DIY patio coverUsually when I look for a subject for this page I seek out experts from Ezine Articles or another posting site but my topic this week comes from my brother Larry who is pro at do it yourself home improvements and expert at cheap living.

Larry is in his seventies and has been retired for many years.  He works hard at stretching his pension as far as possible so when he was looking to add a patio cover to his deck he skipped the roll-out awnings and went to the scrap pile and hardware store instead.

Living in northeast Washington where heavy snows may catch folks unprepared, there is usually an abundant supply of collasped portable carports in the neighborhood so Larry picks up pieces from neighbors or yard sales and with the undamaged parts he assembled a frame for a patio cover which he covered with a large plastic tarp from the local hardware store.  The result was a 14′x20′ patio cover which he can easily dismantle in the fall before the next snow fall.  The frame can reused year after year, the tarp can be replaced for about $30 or $40.

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Filed under: cheaper living

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