We created a simple but effective outdoor shade for our terrace, with a bit of imagination and work!
It’s been a seriously hot summer so far here, with temperatures getting up to 45°C. One of the big drawbacks of our house is it sits on an exposed hillside and we get full sun from dawn to dusk. This is challenging for growing flowers and vegetables. It’s also a real problem for us as we have a concrete terrace outside and no outdoor shade.
We decided this year to sort this out. As I work from home I hated having to sit inside constantly because of the heat outside. We thought about a few different approaches to give us some outdoor shade. Shade is a priority everywhere, and most people have a permanent, tile-roofed open extension, or less robust versions with eucalyptus branches and netting. We didn’t want to commit to a permanent structure at this point. We also wanted something a bit smarter than the temporary ‘lean-to’s’ so came up with a different plan.
Making the shade
We decided to make a wooden frame covered with canvas. We put a drop on one side that could be lifted or dropped depending on the sun. My husband bought some wood locally then created a simple but sturdy frame. We decided to sink the supports into cement in plant pots. This gave it real strength, and we didn’t have to sink them into the concrete terrace. It also means we can move it around if we want. I love the look of it, especially after we covered the cement with white stones.
I bought some canvas from amazon, at this point I didn’t invest in the really good quality stuff as I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Now we are happy with it I am planning to replace it next year. This time I’ll use some high-quality canvas that should last a few years.
Once the frame was in place we measured the top and sides. I couldn’t find fabric the full width so had to stitch the two halves together to create the top square. This turned out fine as the join sits above the middle wooden support of the frame so you can’t see it. We stapled this over the top of the frame then turned under the excess. We stapled that to the sides of the top frame on three sides. On the side we wanted the drop, I cut an oblong which we stapled to the side before stapling the top overlap over down to cover the edge.
The next step was to create a fold at the bottom of the drop to thread a dowel through. We hook this to the bottom or top of the support to create different levels of shade.
We have a couple more things to do before it is finished – covering the staples with upholstery pins, and finishing the edges of the drop so that it doesn’t fray. However, we’re really pleased with it already and it’s wonderful to be able to sit in the shade overlooking the valley at last!