Since we had the carport fan installed at the time of the electric wiring for the shed, we need to pursue installation of sunscreens along the carport to add protection during the summer. This will be in addition to sunscreens for most of the windows on the house, which will help keep the interior of our home cooler and protected from the UV rays of the blazing summer sun.
We started off with getting bids from Yuma Screens, and Ron Adams Yuma Screens is who the majority of the homes here used. Everyone loved Phil. Ron Adams was recommended by Barbara and Kevin Harmon. I really liked the sturdiness that was apparent at Barbara & Kevins place. Both companies do quality work, and the prices were fairly comparable. We expected Yuma Screens to come in the highest of all bids, but Ron Adams was higher. Specialty Sewing did not call me back to schedule a bid, so we crossed them off immediately. Bottom line: Ron experienced a death in the family, and was already at least three weeks out for work. Phil, at Yuma Screens will be able to get everything installed before we leave for our summer travels.
WINDOW EXAMPLES: There isn’t much to figuring out for the window screens other than selecting color. Most homes here select a lighter screen color that goes well with the exterior colors of the home. It is easy to see that a home has screens since they stand out being lighter than the actual window.
Some have a color frame other than white. 
Nice frame choice. 
So many decisions to make when it come to the CARPORT!
Do we want the screens to go all the way to the ground on the carport? If not, do we go up 1-2 inches or about 6 inches?
We decided to have the screens be 1-2 inches off the ground. The screens will NOT keep out all sand, so having an inch or two at the bottom will allow easier use of our handheld blower or hose within the carport area. This will also allow more air circulation in addition to our ceiling fan. Some preferred to go all the way to the ground to simply keep more wind and sand out, period. We originally planned to do that, but decided the 1-2 inch space would work better for us.
How many sections of the carport do we screen?
Initially, we were going to leave the section closest to the street without a screen so we would have better visibility as we back out of the carport. We ended up deciding to leave two sections open. This will allow more natural daylight into the carport. During the winter months it will be nice to have a little sun reach the carport.
Do we want screening with a door across the back between the shed and the house?
Having a 6 foot wall behind us (west), we weren’t sure if this back area needed to be screened. We love the 8-ft opening between the shed and the house, but we noticed as the sun hits the western sky, it puts quite a bit of sunshine into the carport through that opening, so, yes we will screen that off with a section that includes a door. We will be able to open the door outward and have it go flat along the west wall of the shed.
Do we want screening to also go across the width of the carport (perpendicular to the main screens along the length of the carport) to completely enclose an entertainment/sitting area? Do we want a privacy screen that only goes 2/3’s of the way across the carport, but leaves a wide, open section to allow easy access from the car to side the entry door?
At first we like the idea of having our outdoor living space fully enclosed. It really makes it a room, but as it creates a nice, private space, it also cuts you off from neighbors who walk by. While you can see them during the day, they cannot see you easily. I’m too social for that. Virgie pointed out that your carport space is much more flexible if you don’t fully enclose your entertaining area. If you have a really big gathering you can park your vehicle elsewhere, and you can use the ENTIRE carport for people, seating, and tables, etc. You also pay more in taxes if you totally enclose the space because it is viewed as additional square footage of living space! We can always choose to enclose it later on if we feel we really want that additional privacy.
What color of screen material do we want?
Most people select tan or gray screen material of either 80 or 90 weight – probably because it looks like sand for our desert setting, and it blends well with the exterior home color. Because the tans and gray are lighter than the natural windows, these screens are obvious in the daylight and at night. I really like the look of the actual tinted windows. I feel that the lighter color screens hide the beauty of the bigger windows we chose to have. It is scary sometimes to step out of the box, but that is what we tend to do. We are usually very pleased afterwards. All sunscreens will reduce the amount of natural light that can make it through the window. After all, the purpose of having them is to block the sun’s UV rays and heat. I found it interesting to learn that Ron Adams has the dark brown on his own home (and loves them), and Phil (Yuma Shades) has black with white frames on his.
I remembered when we ordered our Magne Shades for Vinny that I was told the dark brown or black works the best and that you can see OUT much better than the other lighter colors. They supposedly look better longer. I asked to see the samples. The visibility was true for these screens, too. We were surprised at the difference looking through the stucco sample vs the chocolate brown sample! We decided to be bold and go for the chocolate brown on the windows. We’re still undecided about those along the carport.
Phil will have our window shades ready in about 10 days, so we can decide then if we want the same chocolate brown on the carport, or if we prefer the two-toned, stucco choice for that. The stucco would look really nice with our exterior paint colors, but for the same clarity of seeing through, uniformity of all screens, and MAYBE not being as noticeable from a distance, I’m leaning toward the brown. We’ll see…
Today, April 14, Phil had the screen for the shed ready for us to pick up We brought it home so we could see how it will really look with our house before he makes all of them with the brown screening. Barry and I both really liked it. Cheryl stopped by later and 100% agreed with our choice of the brown. We are going forward with the dark chocolate brown in the 90 weight for all the windows as well as the carport screens! Can’t wait to get them!!
“Stucco” window screens 
Chocolate brown in lower right corner.
Brown screen on the carport dining window 
Closeup -front dining window 
Closeup 
Shed screen “on” the shed window
Making significant decisions can make me crazy! I want to get it “right”, but am always nervous that I may have screwed up by not following what most everyone else has done here. I don’t want to regret our bold move! To be continued…
Excellent synopsis of all of your work to come to great choices and decisions on your beautiful home. You two are so thorough, well done.
Love your wonderful writing ability.
Thank you, for such a nice compliment and even more for your friendship! Glad we are neighbors!
I love your input and sharing your decisions for your new screens being new to the neighborhood it helps Us in making our decisions moving forward with our build thank you
So glad you not only enjoyed this blog post, but you found in helpful for your future decisions. I know I was surprised that there was this much to think about!