Ways to shade your deck
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.
Deck roof ideas
1. Clear polycarbonate roof
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.
2. Solid roof outdoor room
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.
3. Pergola
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.
4. Louvre roof
Adjustable louvres open for sun and close for rain. They are a specialist product, usually at the top end on price, but very flexible.
Lighter shade cover for a deck
5. Shade sails
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.
6. Shade cloth on a pergola
Shade cloth stretched over pergola rafters gives summer shade cheaply and can be removed for winter sun.
7. Market umbrellas and cantilever umbrellas
The simplest option for a small deck. A cantilever umbrella keeps the pole out of the way of the table.
8. Screens and planting
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.
What works in Manawatū weather
- Wind first: any cover is a sail. Fixed roofs need posts and fixings sized for wind, especially in exposed spots.
- Keep the light: clear roofing over decks outside living areas stops the house going dark in winter.
- Water off: plan where roof water goes, with spouting if needed, so it does not pour onto the deck or the lawn by the door.
- Check consent: open pergolas are generally exempt; roofed structures depend on size and design. See the consent guide.
Ready to cover yours? See covered decks and deck roofs.