Green Mesh Roll - 90% Shade

The 3’ x 85’ clerestory on my 1956 house in Sapulpa, Oklahoma offers magical light….MOST of the time. For the past week, temperatures have exceeded 100º on three days. The clerestory on this curved house faces, simultaneously, east, southeast, south, southwest, and west. The house overheats; the a/c sweats and churns. Heat gain might be reduced by a film applied to the inside of the continuous glass….for $8000 and with the whispered warning that ‘we are not sure if the film will trap the heat and break the glass.’. Yes, wonderful option, thanks. Do it yourself, Dan. I purchased 150’ x 4’ roll of green shade mesh for $135. 90% ‘shade’ and I suppose about 90% heat and UV reduction. Because it could not be placed immediately over the glass, I used 8” eyehooks, opened up, to hold it away from the glass. The material was seamed at the top, bottom, and both sides of 30’ sections. Grommets were inserted in the top seam, 4’ on center. The dressed mesh fabric is weighted down by a continuous old hose held by a continuous pocket easily built into the bottom seam. The 5” gap between glass and mesh allows the heat to exhaust itself upward before it touches the house. The dressed mesh does not sit ON the roof, but hovers 2” above the roof to allow for drainage. The a/c usage over the last 2 days has been 30% less than any day in the. last two weeks. The total cost was about $315—$135 for tarp; $100 for seamstress; $28 for grommets and die; $50 for handyman assistance—and the fabrication and installation took 6.5 hours. What’s next for ‘Tarps’. First, better colors. The dark green was fine for the left field fence of Crosley field, fine to covering the scaffolding of that 30 story tower, but unrefined on the entry facade of my house. What else? I suggest a photo voltaic fabric. This might be used for buildings but it might also be used to make clothing: keeping the dapper wearer cool in the summer and warm in the winter. ‘Tarps’ could partner with Armani to make fashionable suits in Navy blue. Imagine our President donned in ‘Tarps’ fabric and sporting a way-too-long red tie. Hey, why not? Camouflage made it big.

Good

Looks perfect for our project.