Do you wish you could have spent more time in your backyard this summer? Was it just too hot out there and you wish you had more shade available? Are you thinking about installing a sun shade sail next year?

My husband and I installed two large sun shade sails earlier this year. Sharing in our experience, here are some things to consider before you go out and buy a shade sail and just throw it up to the sky.

What Shape? - First of all, do you want a square sail or a triangle sail. Which shape would be asthetically pleasing to look at and enhance the beauty of your backyard? Which shape would work best for your chosen area?

How Big? - How much area needs to be shaded? A full patio, over a pool or garden, or just a small corner in your yard? The larger the shade sail, the more tension is needed in order for the sail to stay up correctly. Additional hardware may be needed to beef-up installtion to get the required tension needed for the larger sails. We changed out the supplied nylon cords and went with wire cable - definitly a lot stronger.

Permanent or Temporary? - If you want to enjoy your new shade year after year, you may want to consider investing in a permanent type of installation. You will like being able to get your shade sails up easily and quickly each year. Our shade sails go over our pool and we want to be able to shade the pool every summer, so we had our poles permanently installed in the ground.

The Wind Factor - Does the chosen area of installation get a lot of wind? Wind plays a major factor in how you install your shade sails and which type of shade sail to install. There is a difference - sails for home use, typically lighter material, or the professional, heavier material sails. Research the different brands out there for the best sail for your needs. Not all brands are not all the same.

The Take Down - If you get a lot of wind in your area, or are subject to summer thunderstorms and even tornado threats, will you be able to take down your shade sails quickly? We live in an area just like that and in order for us to remove our large sails quickly, we installed boat-type winches on two sides of each sail. The winches also help us tighten the wire cable to get the tension needed for our large shade sails.

Proper Storage - Lastly, when you take them down, do you have proper storage? Your shade sails should be clean and dry before you store them for long periods of time. Fold and store them inside a deck box or plastic container placed inside your garage or house.

As you can see, there really is a lot to consider when installing sun shade sails. I recently read a product review where the customer stated she didn't like the sail it because it sagged and she couldn't get the proper tension required. These sails can be heavy and perhaps with a little more thought into her project, she would be enjoying her newly acquired shade.

We love our sun shade sails! We get so much more use out of backyard pool now because of the added shade. They look awesome and our pool stays cooler, too!