My house is built around an open-air Atrium, approx 14' X 16'. We have access to it from patio doors from both the living room and the master bedroom. It was one of the selling points of the house to us, as we can enjoy outdoor living in total privacy. We have a hot tub in the Atrium and a Chiminea. It's a nice place to relax and hang out, unless the weather is extreme that is. Now, as summer approaches, I am going to build an awning out of PVC Pipe and shade fabric to drape over the crossbeam that spans the length of the Atrium to give us a little relief from that hot sun. My thoughts are to make two rectangular panels, each one approx 6' X 15 feet to drape over that crossbeam you can see in the pics and then attach to the sides with heavy duty zip ties or bungee cord fixed to eye bolts in the house. I've done this same kind of awning in previous years, but have used wood as the end pieces rather than PVC. But the wood warps, and I have even had a couple of these break in strong winds. This kind of shade fabric thing generally lasts about 3 years, (3 summers that is). Then the heat and weather deteriorates the fabric after that and it's time to replace.
So, check the pics to get an idea of what I am covering and let me know your thoughts on how I could improve this shade project, but still allow natural light through for the plants we have in the Atrium as well.
So, check the pics to get an idea of what I am covering and let me know your thoughts on how I could improve this shade project, but still allow natural light through for the plants we have in the Atrium as well.
