# Sunshades - Awnings etc



## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

We currently use 4 x 2.5M umbrellas to provide shade on our most used patio area. However, a medium strength breeze tends to blow these over and we then need to take them down completely and lay them flat to prevent damage.

We're therefore thinking of getting an awning from Superhome Centre. These are currently on special offer, but two questions come to mind:

1. Is the hollow block construction of Cypriot houses strong enough to support a heavy awning? (Clearly, I'm talking long term here and year round including the gales we get in Winter as, once fitted, I would not wish to take it down again).

2. Are these awnings any better in a medium strength breeze, or would we need to wind it back in which gives us no advantage over our current method of shade?

We have also considered the heavy duty 3.5M umbrellas, but we know from experience at the Droushia Heights hotel that, despite four extremely heavy concrete blocks holding each one down, they are quickly folded in a medium strength breeze to prevent any damage. We have also considered the triangular shaped 'sails' you can buy from various places which seem to offer more flexibility and anchor points which enable easy removal in Winter.

Does anyone have any suggestions or experience of these things?


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

We made stands from tyres and filled them with concrete. We painted the tyres white and used the remnants of the path for the top to match them in. They don’t move. We have 3m umbrellas and wedge them in the stand as on occasions they start to lift. When they flap in a medium strength breeze we tend to fold them up but we are usually inside by then.

We tried the triangular shaped sails but they were not very successful as the wind tends to blow them apart a little thus reducing the shade and you may also need something to tie them to at one end. We used the brolly stands that we made. You are welcome to try the sails if you wish.

We have an awning at work and I helped fit it last year. The winter took its toll and the cover needs to be re-placed.


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## virgil (May 3, 2012)

David_&_Letitia said:


> We currently use 4 x 2.5M umbrellas to provide shade on our most used patio area. However, a medium strength breeze tends to blow these over and we then need to take them down completely and lay them flat to prevent damage.
> 
> We're therefore thinking of getting an awning from Superhome Centre. These are currently on special offer, but two questions come to mind:
> 
> ...


These are the type of blinds I had fitted when we lived in Tenerife. Our gaff was right at the far LH side of the complex so had less protection than the ones in the streetview.

ISTR they were very well made AND fitted by a local bod but, I would wind them in if it got too windy or they would take off 

Um, they were of course fixed to a block built dwelling.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@28.0...4!1sgXubfy3nWjJuVKIYVDgGWA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

David there are loads of properties here with these sort of awnings and the properties are perfectly strong enough to take them.


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks For the replies.

The concreted tyres sounds like a great idea, although for us a little too much work to create! Since you mentioned it, I remembered that many pubs in the UK used this method for the umbrellas in their beer gardens, so it must be effective and easy to move around. At the moment, we're using the heavy cast iron bases which are pretty useless in a medium strength breeze - they still tip over even when the umbrella is folded. Letitia is leaning towards the heavy duty 3-4M umbrella - the cantilever overhead parasol type. I imagine that these would be the same in a medium breeze unless they were bolted into the patio and/or weighted down with concrete blocks? I love the cooling breeze and would tend to sit out in it, so having to fold the parasol then seems a waste of time as only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun *without a decent parasol* (apologies to Noël Coward).

As far as sails are concerned, we could anchor them on the house at one end and at the other end on the pool pump room which is offset to one side so this would limit our options.

I fitted a 3M awning above our patio doors in the UK and it was really heavy and the securing bolts were long and therefore needed deep holes to house them - hence my reticence about the hollow blocks used here, but as Veronica and Virgil have stated, many hollow block villas have awnings fitted, so it can't be that much of a problem.

I guess that we'll probably end up fitting an awning and also getting a cantilever parasol for when the sun is low in the early morning and late afternoon and the awning is then by-passed.


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