No sooner does Old Man Winter scoot on out of the northeast that the dog days of summer arrive with a punch. When it's hot here in Upstate New York, it's HAWT (June, July and August can be real buggers), so even if you worship the sun, you'll be praying for shade sooner than you think! While the Pergola above provides some shade, it's not the coolest place to sit during the blazing hours of midday. In southern California I would weave sail cloth in and out of the gaps of the roof pieces to create shade. If I did that here it would look like a dirty babies diaper after the first summer downpour. For an inexpensive solution to create great shade, I popped over to the Home Depot and purchased a roll of screen material for $5.99. After stapling it in place the shade created the perfect spot to plop down to enjoy a glass of sun tea!
