windier profile. San Angelo Our home market, south-east in the Concho Valley.

Questions

Midland FAQ

We are still building. When should we involve you?

When the covered structure is drawn and before framing is complete. Elevations and a section through the covered area are enough to start. That is the point at which recessed housings, blocking and power routes are all still free decisions.

Can every new patio take a recessed housing?

No, and we will not promise it from drawings. Recessed housings need depth in the header and depend on the framing and on what else runs through that space. It is assessed opening by opening.

Will our builder handle the permit?

Possibly for the structure, but that does not automatically extend to a later screen installation. It is worth clarifying with your builder rather than assuming, and confirming the current requirement with the City of Midland for your specific scope.

Do screens help with the dust?

A closed opening keeps the worst of everyday blowing dust off surfaces, which in the Basin is a genuine benefit — particularly around an outdoor kitchen. It is not a seal and it is not a measure against a severe regional dust event.

Is Midland really the driest market you serve?

By the 1991–2020 normals, yes — 13.51 inches of annual precipitation, the lowest of the nine markets on our list and confirmed by the NWS Midland office.

Should we run wiring even if we are unsure about automation?

Yes, that is our standing advice on new build. Automation can usually be added later; power to the opening usually cannot, not without opening finished work.

Start a project

Send us the elevations before the soffit closes

A section through the covered area and the opening widths are enough for us to say what to provide for.
Request a Design Consultation