Sunday, December 6, 2009

Porch Awnings Are Easy To Make By Hand

By Jorge Sutherland

When travelling, it's important to keep yourself protected from the elements. One great way to do this is by building a caravan porch awning. If you want to to keep Mother Nature off your face, then this is a no brainer. Simply follow these instructions.

Difficulty: Easy

The Plan

Items You'll Be Using:

1. Canvas tarp

2. Tape Measure

3. Some Rope (nylon if you can)

4. Stakes

5. Adjustable tent poles

6. Weatherproofing Scotchguard

The Creation Stage

Use the tape measure and figure out the length of your caravan. How wide do you want that awning to end up being? Canvas tarps are available in numerous sizes, but most caravan awnings are about nine feet deep. Try to measure out the size that's perfect for your needs.

Purchasing Canvas Tarp

Give a few phone calls to authorized canvas tarp dealers and talk to someone who is experienced in the use and various sizes of canvas tarps. Mention the dimensions of your awning and then place an order for what you need.

Buy Remaining Supplies

Make a stop at your local outdoors store and pick up the tent poles, stakes, and the nylon rope. For best results you should purchase six tent poles and one hundred feet of nylon rope. Try pre-constructed pieces to ensure the building process is as simple as possible. Get all the items and pieces of same together in the same room once your canvas tarp arrives and prepare to assemble your caravan porch awning, first at home.

Using The Right Area

Move your caravan into a big enough area to accommodate the size awning you're going to build. Your best bet is to park over an area of soft earth. If you end up stopped over tar, you can use tent stakes and large metal nails to drive through the roadway. If you're dealing with concrete, hammer a stake into a crack to avoid surface damage.

Putting It All Together

Flatten out your canvas tarp on the ground. Arrange it so that it is placed beside the caravan in the appropriate manner. Move one tent pole's tip into the grommet at a corner of the canvas tarp that is closest to the caravan, being careful to raise the corresponding awning's corner until that tent pole has become vertical. Keep this pole in the right position until a securing line is staked into the ground.

Putting On Your Awning Line

This step is fairly simple, but extremely important. Designate fifteen feet of your rope for this task, knotting one end and making a loop of it so it will stay on the correct side of the canvas. Use this loop and carefully toss it over the high point of the vertical pole. This should allow you to fasten the other side with the stake, which will then be driven deep into the canvas tarp by the loop. Make sure the loose end rope is secured by a stake.

Finishing Your Remaining Materials

This step simply involves using your last five tent poles to connect to the corresponding grommets. When all is said and done, you should have three awning poles for the front and rear.

Weatherproofing Your Awning

Last but not least, spray your canvas tarp with your Scotchguard. Make sure you give your caravan porch awning three hours to dry, and then apply a second coat. When it is finally all dry, your awning should be perfectly waterproofed for years. When you've finished using it, take the awning apart and store somewhere cool and dry.

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