You are sinking into a sofa, catching up on all the latest. Breathing in the beautiful fresh air and taking in the nice change of scenery from your TV screen but the heat envelops you and you feel like there is no escape. Yet there is hope - every backyard in Australia needs something to escape the oven-like heat and provide you and your family with sun protection. How to achieve that? Of course, shade. You may be reading this article because you are a little confused about what shade option to go with. Here at Shadowspec we are passionate about finding the right shade option for your space, no matter what size or unusual shape it is.
We are big on landscape design and enjoy giving design tips for outdoor spaces. This article will help you decide whether a shade sail or an umbrella is the right shade solution for your outdoor space. First think, what is your intention for shade? Is it to create an extension of your living area, creating an indoor and outdoor flow or is it to provide concentrated sun protection and shelter from light rains to a specific area or outdoor activity?
Permits for Shade Sails in Australia
The first thing to consider when thinking of a shade sail as a solution for your shade needs is, here in Australia you may need a council permit that includes submitting a devolvement approval which involves getting a development plan consent and or building consent. If you are serious about achieving shade with a shade sail, contact your regional council to inquire whether you need to submit a development approval or not.
Shade for Large Areas
On the plus side, a shade sail can shade a large area of your backyard, or in fact your whole section, if you want. Do you have a playground for young children where you want to have peace of mind that they have sun protection while playing outside for long periods? Maybe you throw large social gatherings and need a shade option, even later in the day. As we are aware the late afternoon here in Australia can still be hot and uncomfortable, if there isn’t something to cut the heat.
Talking of cutting the heat, consider an umbrella with a high-performance canopy fabric. Though umbrellas don’t shade large areas in general as you would need a lot of umbrellas to shade your whole backyard. The Shadowspec Unity™ Quattro still shades up to 38sqm, this is ample space for your average patio. You can join multiple Unity™ Quattro's with rain gutters, creating a waterproof shade area. Bear in mind not all shade sails are waterproof so be sure to ask the question when enquiring about shade sails.
Follow the Sun, All Day
A plus for umbrellas, in particular rotating umbrellas, is that you can rotate the shade to follow the sun throughout the day, ensuring maximum sun protection. You can also shift our Shadowspec Serenity™ - single canopy and umbrellas on a free-standing base with wheels to different areas of your outdoor area, depending on your activity throughout the day. You may want to shade your outdoor seating mid-morning while catching up on the latest SMH reads, enjoying your latte that you made by channeling your inner barista. In the afternoon you may want to relax and cool off in your outdoor pool, with your favourite Barossa Valley Shiraz or a refreshing Solo, in hand. The point is that umbrellas can shade specific areas well, with the flexibility to transport the shade structure to different areas of your oasis.
High UV Protection
Both options provide high UV protection with shade sails blocking up to 96-98% of UV radiation and the Shadowspec canopy fabric with a UPF 80 UV protection blocking 98% of UV radiation. Your concern is shade, so both options are viable. It depends on your unique outdoor space and your wants and activities, for what shade solution you should choose. Shade sails are a permanent shade solution that may require a permit here in Australia, and Shadowspec umbrellas are able to follow the sun and are a non-permanent, movable shade option to consider.
Send our shade specialists some photos of your outdoor area or try our Umbrella Selector Tool to see if a Shadowspec Umbrella is right for you and your home.
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