Daily Home Renovation Tips

We continue now with our series of articles about exterior solar blinds. These are the energy conservation group of products which are installed on the outside of east, south and west facing windows to significantly reduce the amount of the sun’s UV rays entering the home.

The purpose of solar blinds are to reduce the amount of heat build-up in the summer months and thus reduce the amount of air conditioning used, as well as to reduce the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays on the flooring and furniture.

Now, the product we have selected to purchase and install on the east and south facing windows of our home is from EZ Snap Direct for three reasons: First, it is applied on the exterior of the windows, so much of the sun’s UV rays don’t even hit the ENERGY STAR rated windows we have.

Second, the manufacturer’s web site says they can be installed on any size and shape of window by the average home owner. I like that. I am new to all of this home renovation stuff and know my limits; however, this product seems like one that even I can install.

Third, I don’t have to make holes in my new aluminum window frames. I can use the adhesive hardware to attached to this type of frame as shown in the picture below:

Now, when it comes to taking the measurements of the windows in order to know how much of the product to order, the manufacturer’s web site states “Measurements are taken on the outside of the house.” 

Once suggestion. The word ‘outside’ should be underlined so it really stands out. I didn’t to that. I took the measurements on the inside of our family room and kitchen. Why? Well, it was gosh darn cold outside when I took the measurements. It was, after all still winter!

Why is this important. Well, did you know that the window frames on the outside can be wider than those on the inside? If you did, good for you. I didn’t. Remember, I am new at all of this home renovation stuff. In our case the exterior window frames were 1 inch wider vertically and 2 inches wider vertically than the measurements of the window frames on the inside.

Who knew?

Now, these minor differences should not make much of a difference in the amount of product you would need to order from this manufacturer or any solar blind manufacturer you choose. I just like to get things right the first time.

Now, don’t be surprised if the exterior window frames are not perfectly square; ours were not. The bottom frame is a full 1/2 inch wider than the top, and the right side window frame is a 1/4 inch wider than the one on the left. This is really important so that when I cut the solar mesh it fits the actual shape of my windows and looks right from the outside.

Next time, we apply the hardware. To continue with this series of articles on our experiences with exterior solar blinds, simply select this link to Part 5.