hi all. i live in western Colorado, in the desert part rather than the mountain part, and it’s HOT. and sunny. my house has a long west-facing wall full of large windows, and we’ve been keeping the blinds shut all day but it’s not helping. i’m thinking of installing awnings.
my questions are, a) have you done this or something similar, and if so what did you do, b) are there awnings available that are NOT just plastic? and c) any other hints, tips, or ideas would be welcome.
Depending on the angles of the hot sun you’re getting something like this might be an idea and I think they look great.
that’s really cool. Do you know what to call that? I assume some considerations are needed for keeping the window shaded through all sun positions.
I have these on my building and fuck I wish they were just real awnings. It rains a ton and I’d appreciate shelter from that too, not these half ass sun shades
Something to consider, is if you might want rain cover. I have to say these do look better than a traditional awning though.
You could place the top pieces at an angle instead of vertical like in the pic.
Or if you built something like this that had a slope to it, you could put polycarbonate on top. Or corrugated metal or fabric etc. You would just need the slope so that rain and snow wouldn’t settle on it.
Can’t help you with awnings, but you should invest in some cellular shades for your windows. We have the same problem, the entire length of our house, with the rooms we spend the most time in, faces west and from about 1pm-740pm it gets uninterrupted full sun, and brother it is HOT. Even with regular blinds you can feel the temperature increase from one side of the house every step as you walk towards the other side.
Cellular shades are a GAME CHANGER. They fold up into basically nothing when not in use, and when you pull them down the heat stays out. It rules, and it’s a very affordable and easy to install fix while you build your awnings. You will not regret them.
How about putting retractable solar water heating panels over those windows?
i might do something similar when we eventually replace everything in our house with electric stuff, but for now we have a gas-powered water heater. i am saving for a full solar installation on our roof, though, which would power everything. solar is the one energy-producer we have here in absolutely wild abundance.
I met someone in GJ who excavated a pit, built a house in it, and walled it up on two sides so only exposed at two ends, the rest buried and banked.
At the time it seemed elaborate, but he was way ahead if me.
dang, approximately where in GJ? that’s where i’m located and i’d love to get some inspiration. i see some stuff like that in Fruita sometimes.
Is this by any chance inspired by the recent Technology Connections video? As a homeowner with a brutal western exposure, I’m in the same boat.
The comments on this page might have some info
