Our patio/living room space faces west, so gets demolished with sun in the afternoon. We are looking to add some solar shade. We went to Home Depot and got a quote for interior shades to cover the sliding doors, about 12 feet in total, 3 panels, automated, got a quote for over 2k. But doesnt allow us to use the patio, just helps with the living room area Then figured we would just do drop down shade on the patio, 3 panels, it is a big-ish area ~12 foot high, ~30 linear feet total across 3 sections, quote came to over 11k. Are these drop down shades really this expensive? Or are we just looking at the wrong options. We do want automated, so we understand price would come with that, but didn't think it would be that much.
Blinds.com We saved a bunch of money there over using HD or the like. Granted, we weren't looking automated, etc, so YRMV.
I see a bunch of these around here. They aren't automated but easy enough to put up/take down with the seasons. Some people offset them at different heights/angles to make it look more interesting and hang lights under them, etc. https://mightycovers.com/product/sunbrella-right-angle-triangle-shade-sails/ You could talk to your local window tint place about installing some on your windows to filter out the heat/UV rays.
man sounds like you need a sweet Sunsetter awning...as seen on TV Or just by an awing for an RV and screw it to the side of your house. Nothing redneck about that.
Is your application covered above? https://shadesails.com/ might be worth considering if you have/can build proper mounting points.
I meant apple's to apple's we saved a lot, but no idea if the savings would be as good on automated or if they even sell automated.
I built a pergola for a guy, he had something similar to this installed on top, they were very nice. They were painted to resemble a wave.
Have you considered solar screens? We had our whole house done for a little under $1k and it made a huge difference.
If you have a tent maker in the area, go talk to them. We have one close and they make the frame, sew whatever/however canopy you want, and install it. There stuff is REALLY nice.
We went with solar screens with grids, so they match the pattern of the windows. It adds a little to the price, but it looks better that way. This site has examples of different grid patterns, and good info. https://atozscreens.com/screen-products/sun-solar-privacy-screens/decorative-grid-sun-screens/
My parents put a sunsetter on their place. They got it from Sam Club at a decent price with a recommend local installer. It is power and even has a sensor that will automatically retract it if the winds get too high. They face south, so still get a fair amount of sun, but not from a really low angle like you will get facing west. They like it a lot and was well below that $11k figure you quote above, but price will somewhat depend on the size.