Letter sent to Owners
December, 2006
About
half of us owners at Paniolo Hale still have the original screens on their
lanais. Most have corroded frames
and the ugly wide joint right in the middle of the great views we have.
To improve the views, some owners chose to install the Screen Tight
system a few years ago, which opens up the view between the support posts.
But the Screen Tight system poses a maintenance and cleaning problem
because the screens are not easy to remove.
So we have developed a new system that offers the best views as well as
quick and easy removal for cleaning and maintenance (including painting of the
railings).
The new system consists of new heavy duty painted (almond color) extruded
aluminum frames which fit into the original wood slot at the bottom and the
original aluminum sections at each end. In
addition, the screen itself is heavier duty “pool and patio” screen.
The new frames will be the full width of the openings between support
posts and full height as well, so there will be nothing to block the view.
The new frames are held in place by four stainless steel screws and a
couple of clips to keep them tight against the top beam, preventing bugs and
geckos from entering. Each frame can
be completely removed in about 2 minutes, or even less if you have a power
screwdriver.
Owners who decide to order the new screen system can send an email or
letter to Ray Kawal, who will then place a one-time order for the materials to
be shipped from Metro Screenworks in
For owners wishing to participate, here’s how to figure your cost.
Small lanais will have two large frames about 11’ wide, requiring 3
pieces of frame per opening, or 6 pieces total.
The largest lanais have nine openings, each 8-9’ wide, so two pieces of
frame are required per opening, or 18 pieces total.
(Some lanais may be in between, so count the number of openings that are
9’ or less, then call or email Ray, who can then determine what you will
need.) For small lanais, the total
cost for frame material, screen, spline, corners, and shipping will be $315.
For large lanais, the total cost for the same materials and shipping will
be $1015. These costs do not include
installation, but the installation is not difficult.
Dani, Harold, or Rommel can install them on a work order if you so
choose. It took Harold and Rommel
about 3 hours to complete one small lanai, but this was a prototype, and they
should get faster as more are installed. Work
order labor is $30 per hour, so you can see that a whole new screen system
isn’t that costly. We purchased a
special aluminum cutting blade for cutting the frames accurately and a
professional installation tool for inserting the rubber spline which holds the
screen in the frames. Some owners
may wish to install their own screens and just purchase the materials.
Once
the new screen system is installed, the AOAO will become responsible for future
screen replacement that is the result of aging or other tears not caused by the
owner, his guests, or his renters. See
the screen policy in our “Frequently Asked Questions” section on our website
at:
http://www.paniolohale.org/condoinfo.htm
For
more photos and a short video you can download about the new screens, please see
our website at:
http://www.paniolohale.org/screens.htm
The
home page for the new Paniolo Hale website is at:
Please
visit the new website. It is still
growing, but you will be pleased at the amount of information you will find
about Paniolo Hale.
If
you have more questions and/or wish to order the materials for a new screen
system, please call, write, or email Ray at the address below by the end of
January. If we can place the order
by early February, we should have the materials on
Ray
Kawal
(360)
683-3027
email:
ray@kawal.net
Click here for supplemental cost information
Click here for a decent quality video of the new screen system. (Note this file is almost 30 Mb,
so you will need a fast internet connection.)
Click here for a lower quality video (about 8 Mb).
Paniolo Hale AOAO
Maunaloa, Hawaii 96770
All rights reserved.