Summer is heating up fast and making it hard to sit without shade for too long. Check out the following ideas for shade covers to get out of the white-hot heat.
I am taking full advantage of the lovely outdoors this summer but running into one problem. I don’t want to wear sunscreen every single time I go out to relax on my patio. This set me on a search for shade. I came across a few simple solutions to finding the cool in the middle of the heat.
1. Try utilizing natural surroundings for shadow. Lattice and foliage are the perfect solution to escape the sun. Not to mention it is a relaxing surrounding to sit in.
2. Sail covers are popular and perfect for a modern twist to your outdoor area. You can make them yourself or buy them pre-made!
3. The easiest idea for shade is to use the cover of your home. If you have an overhang or covered patio make it the hub of your outdoor activity.
4. Building a structure is sometimes necessary. Wooden slat structures are perfect because they do not block the sun completely but rather filter it.
Images: 1. Sunset 2. Coolaroo 3. My Home Ideas 4. Design Sponge 5. Fresh Home
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Flammable materials and foliage under and around the eaves are a fearsome fire hazard in much of the forested and grassland West this year. If embers start a fire in this stuff it will travel right to your roof structure, with tragic results.
If the Coolaroo isn't ample enough. a tent-and-awning shop can make a rectangular or square shade to fit your application, with as many grommets as needed to attach the shade to hooks, eyebolts or whatever. There are many ways to fasten the loose edge down, including heavy iron tent stakes from Black Bear Forge (online).
I find it mildly annoying that the writer thinks we're too stupid to know to use our own structures for shade if we have them.
That first picture is so inviting!
I agree--that first picture is delightful. I would love to be out there with some friends and a bottle or two of Pinot Grigio on a hot summer night.
On our deck, we have some nice trees in containers that can be rolled around to shade us wherever we are sitting. Natural umbrellas are the best.
this is a san francisco post, right?
"Summer is heating up fast and making it hard to sit without shade for too long."
where in sf are you talking about?
i'm currently in noe valley and have lived on potrero hill and on the peninsula south of the fog and wind line which is in san mateo.
heat is rarely the issue here (think famous mark twain quote). sun protection may be a healthy choice but it's rarely based on temperature. i pray for the days in june thru august when i can eat outdoors at night without a gas heater, much of the city is in the fog until noon, and i always look forward to our great septembers and octobers after disappointing "summers" compared to my east coast childhood.
A friend in Japan is growing a 'green screen' to cool his house this summer. They can't use a/c because, well, they're trying to cut back on electricity use due to a certain nuclear accident..
I also love the sail shades. My friend went to Spain and they hang them between buildings to shade the streets below. So smart and earth-friendly!