I don’t like being hot.  I also don’t like using the AC.  When I moved into my townhouse it was summer and and the living room was in the 90’s when I got home from work.  The sun shined bright in my living room and everywhere it touched was like it was in the oven.  I replaced the patio door with a Milgard dual pane low-E glass door.  Low-E glass works better than window tint.  I tried window tint at another place but it faded and needed replacing after 6 years.  Low-E patio door reduced my living room temperature nicely.

Over the years the temperatures have been increasing and I decided to do more work on cooling my living room.  I bought a big round umbrella from Pier One Imports and stuck it in front of the patio door.  That made it a bit cooler but a good amount of sun was still heating up my living room as the round umbrella left lots of gaps in my rectangular shaped patio.  Also the cheap fabric was starting to get holes in it.

I noticed Costco was selling 6.5′ X 10′ rectangular umbrellas which would keep more sun out of my living room.  The Sunbrella fabric was also more resistant to the elements.  It still got warm though.  I bought a second Costco umbrella to cool things down more.

I also bought a metal crate to elevate the second umbrella so the umbrellas could overlap in front of my patio door.  This reduced the temperature a few more degrees in my living room.  The area underneath both umbrellas was cool as having 2 layers of umbrella made for an excellent sun shield.  There was still a gap between the 2 umbrellas and the sun still warmed up a small part of my living room.  A custom solution was required.  I tried sticking a big piece of cardboard in the gap which worked ok till the cardboard got wet and started bending.  Also the wind blew it to the ground on occasion.

I went to Lowe’s to get supplies.  I bought 2 yard sticks to reinforce the cardboard.  I attached the yard sticks with 3M shipping tape.  Then I sealed my construct with a large trash bag and the shipping tape.  I then used another large trash bag to double bag it.

When this sun shield wears out I plan on using a bigger piece of cardboard for the next sunshield as there is still a tiny gap where a sliver of sunlight is still getting through to the living room.