Branson Storm Doors and the Question Nobody Asks First
One Of You Thinks It Hides the Front Door.
Big Chief Exteriors installs Branson storm doors in full view, ventilating, and retractable screen styles. Before we sell you one, we'll check what your entry door is made of and which way it faces, because on some houses a storm door does more harm than good.
Products and Credentials Behind the Work
This Is the Most Argued-About Product on a House
Storm doors split households right down the middle. One person wants the screen open on a good April evening, wants the light coming into a dark entry, and wants something protecting the front door from weather. The other person thinks storm doors look dated and that you paid good money for a nice front door and now nobody can see it. Both of those are reasonable positions. Meanwhile the one you already have is a rattly aluminum thing where the closer doesn't hold anymore, the glass insert has lived in the basement since 2018, and there's a hole in the screen the cat is proud of.
Then there are two things almost nobody mentions when you're buying one. The first is heat. A full glass storm door over a dark entry door that faces south or west can trap a surprising amount of heat between the two, enough to blister finishes and warp some doors, and a fair number of entry door manufacturers limit or void their warranty when a full view storm door goes on in that situation. The second is wind. A storm door caught by a gust turns into a sail and rips the closer, and sometimes the hinge screws, right out of the jamb. Neither of those comes up when people shop for Branson storm doors, and both of them decide whether you're happy in three years.
“Before Vela, approvals felt vague. Now there’s a clear moment when everything is agreed on, and I can move forward with confidence.”
Maria L.
Travel Advisor
These guys were amazing! I own several homes and rarely do I see service of this caliber. The bid was very honest and reasonable. We decided to move forward and within a few days there were at our house working from dawn until dusk. The job site was always clean and the men were always very respectful and kind. It’s companies and men like this that made America great. You should look no further than Big Chief Exteriors.
Tracey Stroh
Branson, Missouri
I'm Tyler. Tell Me What Color Your Front Door Is First.
I'm Tyler Arnold. That sounds like small talk and it isn't. Dark entry door, facing south or west, with a full glass storm door in front of it is the combination that causes trouble. The air between the two doors gets hot enough on a July afternoon to damage the finish on the entry door, and if you go read your entry door warranty, a good number of them say exactly that. So before we quote anything, we look at your door's material, its color, and its orientation. If you're in that situation, we'd steer you to a ventilating model with less glass, or a retractable screen unit, or we'd tell you honestly to skip it. Better that conversation happens now than after your front door finish starts bubbling.
The other thing we do without being asked is the wind hardware. Every storm door we hang gets a wind chain, and on exposed lots we spec a heavier duty closer and reinforce the fasteners into the framing rather than just the trim. Out on the ridges around Table Rock, a storm door with a cheap closer and no chain will eventually get caught by a gust and take a piece of your jamb with it. That's a thirty dollar part and twenty minutes of care that saves a repair, and honestly it's the sort of thing that separates somebody who installs storm doors from somebody who just hangs them.
Tyler Arnold
Three Promises on a Door That Costs Less Than Most Repairs
The Fix It or Refund It Guarantee
If the door sags, binds, leaks, or the closer pulls loose because of how we installed it, we're back out to fix it fast. No prorating. No trip charges. Nobody blaming the wind. And if we can't make it right, you get your money back. Every single cent. Storm doors are one of the smaller tickets we write and the guarantee is identical to the one on a whole roof.
The $250 Price Match Guarantee
Bring us a written bid from another licensed and insured company for the same storm door line, the same glass and screen configuration, and the same hardware including the closer and wind chain. We'll match it and hand you $250 in cash for finding a competitor we hadn't heard about. Check whether their bid includes a wind chain at all. Plenty don't.
The Cleanup Guarantee
Even a small install leaves fasteners, packaging, drill shavings, and the old door if there was one. Our crews are paid on cleanup. The old unit leaves on our trailer, we magnet the porch and the beds beside it, wipe down the entry, and sweep the walk before we pull out.
“Before Vela, approvals felt vague. Now there’s a clear moment when everything is agreed on, and I can move forward with confidence.”
Maria L.
Travel Advisor
Gorden MacPhail
Cape Fair, Missouri
“Professionalism was evident throughout the entire process from initial estimate to project completion. We were so pleased with the deck restoration we had them back for our gutter replacement. We really appreciated the communication with Tyler explaining the process in detail. Best part was price was reasonable. Definitely a 5- star company!! Will do business again.”
What Neighbors Say About Their Branson Storm Doors
“Very open and honest. Encouraged me to get other bids as well. They were not only the best-priced but also the most organized and open about our plans and options to take. The workers were clean and quick and did everything they could to protect the property. Tyler even came out himself to magnet the driveway so we wouldn’t drive over nails each night bc I have an EV that charges in the garage. Excellent experience! Big Chief definitely goes above and beyond.”
