Retractable Shading for Outside Areas / Pools? (Houston: sale, beach, pool)

[pickeytx]

Anyone in Houston have anything like this over their pool? Any company that can do this in Houston?



[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6coXmzrGd-E[/url]



[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXGNNnXKDM[/url]

[Snapper_head]

This would definitely be useful for Houston. Direct sunlight often adds 15 to 20 degrees to the air temperature. And direct sunlight on a concrete patio or driveway can add 30 or 40 degrees to the surface temperature - like heating up an electric hot plate.

1) As the video said, a tree would be much better. But trees take years to grow.

2) The closest thing i’ve seen are monster-sized, collapsible beach umbrellas. We actually had one for a while. But they only shade so much. You could put one next to your pool. You might even be able to put it inside your pool somehow.

3) You could probably build something like this (the retractable screen in the video). It might not even need a pulley system. Just a large screen or blinds, which might be for a sale at a big box store, and could definitely be ordered online. And then some sort of supports for it - poles or wires or whatever. It’s always great to start out low-tech to develop a proof-of-concept, before investing money in upgrading to a more permanent solution. For an ultra-low tech proof-of-concept, get a couple ropes, some clothes pins, and a couple king-size flat bed sheets. Spend 20 minutes setting it up and see how it works. If the concept works, then you can invest money in a real solution.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Snapper_head

This would definitely be useful for Houston. Direct sunlight often adds 15 to 20 degrees to the air temperature. And direct sunlight on a concrete patio or driveway can add 30 or 40 degrees to the surface temperature - like heating up an electric hot plate.


2) The closest thing i’ve seen are monster-sized, collapsible beach umbrellas. We actually had one for a while. But they only shade so much. You could put one next to your pool. You might even be able to put it inside your pool somehow.

Leave it up during high winds and it will definitely be inside the pool. Along with all of the glass pieces from the glass tabletop is was in, or next to. I know this for a fact...

[Snapper_head]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Leave it up during high winds and it will definitely be inside the pool. Along with all of the glass pieces from the glass tabletop is was in, or next to. I know this for a fact...

High winds did the same thing to our beach umbrella. We left it open during a storm and it was wrecked.

[lhafer]

Amazon and a couple of other online sellers sell these - I was looking into something exactly like this for my own small patio. We have trees, it need something for when the sun is directly overhead on our patio.