Patio umbrella

[harllee]

Regarding a gazebo, what the rules say is nothing can be attached to the building or the cement patio and nothing can go past the footprint of the cement patio so I don't know how it could be anchored. The patio is only 10x10. I have walked around the buildings and the only thing I see are umbrellas, no gazebos. Plus I don't want our view blocked and I think a gazebo will do that.

 

[Venturer]

We have a Lowes Home Improvement nearby and I have checked online and they have several nice looking umbrellas in the size I need and price range. Anyone have any experience with Lowes Home Improvement Umbrellas?

We had one from Lowes which for about 6 years on our deck. It was a 10 ft. cantilever and did a good job until a bad thunderstorm with 65mph winds got it. We have an East facing deck so it helped a lot. I tried to find replacement fabric but never could. I ended up getting another one of a differant style but it isn't as good as the 1st one. I think you would be happy with the lowes one, if you fill the base with sand it will withstand a good breeze. Good luck!

 

[CaptTom]

I am going against the grain here to suggest a simple, cheap sun shade from Amazon (sometimes called sun sail or shade sail). I have one I use over the back deck of the boat. When it fails I'll buy another cheap one.

Obviously it needs to hook onto something, and if that violates the "no attachment" rule then you'd have to get creative. They generally have grommets on the corners so you can put them on a pole. That's what I do on the aft end of mine. I have a pair of adjustable poles I stick in a couple of well-placed rod holders. Presumably you could do the same with planters or whatever.

Think of it like an umbrella with the poles on the outside corners, instead of the center.

I was never a fan of umbrellas for shade. They only shade a small patch at a time, and it moves over the course of a day. At lunchtime they only cover the table, not most of the seats around the table. In the morning or evening when the sun is lower they're even less helpful. I don't enjoy sitting in the sun.

 

[harllee]

I am going against the grain here to suggest a simple, cheap sun shade from Amazon (sometimes called sun sail or shade sail). I have one I use over the back deck of the boat. When it fails I'll buy another cheap one.

Obviously it needs to hook onto something, and if that violates the "no attachment" rule then you'd have to get creative. They generally have grommets on the corners so you can put them on a pole. That's what I do on the aft end of mine. I have a pair of adjustable poles I stick in a couple of well-placed rod holders. Presumably you could do the same with planters or whatever.

Think of it like an umbrella with the poles on the outside corners, instead of the center.

I was never a fan of umbrellas for shade. They only shade a small patch at a time, and it moves over the course of a day. At lunchtime they only cover the table, not most of the seats around the table. In the morning or evening when the sun is lower they're even less helpful. I don't enjoy sitting in the sun.

A sun shade is a possibility. Since nothing can be attached to the building maybe I could do some sort of poles in planters on all 4 corners. How does the sun shade do in a thunderstorm? Would I have to take it down at night?
The sun in the morning is from the east, fairly low in the sky in the morning so I was thinking that a tilt umbrella would work. Can the sun shade block sun low in sky?

 

[Jerry1]

The sun in the morning is from the east, fairly low in the sky in the morning so I was thinking that a tilt umbrella would work.

I think a cantilever umbrella would work the best. If you can’t attach a sun shade to the building, it won’t work. Sticking some poles in a planter is definitely not going to work. One gust of wind will take that right out. Our cantilever umbrella has handled some pretty good wind but even so, on a windy day, I don’t typically raise it up. It does, however, tilt and adjust in ways that give me way better coverage than the round umbrellas you see in a base running up through a table. As was mentioned, as the sun moves, so does the shade. It helps to have the adjustability of the cantilever umbrella.

 

[pacergal]

harlee,
Have you checked on line at Home Depot? They deliver and do have some umbrellas with sunbrella fabric, that is where we got ours.
Good luck in your search.

 

[GrayHare]

Be ready to close or haul in the shade each time a thunderstorm or tropical storm approaches.

 

[Aerides]

I have a shade sail on top of my Pergola (which is just slats, no top like a gazebo). The shade sail does reduce the sun, but not remotely as much as an umbrella. I leave it on for thunderstorms but took it down when we had a hurricane warning.

Since you only have a 10x10 space, and limits on attachments, a large tilt umbrella will cover it. Maybe check out what your neighbors have too.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We have a Lowes Home Improvement nearby and I have checked online and they have several nice looking umbrellas in the size I need and price range. Anyone have any experience with Lowes Home Improvement Umbrellas?

That’s where I buy mine. I usually get a couple at the end of each pool season for half off.

 

[harllee]

Looking at both Home Depot and Lowes Home Improvement for a cantilever umbrella that tilts. I don't want to spend over $500 --maybe I will find an end of the season sale.

 

[harllee]

I have a shade sail on top of my Pergola (which is just slats, no top like a gazebo). The shade sail does reduce the sun, but not remotely as much as an umbrella. I leave it on for thunderstorms but took it down when we had a hurricane warning.

Since you only have a 10x10 space, and limits on attachments, a large tilt umbrella will cover it. Maybe check out what your neighbors have too.

The only thing most of the neighbors have is the old fashioned umbrella that sticks through a hole in a patio table. Those don't give much flexibility or coverage.

 

[Jerry1]

I just measured my cantilevered umbrella. It’s a 10ft X 10ft. The caution I would have is that your patio is only 10x10 and the base on my umbrella is 3x3. That’s a big base on a 10x10 patio. Just putting that out there for your consideration as you shop.

