Gerry Wallace and his crew came over for a full all day push to install the simple steel frame over our back patio today. We've had this in the works since early on in the design process, as the west facing walls of our house take on brutal amounts of solar gain during the summer months. Instead of huge overhangs or individual shading devices for each opening, we decided that a nice seasonal shading device would be more appropriate.

Our large sliding door openings are low-e and have triple pane glass, however, glare is still a problem, so instead of lowering the indoor blinds, we can have this nice canopy covering the entire patio space.

During the winter months we can take down the solar fabric and get the direct sunlight when we need it (or want it).

The swing frame attaches to the garage and provides a nice spot for the kids to play - they refer to the area as their hideout.