The Best Patio Shade Ideas

The Best Patio Shade Ideas

Looking for a summertime escape from the brutal Denver sun? Patio shade ideas for your outdoor living space run the gamut from the simple to the complex, limited only by your imagination and budget. Integral to your outdoor living space design, your shade selection will affect the functionality of your patio for years to come. Which outdoor addition will have you made in the shade?

Sail Shades
One of the easiest shade structures to make an install, a triangle-shaped fabric with eyelets, twine, and rope anchored to surrounding buildings, poles and nearby trees will net you an artsy sun filter. Buyer beware, however, these shades often become shredded or sail away in harsh mountain winds – and offer no protection for rain or snow.

Awnings
Attached above and extending over windows, doors, and occasionally, decks, awnings offer protection from the glare of the sun – but need a bit of protection themselves from Denver area winds. Strong winds and heavy rain can rip the fabric of awnings and mangle the frames when left up in inclement weather. Fabric lasts a few years when properly cared for, but fades and breaks down quickly in the harsh Colorado sun, with replacement coverings nearly the price of the entire structure.

Gazebos
These freestanding structures offer permanent shade and rain protection while still allowing for open landscape views. The price of installing a gazebo for larger patio spaces, however, can be quite high. Traditional wood options also leave you with a lifetime maintenance commitment, repainting every few years to protect the structure from weather and pests.

Pergolas

Pergolas offer a plethora of design possibilities, from dimensions to construction material and design. Freestanding or attached, roofing creates shaded, usable space below, which can be used for everything from an outdoor living and entertaining area, to a barbecue nook, poolside retreat, or bar. There are many different pergola options:

●     Open Roof
Lattice-style, open-roof pergolas are traditionally constructed of wood, and do not offer full shade. Vining plants are often added to enhance shading capacity. Like other wooden structures, they require frequent maintenance and repainting.

●     Solid Roof
Solid roof pergola options grant the same design flexibility as open-roof styles, with permanent shelter from the sun, rain, and snow. They offer poor ventilation, however, and during cooler times of the year, limit access to the sun’s warmth.

●     Adjustable
Adjustable pergolas feature a louvered roof, allowing for convenient shade. Interlocking louvers offer reliable shelter from the rain, as well as access to the sun with the simple touch of a button or smart-device driven operation. Capable of withstanding hurricane force winds, once installed, maintenance is minimal courtesy of easy-care, aluminum construction. Enjoy a sunny day or a starlit night, including sliding, sunroof-style adjustable roofing options.

Don’t get stuck with an all or nothing shading solution for your outdoor space. Discover the difference versatility can make. Contact Denver Pergola Systems today.

 

Bring Sales to a New Heights with a Rooftop Patio

Add a Rooftop Patio and Watch Sales Soar

Returning double-digit profits in some markets, rooftop patios and decks are becoming a must-have amenity from luxury hotel, condo, and office space developers to cocktail lounge and restaurant entrepreneurs. By taking advantage of available space, these rooftop additions are helping such establishments stand out from the competition, squeezing added value out of existing real estate.

Rooftop Renaissance

Rooftop additions are nothing new, and were a prime solution to making mid-summer public assembly possible pre-air conditioning. In 1904, Time Square’s Astor Hotel boasted vast, pergola-topped rooftop gardens, adorned with triumphal arches, tempiettos, fountains – even arcades and a bandshell. Today, however, rooftop establishments leave such exposed, leaking pergola predecessors in the dust, replacing them with integrated motorized, adjustable louvered roof systems, offering patrons not only full sun and rain protection, but opening to reveal full nighttime skies, and sporting such options as motorized screening against pests, fans, heaters or fireplaces, flat screens and amazing A/V technology. 

Untapped Views… Untapped Potential

A great fit for buildings and areas where there isn’t a great deal of usable outdoor space, rooftop decks and patios call to today’s generation of high-altitude revelers – particularly when they border scenic locales: Lakes, mountain views, landmarks, monuments, bridges, city skylines and even fireworks displays offer access to previously untapped opportunities, easily adding square footage and a place to gather and enjoy the outdoors. More than a place to grab a bite, such rooftop milieu tops the list of commercial and residential real estate brokers in search of luxury condo fare, millennial-age corporate types seeking to work outside with Wi-Fi, as well as meets the ever-growing need for cocktail and dining additions for local and regional hotel and restaurant owners, who can add as much as 30% to overall sales with such seating solutions.

Ending Weather Woes

Reaping such rewards is not accomplished with a simple patio umbrella or awning, however – Denver’s prickly weather prevents that. Sturdy, reliable, easy to use and maintain equipment is a must for dealing with Colorado’s high-intensity sun and heat, rapidly developing afternoon thunderstorms, and menacing microbursts. Luckily Arcadia’s unique louvered roofing systems handle it all, from hurricane force winds to rain, snow, and sunshine via remote control or smart-device-driven operation, in a form custom-designed to meet your location’s unique design needs.

How much could you recoup on a rooftop patio investment? The sky’s the limit. Open up to new possibilities. Learn more about Denver Pergola Systems adjustable patio roofing options today.