How to Build a Patio Canopy
The simplest form of patio canopy is a canvas sail set between posts over the patio. Canvas sails can be purchased ready-made from most home and garden stores or you can have one custom made, although this will inevitably set the cost higher. But you can build your own. Set up a patio canopy on a sunny day without much wind so you can best see which areas of the patio need coverage. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Shade sail
- 3 turnbuckles
- Post digger
- Lumber 4-by-4, exterior grade
- Saw
- Water
- Quick-dry concrete
- Stick/stake
- Garden chair (optional)
- Stepladder
- Drill
- 3 eye bolts
- 3 D shackles
Instructions
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Lay your shade sail out on the part of the patio you want it to cover. Hook the turnbuckles to the sail eye holes and extend them to their full length. Most sails have three points of attachment. For this example three posts will be used to anchor the sail; the sail can easily be anchored partly to the side of the house and to posts as well.
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2
Dig three holes with the post digger at the end of each turnbuckle. The posts should be set in the holes at a 10 degree angle away from the sail to compensate for the pull of the sail; make sure the post hole is wide enough to accommodate this angle. Make the holes 3 feet deep.
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3
Cut your posts to the height you want your sail plus 3 1/2 feet. For this example, the sail will be set around 7 feet high, so the posts should be about 10 1/2 feet long.
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4
Place a post in a hole and fill the hole three-quarters full of water. Add the quick-dry concrete and stir the mixture with a stick or stake to combine. Hold the post at the 10 degree angle away from the sail and support with a garden chair or other sturdy object until the concrete starts to set -- around 5 to 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining posts and holes. Leave these for four to five hours to cure. Then pack in soil around the base of the post. Remove the support.
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5
Place the ladder next to a post. Drill a pilot hole around 5 inches from the top of the post on the side facing the sail and turnbuckle. Screw in an eye bolt. Repeat on the two other posts. Hook the D shackle to the eye bolt and turnbuckle on each corner of the sail, which will lift the sail. Tighten the turnbuckles until the sail is taut but not stiff.
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