Gwen Pead
Branson, Missouri
Counties Where We Hang Storm Doors
We work out of 117 Calvin Drive in Branson and cover a wide stretch of the Ozarks. Exposure and traffic decide which style makes sense and what hardware it needs.
Taney County
Learn MoreBranson, Hollister, Forsyth, Rockaway Beach, Kirbyville, and Merriam Woods. Taney County storm doors on rentals and cabins near Table Rock and Lake Taneycomo take heavy guest traffic, so closers and screens wear out years before anything else does. Lake breeze in spring and fall is the reason owners want them, and a retractable screen model holds up better than a swap-out panel nobody remembers to change.
Stone County
Learn MoreKimberling City, Reeds Spring, Branson West, Galena, Crane, and Blue Eye. Stone County storm doors on ridge and lakefront lots live in constant wind, which is where the wind chain and a heavy closer stop being optional. An unprotected storm door on an exposed entry up here is a repair waiting to happen, usually on the first gusty afternoon.
Barry County
Learn MoreCassville, Monett, Purdy, Shell Knob, Exeter, and Wheaton. Our Barry County storm doors work often goes on older farmhouses where the original wood entry door is worth protecting from direct weather. That's the case where a storm door genuinely earns its keep, since it shields a door that would otherwise need refinishing every few years.
Christian County
Learn MoreNixa, Ozark, Sparta, Clever, and Highlandville. Christian County storm doors come up constantly in those 1990s and 2000s subdivisions, and this is where the heat question matters most. A lot of those homes have dark front doors facing west with no porch overhang. We check the entry door's warranty terms before recommending full glass.
Lawrence County
Learn MoreAurora, Mt. Vernon, Marionville, Pierce City, and Verona. Lawrence County storm doors on the older homes in these towns need to suit the entry rather than cover it up. Low profile frames and full view glass let a period door still read from the street, which matters on a house where the front door is the best thing about it.
Maranda Carter
Branson, Missouri
“This local company did things right! My new roof and gutters are perfect! Tyler went above and beyond with help on the insurance claim, explaining everything and was here from start to finish! I would definitely recommend Big Chief Exteriors to anyone!”
Storm Door Questions People Ask Us
Are storm doors actually worth it?
On the right house, yes. They give you airflow in spring and fall without opening the house to bugs, they let light into a dark entry, and they shield an entry door from direct sun and rain. On the wrong house they trap heat, hide a door you paid for, and become one more thing that rattles. The house decides, and we'll tell you which one yours is.
Can a storm door damage my front door?
It can, and this is the part most folks never hear. A full glass storm door in front of a dark entry door facing south or west traps heat between the two, and on hot afternoons that can blister a finish or warp some door materials. Plenty of entry door warranties address this directly. Check yours, or bring us the paperwork and we'll read it with you.
Full view, ventilating, or retractable screen? What's the difference?
Full view is all glass, maximum light, and the panel swaps out for a screen seasonally. Ventilating models have glass panels that slide to expose a built-in screen, so nothing gets stored in the basement. Retractable screen units keep the screen rolled up in the frame until you want it, which is the tidiest option. Ventilating and retractable also reduce the heat trap risk since there's less uninterrupted glass.
How much do storm doors cost?
This is one of the least expensive things we install. Cost moves with the frame material, the glass and screen configuration, and the hardware. A basic aluminum unit is the low end. A heavy frame with a retractable screen and upgraded hardware costs more and is usually worth it on a door you'll use every day.
My storm door blew open and broke. How do I keep that from happening again?
A wind chain, which is a short cable that stops the door before it slams all the way open, plus a closer rated for the exposure. Both are inexpensive. Most storm doors that get destroyed by wind never had a chain on them, and the damage usually isn't the door itself, it's the closer and the jamb where the hardware tore out.
Can you repair the one I have instead of replacing it?
Often. Closers, hinges, latches, sweeps, glass panels, and screens are all replaceable on most units. If the frame itself is bent or the door has sagged past adjusting, replacement makes more sense. We'll look and tell you which one you're facing before quoting anything.
Do storm doors save energy?
Some, and less than the marketing suggests. Where they help most is over an older, leaky entry door, since the extra layer cuts drafts. Over a modern well-sealed insulated door, the energy benefit is small. Buy one for the screen, the light, and protecting the door, and treat any energy savings as a bonus.
Which way should it swing, and will it hide my front door?
Swing side usually matches your entry door so the two work together and the handles line up sensibly, though we'll look at your porch and traffic pattern before deciding. As for hiding it, a full view model with a slim frame shows nearly all of your entry door. If your front door is the showpiece of the house, that's the style to look at.