topic Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ???? in Home

PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

Fressa — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 15:51:57 GMT

I have an enclosed patio/yard area for our dogs and ourselves. The sun is so strong during the afternoons that it heats up the family room. (I do have shears and a wood blind at one of the windows.) I had this idea to purchase a stand alone patio umbrella and tilt it toward the huge patio door area just to shade it a bit. I thought that the stand would not get in the way of the dogs, etc. Has anyone done this? I've seen all types of umbrellas in all types of shapes and all types of material. Also, which is stronger: a wood pole or alumnium? We do get wind but most of it is blocked by the 6' fence. Most of the umbrellas that I've seen that are stronger fabric are in the 9' width range. I'm wondering if that is too big for just being in a stand. HELP!!!!!

i would appreciate any feedback from your experiences. Thanks in advance for you help and time.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

SilleeMee — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:26:52 GMT

It's way too windy around here for me to put up an umbrella. I have a west-facing side of my house with large windows that get hot sun in the afternoon. A couple of years ago I bought and installed some Coolaroo sunshades on my west-facing windows to help keep my house cool. These are shades that manually roll up and down. They are mounted on the outside of my house, just above the windows. They don't do anything to shade the outdoors...just keeps the inside of my house cooler. Comes in many sizes and beautiful colors. You can also mount them around an enclosed patio. Highly rated and imo are fantastic!

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

BirkiLady — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:38:26 GMT

@SilleeMee What an interesting idea! Who is the manufacturer? Would like to read more, please. Have considered having an open-type gazebo type overhang built, but haven't found plans that suit me yet. Don't want stuff on the windows or awnings.

I have three huge windows (actually one is a door and window) in my family room. Size is 96" wide x 84" high on each one. I love the expansive windows, but in the late afternoon if I forget to close the wooden 2" shutters, it does become warm in that room if over 90 degrees outside. We had triple pane windows installed throughout the house due to the size and number of windows after living here one winter; our heating bills were cost prohibitive! Even with two HVAC systems.

Have two of the same size windows in the master bedroom, which have custom drapes with a heavy lining. On the upper floor, that room doesn't become warm. Crazy, isn't it?

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

SilleeMee — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:56:04 GMT

I have my Coolaroos mounted like the one shown in this photo. You can't believe what a difference it made with keeping my house cooler.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

BirkiLady — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:41:27 GMT

@SilleeMeeDoes Coolaroo stand up to heavy winds? It looks really nice on a hot sunny day!

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

SilleeMee — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:42:52 GMT

@BirkiLady

The Coolaroo brand of sunshades are sold at many places. Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart, too. If you google them check out the image tab of the google search and you can see how nice they are.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

SilleeMee — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:46:42 GMT

@BirkiLady,

Coolaroo shades are super durable and made of UV-resistant materials. They withstand high winds...the wind blows through the screen material and although the wind will make them flex around a bit, they are very strong to stand the force of the winds, rain and hail!

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

LonestarBabs — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 17:04:18 GMT

Have you thought about solar screens? We have those and love them here in TX.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

BirkiLady — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 17:17:32 GMT

@LonestarBabsOur three-pane windows have a solar coating on them and some kind of gas between each pane. My husband had two PhD's and worked for the Energy Dept.; he took care of ordering them and having them installed. I just chose the stain for the inside! Not going to invest any more moola into them! It's only in the family room that it sometimes is warm. And now that I'm alone, I'm not in there during the heat of the day.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

SilleeMee — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 17:33:25 GMT

Solar screens are good only when they cover the entire window but my windows have screens on the side-opening parts of the window only and not the largest center pane of glass. I lived in a house with those solar screens on the windows and what I noticed is that when the sun was shining on them they got very hot. Even though my windows in my house now have the '365 comfort' glass in them, along with the argon gas fill, the sun here in Colorado is very intense because of our altitude and thin air. Anything and everything that I can use to filter the sun out is a plus. Those Coolaroo shades are a godsend.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

LonestarBabs — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 18:50:48 GMT

Our solar screens were not expensive and you can get them in different sizes, even custom. I only have one PhD but I prefer solar screens to Coolaroo for our TX needs. I see Coolaroo roller shades at restaurants, and in homes for use around open porches. Coolaroo shade sails are great for small open areas needing a bit of shade, and of course the Coolaroo dog beds are great!

