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Installation Q&A's

Question : Can I self install my outdoor roller shades and save on the installation?

& Answer :  Absolutely, You can get my DIY patio roller shade pricing from this very JoshHobbs.com website.  And, you can also get the pricing and order your DIY exterior patio roller shade(s) from my HobbsScreens.com website for Self Install.  The following video explains how to measure and install my patio roller shades.

Patio Roller Shades - INSTALLATION Q&A's
Self install DIY patio roller shades
Keeping bugs out

Question : Will your outdoor patio screens keep the flying insects out of the patio?

& Answer :  No, my roller shades are strictly for the purpose of providing temporary shade.  What you are looking for are called ZipperTrack patio roller shade systems.  With a zippertrack motorized patio roller shade system, the sides of the fabric have a zipper glued (heat welded) to them.  Then this zipper slides between a channel (track) on either side of the roller shade, so when the shade is down it is sealed on all sides of the shade.  Zippertrack systems are VERY NICE, everything about them is top-notch, it's just that they come at a sticker price that most people are shocked by.   Alternatively, an excellent way to also handle bug protection is to build a screened-in back patio enclosure. If you screen in your back patio with insect bug screen fabric and then hang my patio outdoor sun shades on the inside of the back patio enclosure, you will get the best of all worlds. You will get bug protection full time, and then when you need patio sun protection, you roll down my solar patio shades to get shade from the sun.

For all patio openings of a house

Question : Is there an advantage to putting the exterior roller shades on all of the openings of my back patio?  Will it look odd if I only put the patio sun shades on just some of my patio openings?

& Answer :  It will not look odd to just put the exterior roller shades on the openings you need them for.  It's fine to just shade the patio openings you want them for.  The advantage to putting the outside shades on all of the openings is that doing so makes the patio feel closed off to the outside.  It's a crazy cool feeling when you drop the exterior blinds for all of the openings within your patio.  It's like you have created this entire new private shade with great outward visibility room for your home. It's hard to appreciate without seeing it all first hand, but overwhelmingly impressive when you do experience it first hand. Right now, when you walk out to your back patio, you are outside of the home. You are now part of the backyard. It's sunny, people can see you, and it is all wide open.  When you drop these solar shades for all the openings, it's like you just created your own private shaded and comfortable outdoor room.  It's a MASSIVE transformation.  The other benefit is pricing. When you install all the shades at one time, you benefit from the quantity discounted patio roller shade pricing structure. So, the savings are then significant.

& my Video Answer :  My video answer explaining what it is like covering all of your patio openings with roller shades versus just some.    

What height to choose

Question : I see that the Height (length) options for your patio roll shades are 85" and 99", which length should I go with?  How long should my sun shades for the patio be?  Do I need my retractable patio screens to go all the way to the ground? 

& Answer :  Patio roller shades do not need to drop all the way to the ground.  You only want the outdoor solar shades to drop as far as you need them to provide shade protection from the sun.  The 85" patio roll shade is ideal for a patio with a ceiling height of around 8', while the 99" drop outdoor patio shades are for taller patio heights at approximately 10'.  A full 85" length roll shade will be installed, but we will install a ball stop on the roller shade so that it drops to the desired length, then stops.  We install these ball stops on-site when we install the roller shade.  My preference is to have at least 24" from the bottom of the patio roller shade to the floor.  This 24" will allow air to move under the outdoor sun shades.  You want the air to flow under the patio roller shade not to make it stagnant within your patio area.  The following pictures can give you a good idea of how far to drop the outdoor porch blinds. 

& my Video Answer :  My video answer explaining what height would be best for your Austin Texas outdoor retractable patio solar shade project.

Installing around handrail my patio roller shades

Question : Can my back patio sun shades drop behind my metal hand railing?  In front of my handrail?  To the top of my handrail?  How does it work when I have a handrail?

& Answer :  If you have a handrail, I can drop the back patio sun shades in front or behind your metal handrail.  When I do this, I will add rubber bumpers to the solar patio shades so that when they blow around from the wind, the aluminum bottom rail does not clank when this bottom rail taps against the metal handrail. I like to use the handrail to stop the roll shade from moving too much when being blown by the breezes, as the handrail will act as a stop.  Here are some pictures for you to see to get an idea.  Of course, I will make a recommendation of how to address all this once I see the patio after you have started your order for my outdoor patio shades.

& my Video Answer :  My video answer showing how I handle handrails when I install my outdoor patio blinds.