Let the light shine in

Our 2008 Keystone Challenger 5th wheel always seemed a little dark on those days when it was too cold to open the door and let natural light in through the screen door.  And even on hot days, leaving the door open meant letting the air-conditioned air out just so we could let a little natural light in.  We solved the dilemma by attaching small squares of stick-on velcro to the outside of the screen door frame and then cutting a piece of heavy weight, smoke-colored vinyl (available from your local fabric store) to fit over the screen door, leaving a cut-out for the door-opening slide.  We then attached the vinyl to the outside of the screen door by sticking the matching part of the velcro to the vinyl and pressing the matching pieces of velcro together around the door.  Now, we can open the door and enjoy the natural light, And we can see what is going on around us while keeping out the cold or heat, depending on the time of the year.  If the weather is pleasant enough that we want to allow the outside air to come in through the screen, we separate the velcro spots and remove the vinyl until it's needed again.  You could use clear vinyl but we chose smoke-colored vinyl so that when we have the door open, we have some privacy.  People on the outside can't see in, although we can see out very well.  Plus, the darker vinyl helps block the heat from the sun if we have the door open on a hot day.  I've attached some pics showing the view from the inside, the outside, and a small pic showing how the vinyl is attached.

Nice job. We did a similar thing, placing plexiglass inserts in the screen door frame so we can leave the door open in cool or hot weather.

Great idea! Thanks for sharing that!

-Roni