Gazebo Patio Shade Structures

Gazebo

• A gazebo is a freestanding structure that has a roof and open sides. Gazebos provide a shady resting place outdoors, and they often include built-in benches. A gazebo can belong to any one of a range of styles, from a white-painted Victorian gazebo dripping in gingerbread trim, to a weathered cedar post-and-beam structure with a thatched roof. Contemporary gazebos come in kits that have enabled many do-it-yourself enthusiasts to construct their own backyard gazebos.

Pergola

• A pergola is a freestanding structure that has open sides and a partial roof. Pergola owners enjoy filtered shade and an evening patio view of starlight through the roof. The shade a pergola casts depends on the structure of the roof and the time of day. Many homeowners plant vines around the posts of the pergola and train the vines to cover the roof to provide additional shade.

Patio Roof

• Some homeowners solve the problem of too much sun on the patio by extending the roof of the house to cover the patio. According to the California Energy Commission, shading your house and windows from the sun can lower indoor temperature by up to 20 degrees. A low-budget version of this solution uses corrugated, translucent plastic panels over beams that extend from the eaves of the house, while a high-end version mimics the slope and material of the existing roof and includes overhead electric lighting.

Portable Canopy

• Perhaps the most budget-friendly patio shade solution is a portable canopy. These structures stretch a cloth cover over an aluminum or steel frame. The resident either opens an accordion-folded frame or assembles the frame from a kit. The simplest shade cover is a flat, fitted sheet that pulls over the top of the frame, while more complex systems include a two-tiered roof, side panels with windows and removable sun screens. The downside to portable canopies is that they can blow away in strong winds, and residents must disassemble and reassemble them between seasons.