In the afternoon the sun really beats down on our patio. So last year I bought a roll of shade cloth from Sams club figuring I'd try to rig something up to help cut down the sun a little.
Here are some pics of what I did.
Okay so it took a year but at least it's done now.
Shade open.
Shade Closed
I also started to install some LED lighting in the pergola.
How about some details?
I screwed an eye bolt into each end of the pergola and strung some aircraft cable between them. Did this on both sides.
Then drilled a hole on each end of some 1/2" conduit and looped a key ring through the hole and around the aircraft cable. I sewed loops in the shade cloth and slipped the conduit through the loops. No comments on my sewing. I still have to clip the hanging threads.
For the LED lighting I found a great deal on Dealextreme.com for some outdoor waterproof LED lighting. $45 for a 5 meter length with controller.
I can choose from something like 15 different colors, and dim them.
I cut a 1/2" wide x 1/4" deep dado in the cross bars and used silicone caulk to glue the lights into the cross bars. Okay, haven't finished tucking away the wires yet but hopefully soon.
That's all folks!
Come and visit any time!