P.C. wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]You got it done !!!! Good job Russ. What a brilliant idea....I love it. There's nothing sweeter than cheating the elements and barbecuing in a downpour while staying nice and dry. I think that's whats so sweet about the sound of rain on a roof. Any roof.[/div]
Cheers! Wanna coffee? Im testing out my new french press. I needed to get a new one cause my old one was on the last ship im no longer on.
Yeah I have to do a few more changes on it.. the PVC piping that I got because Starfishie said it was cheaper than the type I wanted to get sagged. So I will get two lengths of 1 inch angle iron and 'stuff' the PVC pipe to make it stiff and straight again.. and then it will look like its all pipe and not rusty metal, lol.
The other issue, well not really an issue, is that we couldnt find a black tarp of the size i wanted. We didnt look everywhere mind you.. but if we find a black one in the size that I want we will buy it. We got a blue one which is ok, but it draws the eyes more than a black one would, and I do want to keep away from looking like a hobo camp.
Total cost in is just over a hundred bucks, with everything new, nothing being used from my place.
I can VERY easily set up the length bracing and pull out the tarp in just over a minute (yes I timed myself).
I can also change the tarp easily if I need to when theres a hole, I want to put in a wider one, or I want to change to a black one.
- 12 x 16 foot tarp (I can extend the roller I made to accomodate a larger tarp up to 14 feet wide, which I might do at a further point in time)
- 3 of 15.5' x 1.5" black PVC for length supports (deck to fence). The tarp rolls out on the top and doesnt attach to these, just lays on them.
- 4 of 10' x 3/4" white (unfortunate no black) PEX tubing for widthwise on the tarp so it doesnt fold in on itself, it is attached every third grommet on the tarp and it attached using plastic zap straps.
- pack of black zap straps
- 1 of 2" x 12' black PVC pipe to be used as the roller, one of the edges of the tarp should be zap strapped to this.
- The centre of the roller I used a 1.25" length of white PVC, but it sags like a chinese made ruler, so I will be replacing it with a length of 1.5" x 1.5" angle iron to make it straight.
- I also got two big ' J' hooks that is plastic coated to keep from rusting (yeah right, one day in teh rain and I can already see rust), they stick out 3.5" from the base and I slide the roller centre onto those.
Ill take a pic of the contraption after I change the centre piece if anyones interested in this.
