OK, so my headline isn’t original. After 230+ posts I am running out of fresh ideas. So much so that I haven’t even blogged for nearly two years. That is mostly because I’ve not done much new work on Sparta and you sure as hell don’t want to read about our day-to-day existence here.

But being the good husband that I am, I finally caved to Cristina’s complaints about the summer heat pounding on our bedroom which rendered our floor-standing A/C nearly useless. My solution?…an awning over the bedroom window.

Now, please allow me to pontificate a bit here about Chinese “durable” goods. You recall my earlier post years ago lamenting the state of American manufacturing and the fact that much of it has been conceded to foreign producers – particularly the Chinese. My case in point was the old heater in my bathroom (which I resurrected to perfect working order) versus the cheap crap now available at trailer supply stores, mostly of foreign origin. I’ll admit, I am ambivalent about products made offshore. On one hand, they are incredibly inexpensive which has made things like TVs (and my refrigerator) very affordable but the downside has been a significant shift in the domestic economy to service industries. Also, much of this imported stuff is cheap, flimsy and short-lived. I have had some positive experiences with Chinese products (my reefer) and some not so (my outdoor shower, broken after one season of use).

Which brings me back to my awning. I had some trepidation about buying a 10′, $149 retractable awning from China. I had visions of it flying away like Sally Fields in a high wind. But the thrifty Scot in me bit the bullet and, thus far, I have been very impressed with the result. The first thing I noticed upon receipt was its weight. I could barely pick it up. The second was the thorough packaging, good instructions (with just a few typos) and the presence of all the parts. Good start.

Assembly was complicated. Because of its weight and the potential stress exerted upon it by wind, I could not just screw it to Sparta’s aluminum skin. So I had to install a wood mount to affix the awning to. I painted a 10′ 2 X 8 piece of pressure treated lumber

One disturbing aspect about ageing is the jarring realization that things once taken for granted are now very difficult (like running). This is especially true if the time between them is significant. Take picking up this 10′ piece of lumber. Back in the day I would’ve just grabbed the board with one hand, tucked it under my arm and scampered up the ladder. Not so today. I could pick it up with both hands but getting it up six foot ladder was harrowing. My bad knee has left me very unstable which, coupled with my diminished upper body strength (once a source of great pride), has made the simplest of chores a real adventure. With Cristina’s help (I am not too proud to ask) I raised it into position and screwed the beam into position, making sure to anchor it to ribs not skin. I made sure to add copious amounts of silicone sealant to every place that I breached Sparta’s skin. I certainly don’t want to add roof leaks to my ever-growing list of chores around Sparta. With the wood in place, I was then able to bolt the awning above our bedroom door.

Yeah! It works! Naturally, as soon as I got this thing up and extended the outdoor temp dove back down into the 70’s, so it was difficult to test the awning’s effectiveness at first. But when the heat returned I noticed a real difference in our bedroom’s comfort level.

So with that success under my belt. I got another idea…Why not cover the back of the trailer because it gets blasted by the late afternoon sun? So I noodled over that challenge for a bit and came up with the idea of a PVC frame upon which to sew an old piece of tan fabric that I had lying around. To blend in, I painted it silver. I will let the photos tell the story.

With two sides covered, I decided to take on the rooftop. I ordered a 157″ X 105″ piece of grey sun-blocking fabric from TEMU, the latest mass marketer/seller of Chinese merchandise, to affix to Sparta’s roof. But I couldn’t just stretch it atop my trailer. I needed to devise some way to minimize contact between the roof and the fabric to create an air baffle, thus increasing its cooling effects. My simple (and admittedly lazy) solution was to place a bunch of 2′ 4 x 4s atop the roof and drape the fabric across them.

Admittedly, this solution was about as low-tech and inelegant as one could get, but outa site, outa mind. It still works.

Blessedly, the trailer is cooler, Cristina is quieter and I can go back to whatever important affairs I have awaiting me.