Shady solutions

We used to have trees on the north of our house -palm trees and other scruffy types that kept the house cool in summer but also kept all the sun off the winter garden.

Last year the trees came out.

Now we are planning a pergola on the north side of the house with deciduous vines to shade the house in summer but let the light in, in winter. Realistically speaking, this will not be built for some time, so what to do?

One of the AussiesLivingSimply members had an idea, which sparked an idea in me.

We made blinds for the northern side out of shadecloth. I just used a staple gun (no, not the office type-bigger) to staple the fabric to battens, then my Darling Man screwed them to the wall. These will stay in place over the summer.

We are delighted with the result. We can see through the blinds from the inside, but they make the windows private from the outside. Inside the rooms, the effect is one of lots of light which seems to be bounced around the room. The room is not at all dark, like it would be with canvas blinds.

I don't know how much cooling they will do, however, as it has been raining ever since we put them up (LOL).

The same day we put up the blinds, my Darling Man put up a shade sail on the west of the house, over my new raised garden bed. We want to shade the dining room, which is our only west-facing room, and provide some protection for the veggies from the very hot overhead sun in the summer.