Our deck gets a lot of sun in the afternoon and the outsides of the house are pelted with the heat. We have
cellular blinds on the way for inside insulation but we needed a solution for the deck itself that would also absorb some of the heat from reaching the inside of the house.
We decided to go with
bamboo shades that we would mount on the outside of the deck to keep the sun from the side of the house that would also let us use the deck in the afternoon.
Bamboo shades of course are made from
bamboo which is a rapidly
renewable resource. In fact it can grow as much as 3 feet per day. It is a great alternative to using wood (which isn't as easily renewable); also it is easy to clean and insulates very well.
We went down to
Rona and got a few of them. They had sizes ranging from 36 inches to 96 inches in length and 72 inches in height.
They were extremely easy to mount; we needed a wood surface, measured, drilled a pilot hole and screwed in the hook then mounted the bamboo shades on them.
I was surprised at the difference these blinds made. Not only was the deck bearable now, the inside of the house was much much cooler.
