By Michelle Kaufmann
There’s a lot to be learned from the design of an everyday barn – take it from a kid who grew up in Iowa with grandparents who owned a farm. Barns are designed to stand up to the harshest of weather conditions and yet also tend to be the simplest of structures, using a minimum of materials. Even in sweltering temperatures, a barn’s interior will remain cool due in large part to smart sun shading techniques. These methods can easily be applied to your home, too, and simply shading a home is one of the most energy-efficient ways to keep cool indoors.
Sliding wood sunshades, similar to those you find on barns, glide along unique, unobtrusive tracks and offer a beautiful passive cooling solution that you can build yourself. (“Passive cooling” means that the shades use no energy-eating mechanical technology to cool your home.) On hot days you just slide them over large windows or glass doors (especially those west-facing ones) to block the incoming sunlight and prevent heat gain. They also add a touch of rural beauty to your home’s exterior and blend beautifully into almost any architectural style.
For this project you’ll need to collect the barn door hardware, which you can get some at Barndoorhardware.com or any well stocked hardware store, enough wood to build your sun shades, and all the necessary fasteners and tools. You can have a professional build them for you or simply install the tracks yourself.
VIDEO: Watch Michelle Kaufmann create and install these sun shades >>
Steps:
1. Once you have collected all of your materials, you will need to measure the height and width of the doors you plan to screen with the sunshade. Be sure to note where the header is located so you can fasten your barn door track hardware safely. The header is the beam located above your door or window that carries and redirects the load above the frame to the side studs. If your upper track is not attached to your header then it’s not going to stay put for very long!
2. Now measure your horizontal and vertical wood slats based on the numbers you collected above and then cut, align, and assemble them, using a spacer to keep the slates evenly spaced.
3. The specifics of how to install your barn door hardware will vary by manufacturer, so definitely consult the instructions that come with yours before and during the installation process (even the very general steps we’ve provided here may differ).
4. Install the upper metal track above your door, making sure not only to attach it to the header but also that it’s straight (use your trusty level!). If necessary, trim the excess track. Then place the end blind hardware piece over the end of the track to prevent creep along the track (this will also keep birds from hanging out in there). Next, install the lower metal track guide and stopper.
5. Attach the trucks (which you can call wheels if you really want to) onto the top of your assembled wood screen. You may then need to install guide rollers onto the bottom of your screen if the hardware you’re using requires it. Once the trucks are on, simply slide your wood sun shade into the end of your track(s) and slide it into place.
6. Now go inside, pour yourself some lemonade, and relax in the energy-saving shade you’ve just created!
Download a pdf of these instructions from Michelle Kaufmann's blog >> Provided by Michelle Kaufmann - http://www.michellekaufmann.com
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