Solar Screens- Why did we wait so long?????

**checkerkitty** · 04-17-2009, 02:53 PM

DH made solar screens for the windows at the back of our house. The sun COOKS the back of our house in the afternoons. We've been sitting on the materials for almost a year now. Lowe's had the screen material 1/2 price last year but we never finished. Anyway, what a HUGE difference. Our thermostat is in the dining room in the back of the house. Our kitchen, dining room and breakfast room (now toy room/tap room for homebrew) are all open to each other across the back of the house. I like to leave the windows open and not turn the AC on unless we get to around 80 degrees. I don't mind it being that hot but DH wants it on. Anyway, most afternoons by around 3:30 or so, we were hitting 78 degrees or higher. Now, it's staying around 74 or below. The breakfast room was the hottest. It has 2 large windows and the door has a window. It was so hot, I would try and stay out of the room until the sun was gone. Not anymore! Cool as can be. The rooms are darker, so during the winter we will probably take the screens off and store them. The extra heat is welcome then. I'm curious to see what happens this summer for us. The thermometer on our back porch reads over 100 degrees most days by the afternoon. If you're considering these guys, they are easy to make and IMHO, very much worth the time to make them.

**hotprincesscm** · 04-18-2009, 12:05 AM

Wow sounds good...Would you mind sharing how it's done?

**2ndGenGranola** · 04-18-2009, 07:43 AM

We had those on our last house. I miss them terribly.

**checkerkitty** · 04-18-2009, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by hotprincesscm

Wow sounds good...Would you mind sharing how it's done?

No problem! I watched DH put these together as I was too chicken to do them myself. I'll take some pics and put them up later. You can also google "DIY solar screens" and see some different tutorials. We pulled the original bug screens out since a past dog of ours shredded them anyway. I bought all the supplies at Lowe's but you might be able to find some at a Habitat store or freecycle if you have access to these.

The screens he made cover the whole window. The top and bottom fit into a track that was already there, on the outside of where the old screen fit. Our home is less than 10 years old so this may be a feature common to newer windows only, or it may be that all windows have this. He ended up having to use 1/2" sheet metal screws to hold the sides in place. The sides bowed in a little but the screws held them in place nice and straight. There are plastic frame holders that you can buy but they wouldn't have held the screen straight. I looked at some of the solar screens on the other homes around ours and their screens also bowed slightly. I don't know if there is a way to correct this. It wouldn't have been a problem if DH had cut the frames slightly larger. He followed the directions correctly but they came out just slightly too small (like 3mm too small).

Anyway, here's what I would do:

1. Measure your windows. If the window is very large, you may have to do 2 separate screens to cover each side.

2. Pick up your materials. Lowe's had a great deal on the screen and they are still running a sale on the solar screen. Ours blocks 90% of the sun. We have the charcoal color screen. They have the frame, corners for putting the frame together, spline (the rubber "string" that holds the screen in the frame) and spliner (looks like a pastry roller) all on the same aisle at Lowe's. The person in hardware can help you get the correct number of frame pieces (which are 8 ft long so be aware when you go to buy your supplies), the correct amount of screen and spline and the correct number of corners. You can sometimes reuse the corners from your old window screens, but since our old corners were white and some were missing, we bought all new ones to match the charcoal frame material.

3. Remeasure your windows when you get home. Now, on the back of the corner piece package, it will tell you how to measure and cut your frame pieces. It will tell you to subtract a certain amount of length for the corner itself, I think it was 3/4" for each piece. So, if you window is 31 1/2 inches wide, you cut the frame piece to 30 inches, then the corners add 3/4 inch to each side. DON'T go by what it tells you. MEASURE the corner piece yourself. DH listened to the package and the frames were just slightly too small because the corners were smaller than the package said.

4. Cut your frame pieces using a hacksaw. A screw is great to use to mark your cutting lines on the frame. You just make a scratch on the surface.

5. Assemble your frames.

6. On a large flat surface (we used our dining table), roll your screen over the frame and use the spliner to push/roll the spline into the track on the frame. It may take a little practice to get it right. The first frame was the hardest. Remember you can always pull out the spline and put it back in the track if you don't like the way the screen looks. Just try not to pull it too tight or it will warp your frame. But, screws can fix a lot of problems

. You'll also need a good pair of sharp scissors to trim the extra screen away.

7. Put your screens up and enjoy.

DH made 6 screens for 5 windows. I think it took him 45 minutes or so to cut all the frame pieces. Then he spent 3 or 4 hours to put the screen in and hang them. I think I spent around $80 or so for these guys but I know they will more than pay for themselves in energy savings.

**checkerkitty** · 04-20-2009, 09:46 AM

I've got a small update about measuring the windows for the screens. DH made 3 yesterday for my in-laws and I did the measuring for him. One window didn't have the extra "track" to hold the solar screens in place. The window was just set into the house so he used screws through the plastic corners to hold the solar screen in place.

When you measure a window that has the track on the outside edge to hold a solar screen you have to measure a certain way. Since the screen will fit into the tracks, you have to take 3 measurements. You'll need a ruler and a tape measure. First measure the depth of the tracks with a ruler. The upper track was larger than the lower on my in-laws windows. The lower was 1/8 inch and I think the upper was 3/8 inch. Then you use a tape measure to measure the distance between the track edges. Then you'll do some adding. Because you want the screen to slide up into the upper track and then slide down to lock into the bottom track you'll need to add the track to track length plus the smaller measure times 2.

