The concept of “the ideal outdoor living space,” is unique to each individual homeowner. One consistent need here in South Florida is a shade solution that keeps your patio, deck or pool deck cool during the hot, humid afternoons. Options for creating shade on the patio can range from minimalist umbrellas to fully-custom automatic louvered patio covers. In this article, we will explore the range of available options for homeowners, and touch on the benefits and limitations of each.
As mentioned above, patio cover options can range in size, shape, functionality and cost. Each offers its own advantages and limitations. Some popular options include:
UMBRELLAS: The ubiquitous patio umbrella is affordable and extremely portable. Yet, a standard patio umbrella provides minimal shade space, will need to be taken in during high winds, and will need to be replaced entirely fairly regularly.
SUNSHADES: A sun shade, or sun sail, delivers a larger shade footprint than a small umbrella, and can be purchased in an array of materials for full-shade partial-shade alternatives. That said, the sunshade will have to be dismantled during high winds or storm conditions, and are prone to tearing and fading in the sun.
AWNINGS: Awnings come in a few forms most commonly seen as static canvas awnings stretched over a permanently mounted aluminum tube frame, or retractable awnings operated by either a hand crank or motorized system. Awnings of all types are susceptible to damage in heavy winds, and from a stylistic perspective, even brand-new awnings can have a dated look that do little to elevate the style of your outdoor space.
Today’s modern motorized louvered roof pergola, on the other hand, is a solution to the many limitations of these other shade options.
Like other patio cover options, there is a diverse array of pergola styles to meet your unique outdoor lifestyle. At its most basic, a pergola is a roof structure supported by columns. The pergola can be freestanding or attached to the home on one side and supported by columns on the perimeter frame. Pergolas can be fabricated from wood, vinyl or aluminum, but the most advanced modern pergolas leverage aluminum construction to incorporate a great deal of functionality.
Generally, pergolas create shade for the patio, and are durable enough to withstand the elements, including heavy wind and storms. The amount of shade it creates, and the amount of control you have over that sun/shade balance, will vary depending on the type of pergola roof you select. We’ll dive deeper on these options shortly.
Unlike some more limiting shade solutions, pergola height can be customized to accommodate differing uses. It can be aligned with the home’s existing roofline for a seamless transition to the patio cover, or elevated with risers to provide additional ventilation for an outdoor kitchen space. Also, differing pergola roof options will affect the overall louvered pergola cost, so let’s explore those different options.
The fixed louver roof is the most traditional of all pergola roof styles. These roofs consist of parallel angled slats that are fixed in place. You’ve likely seen this style pergola roof in a garden accented with flowering vines. The fixed louver pergola creates partial shade for the patio by blocking some of the sun’s rays as the sun traverses the sky each day. This style of pergola can offer a nice aesthetic for the backyard, garden or patio, but it is not able to block out the rain at all. To create true rain protection, you will need to upgrade the roof to a solid structure or explore motorized louvered patio covers.
A solid roof pergola design is exactly as it sounds. The solid roof creates full-time shade on the patio, and is ideally suited to provide rain protection. The modern aluminum solid roof pergolas SYZYGY Global designs are custom fabricated by our manufacturing partner, Azenco, right in Miami, FL. They feature insulated sandwich panels that reflect the sun and keep the patio below cool throughout the day. The fixed-roof design is often a favorite option for a pergola attached to the home because the fixed roof blends seamlessly with the home’s existing exterior style. With a durable powder coating to protect against the elements, these pergolas can be custom painted in any color you choose. The pergolas can be color-matched to your home’s existing color scheme, a unique two-tone style, or even coated with a simulated wood grain coating for a warmer feel.
