| I had built a 40"x70" table for on our patio, with a set of benches, and we found that
a garden umbrella was never big enough to provide enough shade here in Santa Fe, NM.
I decided I wanted some awning that I could open and close up easily (In contrast to a permanent or
semi-permanent ramada or trellis). I wanted a structure that would not block any light into
the house in the winter.
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| The problem with commercial crank-out awnings is that they require a tall wall to mount onto.
We have a ranch-style one-storey house, with no tall walls. The main beams mounted on the wall
such that they are almost 8' off the ground. Where the wall is not tall enough, I made a bracket
that is mounted on the wall, and reaches up and around the roof's overhang.
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| On the opposite side, 16' from the house, was a low cinderblock wall. I attached two 'towers' to it,
that support the far ends of the beams. East is to the left, and you can see the roll-down bamboo
shades that we use to block the morning sun.
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| OK, bad picture. Outside view of the NE corner. You can see that the whole structure is made
from redwood 2x4, 4x4 and 2x6-es. Very simple construction, with some decorative cuts. You can see
the shade cloth draped in loose loops. There are two strips, each 60" wide, making the entire structure
about 12' wide. 16'x12' is a nice large shaded area.
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| There are 3 parallel beams perpendicular to the house wall. In this picture you are looking up
at the middle beam. The beams are composed of 2x6's and
2x4's. Aluminum tubes run over the 2x4 beams, and
loops of shade cloth are sewn such that the aluminum tubes slide in pockets. Ropes are used to open
and close them, and to keep the tubes spaced such that the cloth hangs in even loops. The ropes are tied
off to cleats ar various points.
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| The wall is the same height as the benches.
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| In this picture, the left shade is folded up, and the right one is still deployed. I also
pulled up the bamboo shade. I fold the shades up when there are high winds, and in the winter I
take them off altogether and store them in the shed. With the shades folded up away from the house,
no light is blocked from the house.
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