Mariner, a word of caution - it's probably best to keep your e-mail address from the boards, there are a lot of ***holes out there, I'd suggest editing and removing your info. Ben has closed registration because of 'hackers', don't open yourself up to any that haven't been removed That said; I usually prefer to keep my advice 'on the boards', for 2 reasons - 1) If you have a question, someone else probably has the same one, so the info is not 'case specific' and posting it here may save someone having to ask a question. 2) I may 'misspeak' myself or offer some questionable advice that someone else here would catch and correct, getting just 1 source of info can be a bad thing! However, if for some reason, you'd prefer to keep things private, pm me and I'll give you my e-mail address and phone #.
John's response was correct (as usual - can't give 'rep' anymore but can say that someone gave a great response ) I want the 3' as a safety measure (some manufacturers give an 'uneven' overlap on the cover, so 'playing it safe' keeps the need for the 'lawn-stakes' out of the picture). But, all other things aside, John and I can probably talk you through the installation, if you decide to DYS. (and others will chime in with advice)