If you are interested in featuring a stunning looking architectural sail structure you need to research carefully who will be the best shade sail company.
By shade structure we hope you are aiming for a quality custom designed high tensile PVC shade structure, NOT cloth weave fabrics which are inferior in visual appeal, structural integrity and lifespan.
All shade structure companies are not the same and the first pitfall to avoid is contacting a company who doesn’t specialise in true tension membrane shade structures. Most companies you contact will give you a quote to do the job, but if they don’t manufacture tension membrane shade structures specifically you could encounter problems.
Shade sail quoting problems
- The company underquoting because they don’t really understand how complex these projects can be.
- Quoting an inflated price to cover themselves because they don’t know what to expect with this type of job. If you get two or three of these companies to quote and they do not specialise in tension shade structures then you won’t even know if they all have gone ahead and over-quoted.
- Installation of tension shade structures can be daunting to the inexperienced contractor requiring specialised tools and equipment, your project could drag on for far longer than it should.
Shade to Order have been designing and manufacturing shade structures in Newcastle Australia for over 40 years. We have built shade structures around the world including Australia, United Kingdom, Thailand, Dubai, India, Japan and the Maldives.
Select a specialist shade sail manufacturer
It’s important that you choose a company that specialises in tension membrane shade structures. Such a company will know the pitfalls to look out for. They’ll know how to correctly estimate the construction costs involved, so you’ll be investing the correct amount of money and not pay too much. They’ll also know exactly how to go about the job quickly and efficiently, so your project won’t drag on and on.
An experienced shade structure company has at its disposal all the necessary specialist tools for efficient design, manufacture, and installation of your complete project. At Shade to Order we have this equipment, and it is continually renewed.
Check your shade companies’ credentials
It’s also extremely important to check your shade structure companies’ credentials. Choosing a company to build your shade structure can be a huge decision. Yet many clients make this decision without checking anything the company tells them. The results could be disastrous.
It’s therefore suggested to run the following checks.
- Check the company’s web site, browse their completed shade projects, have they completed projects similar to your proposal?
- Ask the company to supply you with the addresses of at least 3 recent projects they have undertaken.
- Ask the company for references, most professional companies ask and receive referrals from satisfied clients.
- Ask if the company designs, manufactures and installs their shade structures themselves. There are lots of shade structure companies that may manufacture the sail and not the structural steel or sub-contract out the installation. Worse still is the fact that the shade structure industry has many brokers who just own a mobile phone and live on mark ups and commission.
Another mistake made by clients is the use of simple shade cloth instead of specialised Architectural Fabric.
- Woven shade cloth is a low budget solution for a shade structure, it is stitched together creating a weak point on each seam, the fabric has poor structural properties and will quickly stretch and sag between attachment points creating a shape different to the design expected and approved by the client.
- Woven shade cloth acts like a filter to the dirt. The mesh traps dirt and mildew rapidly and is very hard to clean. If you must use this product then choose a very dark colour so the stains, trapped dirt and mildew are not as conspicuous.
- Woven shade cloth is not waterproof or hail resistant, large hailstones will destroy woven shade cloth contrary to some opinion.
- Most woven shade cloth is warranted for UV degradation only, so after it is tensioned on as a shade structure, there goes your warranty.
Shade to Order are multi award winning designers and manufacturers of high tensile shade structures. Based in Newcastle you have seen their structures everywhere; from the airport to Belmont 16″,most of Australia and overseas.
Give us a call if you would like more information. Phone (+61) 2 4942 5793
