Outdoor Living
Exterior shades that keep your porch comfortable in July.
Sun-blocking roller shades engineered for patios, lanais, screened porches, pergolas, and outdoor kitchens. We size, motorize, and install them the same way we do our interior treatments — direct from the manufacturer, no high showroom markup, installed by our crew, warranted by us.
Outdoor living, on a Greater Atlanta porch
Outdoor shades, built by craftsmen.
Exterior shades are sun-blocking roller, screen, and track systems that mount outside the home — on the patio overhang, the pergola, the screened porch beam, or the outdoor kitchen header — to cut heat, glare, and UV before they ever hit your seating. We install them across the same Greater Atlanta footprint we cover for interior treatments: Marietta, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Roswell, Alpharetta, Newnan, Peachtree City, Columbus, and out to the East Alabama line. Manual crank, RF remote, or app and voice motorization — all three are honest answers depending on how the space gets used.
A patio under a 5% openness shade runs roughly 10°F to 15°F cooler in afternoon sun. Furniture, rugs, and outdoor cabinetry get protected from the UV fading that ruins them by year three. And the usable outdoor season extends roughly six weeks per year in the Southeast — you get useful patio in late March, and useful patio again through October. Most installs are eligible for Energy Star incentives in counties that offer them; we will tell you which apply to your address at the consult.
If you are pricing exterior shades for a Greater Atlanta home, the in-home measure is the only honest way to spec the system. Book the free in-home consult.
What we install
Five outdoor systems we put on Greater Atlanta porches.
Manual Roller Shades
Crank-operated, no-power install. The right call for screened porches and covered patios where you do not want a motor and you do not want to run a circuit. Sized to the opening, mounted to the beam or fascia, operated by a removable crank handle.
Motorized Roller Shades
Somfy or Lutron tube motors with RF remote and app control. The standard answer for second-story patios, outdoor kitchens, and any opening you would rather operate from your phone than walk over to. 6 to 7 year motor warranty.
Power-Screen Shades
Insect-mesh and sun-block in one fabric, motorized as a default. The right call for screened porches in Marietta, Sandy Springs, and Buckhead where the existing screen is failing and you want a true upgrade — bug protection plus heat reduction in one drop.
Pergola Track Shades
Full enclosure of a pergola opening on side-mount tracks. Lets you close in three or four sides of a pergola for a true room-feel without permanent walls. Common ask in Newnan and Peachtree City where the pergola is the centerpiece of the backyard.
Drop-Arm Awnings
For openings where a roller does not fit the geometry — angled headers, archways, or shallow eaves. The arm drops the fabric out at an angle rather than straight down. Less common but the right answer when the standard roller would look wrong.
Smart-Home Integration
All motorized exterior shades pair with Somfy myLink, Lutron Caseta, Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. Set a scene that drops the patio shade at 3pm in summer and retracts it at sunset. We program at install — you do not need to bring an integrator.
Fabric options
Six openness levels and a blackout.
1% Openness
Deep-shade. Blocks 99% of light and UV. The right fabric for a west-facing outdoor kitchen where you need to read the grill thermometer at 5pm in August. View is heavily diffused.
3% Openness
The workhorse. Significant glare reduction with some retained view. Most ordered when the goal is to make the porch usable, not to seal it off.
5% Openness
The most-installed option. Preserves view, cuts heat 10°F to 15°F, and keeps furniture comfortable. The default recommendation unless you have a specific reason to go denser or lighter.
10% Openness
Light filter. For north-facing porches that just need bug and dust control without much heat reduction. Strongest view retention of any sun-block weave.
Blackout Vinyl
Full privacy plus total dark. The fabric for outdoor projector setups, hot tub privacy, or any opening where you want to fully close the room down. Not breathable, but absolute on light blocking.
Sunbrella, Phifer, Ferrari
All UV-stabilized, mildew-resistant, and rated for Southern outdoor conditions. We will hand you swatches at the consult so you can see how the weave reads against your siding and trim in actual daylight.
Why outdoor shades pay back
Five reasons most Greater Atlanta homes install one.
A patio under a 5% shade runs 10°F to 15°F cooler in afternoon sun. The usable outdoor season extends roughly six weeks per year in the Southeast — you reclaim late March and late October as patio-usable months. UV fading on outdoor furniture drops by 90% or more, which means your cushions, rugs, and outdoor wood do not need replacement at year three. Most installs are eligible for Energy Star incentives in counties that offer them. And the install carries our lifetime workmanship warranty on top of the manufacturer motor warranty.
Manual rollers for a typical 8-foot patio opening run $800 to $1,500 installed. Motorized adds $400 to $800 per opening depending on motor and remote. Pergola track systems start at $3,500 for a small opening because of the templating step. Book the free in-home measure for the final number on your opening.
Final price comes from in-home measure. No obligation. 50% deposit, balance install day.
Fabric & Motor Partners
The brands we trust on the outside of your house.
Sunbrella
Phifer
Ferrari
A few photos from the field
What outdoor installs look like.
Detail: patio overhang mount
Side-channel guides keep the fabric flat in a 25 mph gust without flapping.
Motorized: app and remote
Somfy or Lutron tube motor pre-paired to the app and a handheld remote.
Install: our crew, our warranty
We do not subcontract. Our installer is on your patio start to finish.
Before / after
5% openness drops afternoon glare without darkening the porch.
Fabric swatches
Sunbrella, Phifer, and Ferrari weaves brought to your house, in actual daylight.
Lifestyle: the why
The point of the install is that the porch gets used June through September.
Where we install exterior shades
Across Greater Atlanta and East Alabama.
How we do business
Four steps. One hour to start.
- I.
You call or write.
Tell us what porch, patio, or pergola you are covering, and where you live.
- II.
We come to you.
Trained rep measures the opening, walks the motor and fabric choice, and offers a written quote on the spot.
- III.
We custom-build.
Manual rollers 5 to 6 weeks, motorized 6 to 7 weeks, pergola tracks 8 to 10 weeks (templating).
- IV.
We install & warrant.
Install, program the remote and app, hand you the manual. 6 to 7 year motor warranty plus our lifetime workmanship warranty.
Common questions
What you actually want to know.
How long until my exterior shades are installed?
Standard lead times are 5 to 6 weeks for manual roller shades, 6 to 7 weeks for motorized. Pergola track systems take 8 to 10 weeks because they require a templating step similar to plantation shutters.
Can I operate motorized exterior shades from my phone?
Yes. Somfy myLink or Lutron Caseta apps both let you operate from your phone and integrate with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. We pre-pair the remotes and the app at install, you do not have to read a manual.
Will exterior shades hold up to a thunderstorm?
Standard exterior shades retract before high wind. Most installs include a wind sensor that auto-retracts at the threshold you set (typically 25 mph). For permanent storm protection (named tropical systems) consider impact-rated windows or accordion storm panels — exterior shades are weather-rated but not hurricane-rated.
Do they block bugs?
Insect-mesh power-screens block bugs while reducing heat. Standard sun-block roller shades do not block insects. We will ask which problem you are solving and quote the right product.
What does an average exterior shade cost?
Manual roller shades for a typical 8-foot patio opening run 800 to 1,500 dollars installed. Motorized adds 400 to 800 dollars per opening depending on motor and remote. Pergola track systems start at 3,500 dollars for a small opening. Free quote on the spot — call (770) 949-9020 for GA, (850) 889-7772 for FL.
Begin here
Reclaim your July patio.
Tell us where you live and what you are covering. We will respond within one hour with a consultation time that fits.
Somfy and Lutron certified installer. 50% deposit, balance install day.