I'm in the DFW area and have a patio that is only open on one side but that opening is 25' wide. I'm having trouble finding a vendor who can provide a motorized shade without them putting a column in the middle of this opening.

Any experience or recommendations?

I used DropShade out of Carrollton I think. Had it installed about 5 yrs ago now probably. Ok experience and shade has held up fine so far. Not sure what their max single span is, depending on how it will be installed they might recommend 2-12.5' shades but won't have to install post necessarily. Also depending on angle of sun you will want to account for a foot or more of of overlap on each end to avoid having a gap between wall and shade where sliver of light can come through (we didn't account for enough in my install u fortunately). That's for an exterior mount but bet they could do a single span for interior mount and then you don't have to worry about any gaps on the sides either. Last time I talked to them they mentioned some new design option available now that wasn't available when I bought mine so have them come out and describe your options. Only other brand I know offhand is Southwest Shade, don't know anything about them.

That looks great!

Thanks for the information.

I am looking for something similar but not wanting to spend that much. Afternoon sun really makes our sitting area on our shop intolerable. The pool is there but need to find a way to extend a shade between our beams. When the trees get taller, we wouldn't need it anymore.

Would be 15' wide and only need to go down 8'.

I am wanting a light shade that you could still see through but I could easily take off. Would want to put I-bolts on the beams to hook or unhook the shade. We are on a hill and winds can get bad when storms blow through. Being able to remove and put in shop would be best.

Is this possible?

We bought these that are hand cranked from Home Depot for our porch openings at the last house. Installed on my own. I just drilled some little hooks into the grout on the columns and held it down with mini bungee cords.

Really nice when it was calm. Huge pain in the ass if the wind was 15+mph. It cost me about $250.

Bumping thread. Any recs near the Woodlands for these retractable frame-based patio shades?
Is motorized recommended (vs. hand crank), or does the motor break down after few years? Thanks!

I can quote this for you.

Sam @ Creekstone outdoors . Com

PM sent. Thanks!

I had my windows tinted with ceramic film and it made a huge difference in temperature and glare.