Tinting the Windows

With summer fast approaching (temperatures have already hit the 90's), we decided to keep the house cool by applying a heat reflecting film to the large windows and sliding doors. We were a bit hesitant to do the work ourselves, but the instructions on the box made it look very easy, and we were confident we could do it ourselves. But then, everything at Home Depot claims to be easy-to-do.

With a careful reading of the more detailed instructions inside the box, a bit of luck, a lot of patience, and a few (dozen) swear words, we got the first panel done. It took us about seven hours to do the livingroom. Now I know why professional installlers charge so much.

In the end, we did a very nice job. The film cuts down the glare and heat dramatically (see the picture, the film is on the right side), and doesn't distort our beautiful view of the lake.