 

[harley]

I've had umbrellas of all shapes and sizes, as well as metal gazebos. IMO, the inexpensive ones like PB4uski posted are your best bet. They hold up for a number of years, they are easy to put up and down (important if you get winds), and they're cheap enough that you can replace them when you need to. Being able to tilt them is very important, as the sun is seldom directly above you. I think in this case, going cheap is the way to go. If you could attach or anchor, I'd say something different. But for what you describe, the inexpensive crank open tilting umbrella will work just fine.

 

[harllee]

I just measured my cantilevered umbrella. It’s a 10ft X 10ft. The caution I would have is that your patio is only 10x10 and the base on my umbrella is 3x3. That’s a big base on a 10x10 patio. Just putting that out there for your consideration as you shop.

Thanks for the measurements. Maybe I should look at a 9x9 cantilevered.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We have a large cantilever 12' umbrella I bought at a home and garden show about 7-8 years ago. It has LED lights which is nice since our backyard paved area next to the pool gets very hot in the afternoon. The base is basically in the shape of a metal perfectly square X on which 4 large paver stones are placed. One can easily walk on the paver stone if needed as they are low profile. It's rated up to 45 mph winds when open, and 90mph winds when closed. We generally leave it closed when not in use. I don't think they make a smaller umbrella with that type of base.

I found this Forbes article which had several listed, with pros and cons. If you go for a light colored fabric (ours is tan), fading is not very important. This year we have not used it, due to our yellow jacket situation.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...le/best-cantilever-umbrellas/?sh=5b77ddb6c760

 

[jimbee]

We use a 10' x 10' straight leg pop-up canopy from Walmart. We take it down when strong storms pass through, but leave it up during mild rains. The 10' x 10' fits on our deck well, and we strap three legs to the deck rail. We also use the cord tie-downs that are included with the canopy.


They last us about 6 or 7 years, then we buy a new one. The first one was about $50, they're at $89 in white, $94 in other colors.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Tr...L&athancid=213624779&athena=true&athbdg=L1102

 

[Jerry1]

Another look at my umbrella and it’s base. Since it’s cantilevered, the edge of the umbrella only covers about 1 foot of the base. That means it takes up about 12 feet from the edge of the base to the edge of the umbrella. Can you put the base just off the patio? If not, you’ll have to put it on the side of you patio and it will cover all but about 2 feet of your patio. It will not fit on the edge opposite your building unless you don’t put it up all the way.

 

[harley]

We use a 10' x 10' straight leg pop-up canopy from Walmart. We take it down when strong storms pass through, but leave it up during mild rains. The 10' x 10' fits on our deck well, and we strap three legs to the deck rail. We also use the cord tie-downs that are included with the canopy.


They last us about 6 or 7 years, then we buy a new one. The first one was about $50, they're at $89 in white, $94 in other colors.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Tr...L&athancid=213624779&athena=true&athbdg=L1102

This might be a good idea, especially if you can stake them down into grass. I use them a lot when camping, and they're pretty stable even in mild wind and rain. You can also buy sides for them that will block the sun coming in at an angle. The only issue is they are a bit of a PITA to put up and take down, but I've done it by myself, and you probably will only have to do it once a season unless you've got a big storm coming. And as jimbee points out, they're nice and cheap.

 

[harllee]

Another look at my umbrella and it’s base. Since it’s cantilevered, the edge of the umbrella only covers about 1 foot of the base. That means it takes up about 12 feet from the edge of the base to the edge of the umbrella. Can you put the base just off the patio? If not, you’ll have to put it on the side of you patio and it will cover all but about 2 feet of your patio. It will not fit on the edge opposite your building unless you don’t put it up all the way.

Interesting. No I cannot put the base off the patio so maybe a cantilever will not work. I have not seen any of the other folks in our CCRC using cantilever umbrellas, they all use traditional umbrellas I guess that is why.

 

[harllee]

This might be a good idea, especially if you can stake them down into grass. I use them a lot when camping, and they're pretty stable even in mild wind and rain. You can also buy sides for them that will block the sun coming in at an angle. The only issue is they are a bit of a PITA to put up and take down, but I've done it by myself, and you probably will only have to do it once a season unless you've got a big storm coming. And as jimbee points out, they're nice and cheap.

The problem is I do not have anywhere to tie it off or stake it down.

 

[harley]

The problem is I do not have anywhere to tie it off or stake it down.

There's no grass around the patio? You only need a foot or so.

Edit: They also sell weights that fit on the legs of the canopy. They're pretty useful, although not as good as the stakes. DW used them when she would set up her Reiki canopy at health fairs and the Fiddlers Convention and such. Probably two or thee weights on each leg would do the trick.

 

[harllee]

There's no grass around the patio? You only need a foot or so.

Edit: They also sell weights that fit on the legs of the canopy. They're pretty useful, although not as good as the stakes. DW used them when she would set up her Reiki canopy at health fairs and the Fiddlers Convention and such. Probably two or thee weights on each leg would do the trick.

I cannot put anything on the grass, nothing outside my concrete patio. I am also thinking I need something that will tilt to keep the morning sun out and a canopy will not tilt. I would like to sit on the patio and drink my morning coffee and read the paper and I do not think a canopy will let me do that. I think I need a tilting umbrella.

 

[harley]

I cannot put anything on the grass, nothing outside my concrete patio. I am also thinking I need something that will tilt to keep the morning sun out and a canopy will not tilt. I would like to sit on the patio and drink my morning coffee and read the paper and I do not think a canopy will let me do that. I think I need a tilting umbrella.

For mine I have sides that can be attached to block the sun coming in. Also gives a little privacy. It's easy to do. But the tilting umbrellas would work fine too.

 

[Jerry1]

Something like this?

 

[Plantman]

How about a nice big sombrero??