Never Seen This Before
 

Anybody know what this is? Is it just a big screen for the porch? Or is it something else?

If it helps... this is near the beach, about 150-200 feet away, but there is a street and a couple of buildings in front of this house. This is facing the ocean, approximately westward. This was the only house in the row with this device though.

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/...psp1xcw4yg.jpg

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/...pscnzvpgwu.jpg

Thanks!

Sure looks like a roll down screen for the porch. However it could be a retractable sail for the next tsunami.......:thumbup:

Or a solar vacuum tube water heater disguised as a roll down screen for the porch..........

Or maybe a retractable solar panel like they have on the ISS.........

It sure does look odd. :eek:

Hmmm.. I wonder if it is indeed one of those. I like that water heater tube idea! That would be a cool idea to have!

Thanks!

I'm going to go with: Motorized retractable awning, because there are times when the sun is too much, living on the beach...

There can also be ordinances that say that you cannot put up a permanent awning over a sun deck like that without getting it through the architectural review committee or the home owner's association (or both). Being west coast, you also have those seismic issues occasionally. When you claim it is a "temporary retractable awning", you can get away from a bunch of hoopla. Did it have an anemometer to tell it to retract if the wind gets too gusty? My dad has an under-mount motorized one with an anemometer to automagically put it away if the wind starts to pick up.

this is like solar vacuum tube water heater or may be some kind of device that use in weather information.

I was thinking it was a retractable awning as well...but there's nothing on the rail to hook it to, and there aren't any cables that I can see that would pull it down.

It's an awning. Those fancy ones are all electric and require no supports. They have hinged members that open up as you extend it. They are popular with diesel pusher motorhomes. Very pricey though.