I'm attaching a photo of the back of my house. There is a structure there that I am wondering what to do with. One is paint (and I have lots of that around) but the other is trying to figure out what I can cover it with in the way of a roof.
I would like something that I can put up easily (or without paying some contractor type a fortune), that can withstand snow fall, that will keep the area dry and a bit shaded. Originally (if the outline on the house is any hint) it had that corregated fiberglass stuff which would be totally practical but I can't quite get my head around it. I'm afraid that or fabric is all I can think of and fabric doesn't address the withstanding snowfall I don't think (I have zero experience with awnings and such).
What would you do?
| Attachment | Size |
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| coverup.jpg | 22.26 KB |
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I'd hold off for a year until you get your big plan for the exterior together. We used something similart to ijm's clear cover. It also had an SPF factor. Even though clear, there still was more shade. This may be the way for you to go but I'd still wait. Get a feel of how the house feels in the summer & winter. In the meantime if you need shade you could use the temporary bamboo blinds.
First check to see if the structure is sound. The lower left post appears to have some rot. It could just be peeled paint but I would check it. You can use lattice to cover area as well. I used that on one deck roof structure I had years ago and it is still standing strong up there. The buyer is an aquaintance of mine. It held up to the wind, rain and snow.
First I would check the by laws, as here someone used the rippled plastic sheets for a similar roof and had to take it down. (it was permanent and did not conform with the rest of the roofing.)
So they used bamboo blinds that they took down at the end of the summer. It was not water proof, but gave them the shade they wanted. That was ok as it was not permenent. They had hanging baskets under the bamboo and it really look pretty all summer.
This is what we did with ours. The wooden structure was there, we added a few extra crossbars to give strength and then screwed (with rubber washer to seal) sheets of transparent corrugated polycarbonate from Suntuff. [url]http://www.suntuf.com/[/url]. Bought at Home Depot.
It doesn't fade, crack, lasts for more than 10 yrs. Better than the cheaper version.
It withstands the snow as we have had it up for 2 years now. Actually now and again through the winter we gave it a bang to let the snow slide off and let the light through. Other times the snow gets so heavy that it slides off on its own. We like it because it doesn't shade and darken the patio or kitchen which leads off to the patio. We have a large umbrella underneath for shade on very hot days.
You can't cut it to length yourself, so order the right sized ones.