Example:

Upper track- 3/8 inch
lower track- 1/8 inch
track to track measure-34 inches

Screen length is 34 inches + 1/8 inch + 1/8 inch= 34 1/4 inches.

Another tip, when you are making these, make the smallest screen first and don't make any others (no cutting pieces of frame or anything) until you have finished and are happy. If you do happen to mess up, at least it's the smallest one and will be the cheapest to redo. The first one is the hardest.

**Grainlady** · 04-20-2009, 10:16 AM

Great tip....

Our home came with 1/2-screens, which only covered the lower half of the window. After the first hot summer here, and all those west-facing windows, we had new full screens made for the windows and used screen that filters out 80% of the UV rays. WHAT a difference they made!!!

You can get the screen material from Lowe's and it's fairly simple to replace your existing screens, for you do-it-yourselfers, as another option.

**TexasPeanut** · 04-20-2009, 10:28 AM

I love our solar screens. They are almost a needed thing down here for sure. We had regular solar screens on a few of our windows (along the back of the house) but needed to replace two of them and after shopping around for more solar screen material and had found rolls of super solar screen at Home Depot. We opted for that and then ended up replacing every window screen on our house with the super solar screen.

It's basically regular solar screen....double woven. You can have the window curtains wide open with interior lights on at night and you can't see into the house but you can see out of them just fine without trouble and the wind still blows through them well when it's needed but man they sure do keep the house nice and dark and completely cool in the summer time. I have seen the difference in the bills and have become a firm believer and advocate for solar screens.

If you want to lower your utility bills and help keep your home cooler check into some solar screens for sure....but if you have a Home Depot near you, look into the super solar screen material. It's a great investment for the return you get. I think all told we spent roughly $320 on all of the materials (screen, frames, spline, corner connectors) to make 13 large window screens and 2 smaller windows. We also replaced the screen on both screen doors and purchased an extra roll of screening just incase it's ever needed for replacement and we can't find it anymore. We could have just switched out the new screen material with the old on the window frames but most of our frames were either bent or damaged in some way so we started over with new frames and all, which is why it cost more. It was well worth that IMO for the savings over time alone.

Solar screens = awesome!

**Thevail** · 04-21-2009, 04:30 AM

I live in wet and overcast Washington state....but I have HUGE south facing windows, great in the winter but in the summer YIKES. These sound great. Thanks!

**freebs** · 04-21-2009, 07:49 AM

great thanks

**cheles2kids** · 04-21-2009, 10:22 AM

These sound wonderful!
Checkerkitty, thanks for starting this thread and telling us about them.

I would love to see your pictures when you have time to post them.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to do a VERY large window??
I have a huge window in my den and I sooo need something to keep out the sun, other than curtains, in the summertime and extra privacy would be great too.
It measures about 84 x 110 wide. What are your thoughts?

**checkerkitty** · 04-21-2009, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by cheles2kids

These sound wonderful!
Checkerkitty, thanks for starting this thread and telling us about them.

I would love to see your pictures when you have time to post them.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to do a VERY large window??
I have a huge window in my den and I sooo need something to keep out the sun, other than curtains, in the summertime and extra privacy would be great too.
It measures about 84 x 110 wide. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for the pic reminder. I'll post those in just a sec. About your large window, the rolls of screen at Lowes come in two widths but only one length, 84 inches. If you want to do these yourself, you would have to do two screens and mount them side by side. You might be able to get an extra wide roll to cover the whole window off the internet. If you do make the screens yourself it will be a very close fit on the length. You will have a small amount of hangover due to the width of the framing material. You might also try 4 small screens, depending on what your window looks like. HTH.

Christy

**checkerkitty** · 04-21-2009, 03:35 PM

Here are some pics I just took. The sun was almost directly overhead. Backyard thermometer shows 90 degrees. Our thermostat in the house shows 74 degrees. The back windows are open.

The first picture a shot through a scrap of solar screen. The sun is directly behind that board. I wanted to take a pic without the screen but the sun was so bright, I had to look away immediately.

The second picture is a window with a single screen.

The third picture is a window with a double screen. The window has two separate sides with a frame down the middle.

The last picture is a comparison between the regular screen and solar screen, solar on the right. Our screen is, I think, super solar screen. I couldn't find a wrapper. It blocks 90% of the sun's heat. There was a big "90" on the label. Lowes is selling a 48"x84" roll for $12.97 locally. The 36"x84" roll was $13.97 (don't ask me why).

**checkerkitty** · 04-21-2009, 07:44 PM

Our local weather temperature is 90 degrees at 6:42 pm. The outside thermometer is almost 98 degrees. The thermostat inside reads 77 degrees. Our AC hasn't been on in 2 weeks. The back windows have been open all day. What a difference!

**cheles2kids** · 04-22-2009, 11:09 AM

Thanks for taking the time to post those pictures, Christy!
The differences in the two screens are really incredible!!

We are measuring windows later this week and are planning a trip to Lowe's this weekend. (We don't have a Home Depot locally)

Thanks again for all of the information, it is greatly appreciated!!!

**Kazoo** · 04-22-2009, 11:44 AM

Thanks, Christy, for posting this great tip, the step-by-step-instructions, and the photos. I hope that we'll be able to put it all to good use one day. At the moment, we have the ultimate solar screen, LOL. Our neighbors built a McMansion right on top of us. There's no sunlight getting in here, not a drop, no sir-ee.