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

Kachina624 — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 01:08:46 GMT

I put do-it-yourself window tint on my Southwest facing bedroom windows and they've made a world of difference. A big umbrella would be just like a sail in the wind, fence or not. It would be gone and destroyed.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

151949 — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 02:40:19 GMT

Our 2 bedroom windows face south so they get a lot of sun. during the day we are rarely in there anyway, so we just keep the shutters closed to keep the sun out.

Our lanai is also on the south side of the house but has a large oak on each side and behind which cteats considerable shade out there. It took a few years for the trees to get big , but now they are it's delightful .

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

Katcat1 — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 05:19:09 GMT

@Fressa I think it is a great idea. As far as wood or aluminum, I would ask the sales assistant. I would also look around. Crate & Barrel sells really nice ones & different colors. Sometimes they are are on sale. I would also check Pottery Barn to see if they have a sale. Anyway, shop around and do price comparisons. Take in consideration the overall construction of the umbrella. Both Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn have a sale on now for all outdoor furniture & umbrellas.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

JeanLouiseFinch — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 08:56:10 GMT

I'd be reluctant to use a stand alone umbrella. Unless you are using the patio umbrella with a heavy table, I'd suggest the alternative blind/shade idea. Several years ago, I had the umbrella opened during the day. The umbrella pole went through the center of a wrought iron patio set and the bottom of the pole was in a reasonably heavy wrought iron stand. That afternoon, out of nowhere a storm came up with lots of wind. At the time, we had deck on the back of the house. The patio set went sliding across the deck and the opened umbrella was lifted out of the stand, and came sailing toward the garden window over our kitchen sink. What a mess - broken glass all over the place, inside and out. With a free standing umbrella, I'd worry about the same kind of thing happening again. We have since replaced the deck with a Unilock paver patio and the wrought iron patio set with a large, heavy polywood set. Our umbrella is very secure in the center of the table.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

BirkiLady — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 20:06:22 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch We had an umbrella (tilt-type) and it was so awkward to use that we seldom bothered. After a couple of seasons, we had a contractor built a permanent, large slatted (but open) decking over one of our patios. That side of the house overlooks six acres of commons areas to the North; sun isn't a problem . . . rain and snow was! It is our favorite and largest outdoor living space. Makes a world of difference for grilling all year long!

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

GingerPeach — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 20:14:41 GMT

@Fressa wrote:
I have an enclosed patio/yard area for our dogs and ourselves. The sun is so strong during the afternoons that it heats up the family room. (I do have shears and a wood blind at one of the windows.) I had this idea to purchase a stand alone patio umbrella and tilt it toward the huge patio door area just to shade it a bit. I thought that the stand would not get in the way of the dogs, etc. Has anyone done this? I've seen all types of umbrellas in all types of shapes and all types of material. Also, which is stronger: a wood pole or alumnium? We do get wind but most of it is blocked by the 6' fence. Most of the umbrellas that I've seen that are stronger fabric are in the 9' width range. I'm wondering if that is too big for just being in a stand. HELP!!!!!

i would appreciate any feedback from your experiences. Thanks in advance for you help and time.

@Fressa

I did that last summer with a free-standing umbrella. I have a relatively sheltered back yard, but I did make it a point to close it if high winds were expected. Depending on where you are, that may or may not be practical.

Having the open umbrella there (it wasn't a tilt one; just regular) did shade the patio slider from a lot of hot sun. The umbrella is about 9 feet in diameter.

Re: PATIO UMBRELLAS ????

AnjalenaQVC — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:27:31 GMT

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