Here's a couple of shots of the latest in our project. We're ready to start constructing some - five to be exact, concrete raised planter boxes to go under the shade house. It'll still provide enough room for Dianna to be able to have plants in pots, etc.
We started off with the shade cloth I had left over from the pool awning project. There was enough to cover half the length of the shade house (12-feet long by 14-feet wide). It was a bit awkward hanging the stuff at first.
 |
| Hanging Shade Cloth |
It actually went quite quickly. I had to make a trip to Lano's Supply to get about 14-feet more shade cloth to cover the other half of the shade house.
 |
| Little by Little |
Now, it's beginning to look like what I had imagined.
 |
| Taking on the Desired Shape |
I used a heavy monofilament line to tie the shade cloth into place - looping it around the curved bar every couple inches or so. To anchor the line to the bar, I used an arbor knot. You can see an animated example of how to tie that at
Animated Knots by Grog (
http://www.animatedknots.com/arbor/index.php?Categ=fishing&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com). A pretty cool site that shows you how to tie various knots in an easy to understand animation for each knot.
Here's a shot of the monofilament I used, along with the curved needle I was going to use, which didn't work out. I tried using an awl to expand the eye of the needle in order to thread the needle with the monofilament. It turned out it was too brittle to do that and simply shattered as soon as I stuck the awl in the eye. I didn't need the needle in the end as it was easy to just thread the line directly through the shade cloth.
And here's some views of the completed shade cloth hanging. I also used cable ties to secure the shade cloth. Hopefully, the mono and the cable ties will last a while before having to be replaced. We'll see.
 |
| Long View of the Shade House |
 |
| A Different Perspective |
 |
| From Underneath |
 |
| Back The Other Way |
 |
| From the Edge |
 |
| And From Below |
Here's a diagram I put together showing the concept for the planter tables. We thought about using hard woods here to make raised beds but cost and longevity are two major factors. We're going to build five tables under the shade house, still providing plenty of space to have room for other containers and taller plants.
 |
| Planter Table Diagram |
