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.

    • Shadow@lemmy.ca
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      4 months ago

      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.

      • SeikoAlpinist@slrpnk.net
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        4 months ago

        I have never seen these before just now, but if I had them on my house, I would hang viney plants in baskets from them and let it grow in such a manner that it creates a canopy.

      • Heydo@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        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.

    • Grass@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      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.

      • SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Horizontal slate awning and if you keep track of the hot sun angles and build accordingly you’re golden.

        I have similar ones and they shade in summer and let in sun in the winter.