A north-facing deck in Palmerston North is great in winter and can be too hot to sit on in a summer afternoon. A south-facing one stays damp. Adding a cover or shade changes how much you actually use the deck. Here are the outdoor deck cover ideas and covered outdoor deck ideas we see work best in the Manawatū.
Keeps the rain off and lets the light through to the house. The most popular way to make a covered outdoor deck usable year-round. Tinted sheets cut some heat and glare.
A solid roof creates a true outdoor room with full shade. Add a screen on the windy side and outdoor heating, and it becomes a space you use in winter.
An open timber pergola gives dappled shade and structure. Train a deciduous vine over it for summer shade and winter sun, or add a roof later. See pergolas.
Adjustable louvres open for sun and close for rain. They are a specialist product, usually at the top end on price, but very flexible.
A shade sail is an affordable shade cover for deck areas and look sharp, but they need very strong fixing points and are best taken down in big winds, which matters in Ashhurst and on exposed sections.
Shade cloth stretched over pergola rafters gives summer shade cheaply and can be removed for winter sun.
The simplest option for a small deck. A cantilever umbrella keeps the pole out of the way of the table.
A privacy screen on the western side blocks low afternoon sun as well as the neighbours. A well-placed tree can do the same over time.
Ready to cover yours? See covered decks and deck roofs.
Umbrellas and shade sails are the cheapest. Shade cloth over a pergola is also affordable. Fixed roofs cost more but last much longer.
Clear roofing keeps light in the house; solid roofing gives full shade. Most people pick clear roofing outside living areas.
They need very strong fixings and are best taken down in strong winds, which can be often in exposed parts of the Manawatū.
It depends on size and design. Open pergolas are generally exempt. Roofed structures may need consent. We check at the quote.
Usually, yes. See our covered decks page or get a free on-site quote.
Free on-site quote. Fixed written price within 48 hours.
