ᐅ Terrace Shading – Roof Covering, Awning, and More

Hello everyone,

This year we want to progress further with our garden planning, and the topic of shading has come up.

Since we also have a small child, shading has become important to us.

We have a newly built house and are now entering our third summer – we’re getting tired of using two €50 (about $55) umbrellas as our only shading solution.

We have a terrace that is 4 meters (13 feet) deep and 8 meters (26 feet) wide, facing south. The sun shines directly on the terrace all day long.

So far, we haven’t looked much into the pros and cons of different shading options, but we definitely want to tackle this “project” this summer.

--> We don’t need to sit outside in the rain, so a fixed, permanent roof is NOT necessary.
--> We have/want weatherproof furniture that can stay outside uncovered even in light rain, so again, a permanent roof isn’t required here.
--> It’s quite windy where we live, so some kind of side protection would be nice, but that might be too expensive for us right now.
--> We want a future-proof, long-term solution, but ideally also a cost-effective option.

At the hardware store, you often see “cheap” patio roofs – so the question is: are these any good?

What do you think about an awning? We’re not opposed to that, as our main focus is on shading.

Regarding sun sails: we haven’t looked into these yet, but we increasingly see them in our new housing area. Are they weatherproof? Can you leave them up all year? The disadvantage seems to be that they’re permanently stretched, so you can’t let the sun in sometimes, right?

In the end, I’d just appreciate some input and maybe some of your personal experiences. Surely some of you have already tackled this project and can share your thoughts.

Thanks!