A motorized louvered pergola is the most advanced, and most flexible louvered roof option available. Featuring adjustable motorized louvers, these pergolas allow you to control the amount of sun reaching the patio. The pergola motorized louvers can be opened completely allowing full sun to reach the patio, closed partially to create shade while promoting airflow, or closed tightly to block out the rain. Louver operation can be controlled in a few different ways. The most common controls for a motorized pergola are a standard remote controlled louvered pergola that quietly adjusts the louvers at the touch of a button. To take the modern adjustable louvered roof pergola to the next level, an intuitive sensor array can be integrated that turns the structure into a fully automatic louvered pergola. The auto pergola roof monitors for rain and intuitively closes the louvers at the first sign of a shower. It also tracks wind speeds to automatically open the louvers in high winds which protects them from potential wind damage.
If you survey the Internet, you’ll find numerous pergola manufacturers offering an array of pergola designs from simple DIY kits all the way up to the fully-customized pergolas that we design and install here at SYZYGY Global. Of all the manufacturers in this market, we choose to work exclusively with the Azenco Outdoor structures. These pergolas are simply the most refined, well-crafted products on the market. The pergolas we design, and Azenco fabricates to our specifications, are made from the highest-quality aluminum, and coated with the highest-quality powder coating. This level of quality ensures the pergolas we build for our customers will stand up to the more extreme South Florida sun, rain and storms.
Azenco has also refined the design of its auto pergola roof to make it the only motorized louvered roof on the market that is capable of blocking out the rain from above when closed. Many other pergolas create shade, but are not watertight when the rain starts to fall. Azenco designed its automatic louvered pergola with unique dual-walled louvers to improve insulation against harsh sun, but also to make sure the roof captures every drop of rain. These unique louvers also extend all the way into the surrounding pergola frame, while other manufacturers often leave a gap around the edge of the louvered roof allowing rain to drip onto the patio. This unique louver design means your pergola will deliver not only the style you want, but true all-weather functionality as well.
To ensure our louvered roofs are the highest quality pergolas on the market requires extreme attention to detail throughout the design, manufacture and installation processes. Azenco leverages laser-assisted robot extrusion and cutting machines, and precision craftsmanship in each of its custom pergolas. This precision means each aluminum section fits perfectly. When crafting a motorized pergola with motorized louvers the fit of each individual component determines the overall quality of the pergola, and enables all the moving parts to function as one. This commitment to precision also extends to the installation process of our pergolas.
Well-designed and precision-crafted custom motorized louvered patio covers open the door to numerous opportunities to automate pergola operations. Each of our adjustable louvered roof pergolas feature dual whisper-quiet motors to open and close the roof, which makes every SYZYGY Global motorized pergola a remote controlled louvered pergola. For customers that would like truly autonomous operation, we can also integrate smart controls. For homeowners who have become accustomed to using smart home assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Home, or Amazon’s Alexa, your pergola can be controlled with basic voice commands. Simply call out to, “Alexa, close the pergola louvers,” and you can continue relaxing in the shade as the roof adjusts itself. Alternatively, your new pergola can also control its own louver operations. Opting to integrate smart sensors into your custom pergola will make it fully autonomous. With a rain sensor monitoring for showers, the pergola will automatically close the roof at the first sign of rain. Of particular interest to many customers here in South Florida, we can also integrate a wind sensor that watches for gusting winds and automatically opens the louvers in high winds to mitigate any potential damage from sudden updrafts.
Combining the precision craftsmanship, uniquely-designed louvers and smart controls into your motorized louvered pergola maximizes the rain protection for your patio or pool deck, and opens your outdoor living space to an infinite array of outdoor living possibilities. Protecting your outdoor living space from everyday rain allows you to bring many of the amenities you enjoy indoors to the patio. Our design team can also build motorized retractable privacy or insect screens into your project. We can also integrate patio fans, cooling systems like misters, LED lighting, and more into your automatic louvered patio cover. With all the conveniences of indoor living brought to your deck, patio or pool deck, your backyard will take on the feel of a five-star luxury resort.
Today’s modern pergolas are available in an array of styles, with an array of structural designs to meet your unique outdoor lifestyle. As South Florida’s residential and commercial leader in custom pergola design and installation, our team here at SYZYGY Global headquarters in Boynton Beach are available to help you create the outdoor living space of your dreams.
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