Thoughts on shade sails for home

JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 15:17
Last edited 20/04/2016 - 15:18

Looking at getting a couple of shade sails installed for my home, roughly two 4x5 rectangular sails. Only requires 3 poles to be concreted in, rest of the attachments are to the house and carport. Surprised by the costs quoted, worked out to be around $4k (cheapest) fully installed custom made (uncertified).

Could try to do it myself and get a few standard size sails online/ebay, but it's a bit of work in respect of digging the holes and there's a fair amount of concrete required for each hole (close to 15 20kg bags of pre mix). If I did it myself, probably end up being around $1,000 using ebay sails or around $1,600 through a handyman.

Trying to get thoughts about the value of shade sails long term? Are they just going to be an on-going burden financially due to deterioration in both the mesh and stitching.

Are the custom made shade sails worth the significant additional price over the ebay/online ones.

Appreciate any input.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • dylanando on 20/04/2016 - 16:55
    +1

    Just got a sail over our double car driveway, Three poles to. Costed around $4k aswell. Defiantly expensive for what you get. They dug the holes then dumped all the dirt on our lawn and then came and asked to pay them to remove it…

    If I was you i'd go get the custom made one not unless you're seriously wanting to do that much work (Im clearly lazy). Finished product will look a ton nicer and hold up better in the weather. Just my two cents however.

  • JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 17:20

    Yep, I generally don't mind getting my hands dirty, but this really looks like hard yakka if you don't have the right equipment/tools.

    Thanks for the point about the dirt issue, need to make sure whoever I get will include disposing of the dirt.

    So you're happy with the end result? Does it make a big difference in terms of shade/heat with it up?

    • dylanando on 20/04/2016 - 18:15

      To be honest, Yes. Love it. Did it for our cars and certainly helped with the bat poop and hail and overall less heat which is a bonus when getting into your car during the day.

      But if you're up for a challenge and a weekend project, Why not give it a go? Hire some equipment, But certainly will be a big job.

      Another thing, Make sure you set some dates for them, Not sure if it's just the people I went through but they just dragged and dragged it out to the point where they said it was to hot to work, Was a normal 30 degree day. Good luck on what you end up doing!

      • JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 18:36

        Did they end up charging you to get rid of the dirt?

        • dylanando on 20/04/2016 - 19:37

          Yes, Cant quite remember the price but it was around $200. Im idiot for paying it!

        • JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 22:46

          Bastards!

  • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2016 - 17:52
    +3

    People I know with shade sails here in Brisbane seem to have all had issues with mould growth on sails after a few years. Aware that attempts to clean are both difficult to do properly and otherwise unpleasant.

    I don't know about the differences in materials currently on offer, but I'd really be doing my research if I lived in Darwin, where you are, given the humidity.

    • JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 18:39

      Thanks for the tip! Maybe during the wet season.

  • shaybisc on 20/04/2016 - 18:31
    +1

    Jeez I gotta go into shade sail installation. $400 materials: a days work: $4000: wham-bam, thank you ma'am.

    • JetLi on 20/04/2016 - 18:38

      Haha, yeah pretty much, I have heard a lot of it goes to the actual making of the sail when its custom made, the commercial grade is expensive.

  • altomic on 21/04/2016 - 00:41

    I did it at the front of my house (small front yard). when I needed a new front fence so we installed new front fence posts either side of the drive way (2 10cm10cm400cm posts. holes were dug down a meter. popped the post in and braced it temporarily upright. THen alternated bag of concrete with half bricks and a few piece of rebar and gave it a good mix in. plus I had already drilled some some holes through the posts and pushed rebar through. gave the posts a few extra heavy coats of stain/sealant before putting in the holes. those posts aren't going anywhere.

    other ends of the sails are attached to the house. it was a 4mX6m sail. The posts were under the house when we bought it. sail was $60 off ebay. went to bunnings to get hardware and concrete. had a pile of bricks in the back yard. got some rebar out of a skip. total cost came to about $350.

    • JetLi on 21/04/2016 - 09:25

      Yep, material wise, it's not an expensive project, but like most things, it cost an arm and a leg if you get someone to do it. I'm in no rush to get it up, might do it over several weekends as a DIY job.

      when filling the hole with concrete, you packed in some half bricks, thus reducing the amount of concrete needed?

      • altomic on 21/04/2016 - 10:24
        +1

        packed in some half bricks, thus reducing the amount of concrete needed

        yes. throw in some wire as well to give it added binding.

        • JetLi on 21/04/2016 - 10:46

          ok thanks for the tip mate! Was thinking of getting a concrete truck in given the amount of concrete needed for 3 holes.

    • JetLi on 21/04/2016 - 14:47

      Did you use any machinery for the hole digging or just a shovel, metal stake and hole shovel?

      • altomic on 21/04/2016 - 14:51

        Shovel and high pressure cleaner.

        My soil has pretty good drainage bit has rocks in it.

        So I'd dig then hit a rock. High pressure cleaner to wash soil away from around rock and soften soil under neath lift rock and continue. The high pressure cleaner was a lazy way of "digging" as the hole got deeper.

        • JetLi on 21/04/2016 - 14:57

          I've heard wetting the soil makes it easier. How did you get the soil out as you got deeper down?

        • altomic on 21/04/2016 - 17:00

          @JetLi: shovel mostly. Used large can to clean out extra stuff.

        • Euphemistic on 22/04/2016 - 09:34
          +1

          @altomic: Pincer style post hole diggers are great. Some of the money I saved in building a retaining wall myself went into one of those. It's been used quite a few times since then and has more than paid for itself.

          If you are saving a lot on doing the work yourself, buy or rent tools to make the project easier is my philosophy. But I have a big garage and do a lot of different stuff DIY. (currently rebuilding bedrooms to take better advantage of space)

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