How to Build a Shade Sail

It's not difficult to build your own shade sail

A shade sail is a convenient way to create a shady backyard haven without spending a lot of money to build an enclosed deck or porch. Shade sails can cover a yard or patio area to provide a cool environment for picnics, barbecues and relaxing in a hammock or lawn chair. Shade sails are fairly easy to build yourself, and the project does not require any highly specialized building equipment. With the appropriate preparation, you can build your own shade sail in just a few hours.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Post-hole digger or spade
• 2 wooden poles, 7 feet tall and 4 inches in diameter
• Shade fabric, 10 square feet (available at any fabric store)
• 2 wooden crosspieces, 1 by 2 inches by 10 feet
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Drill
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• 2-inch steel screws
• Stepladder
• Level
• 7/16-inch drill bit
• ½-inch wall plugs and screws
• Hammer
• 2 pieces of steel wire, 16 feet long
• 4 steel pegs, 16 inches long

Instructions

1. Dig two 12-inch holes at the corners of your shade sail area. Each hole should be 9 feet from the house, and the holes should be 10 feet apart.

2. Insert a 7-foot wooden pole into each hole, and refill the dirt around the base of each pole, tamping the dirt in place.

3. Staple one edge of a shade cloth to a 10-foot wooden crosspiece, and twist the crosspiece around the cloth once. Drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole at both ends of the wrapped crosspiece.

4. Screw the wrapped crosspiece to the tops of the wooden poles with 2-inch steel screws.

5. Hold the remaining wooden crosspiece against the wall of the house facing the corner posts. Level the crosspiece 7 feet above the ground, and mark the wall and crosspiece at six evenly-spaced points along the length of the crosspiece.

6. Pre-drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole at each of the marked points on the crosspiece. Drill a 7/16-inch hole at each of the marked points on the wall, and tap six 1/2-inch wall plugs into the holes with a hammer.

7. Staple the unattached end of the shade cloth to the loose crosspiece, and wrap the cloth once around the crosspiece. Screw the crosspiece into its wall-plugs, feeling for each pre-drilled hole in the crosspiece when inserting the screws.

8. Staple a 16-foot length of wire to the top of each wooden pole, attaching each wire at its midpoint. Tie the loose ends of the wires to four 16-inch steel pegs. Drive these pegs into the ground with a hammer, about 4 feet from the bases of their respective poles. The wires should pull the poles out and away from the house, tightening the shade sail.

References

• Shade Cloth DIY Awning Designs: Low-Cost Shade Structure