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27 Aug ’14
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I was wondering if anyone had seen or considered something like this on the south side of their homes or anywhere else they wanted shade. For an area where an extensive overhang isn't practical or sufficient for cooling an area in the summer, a lattice of anual vines could be employed. I was thinking that an entire canopy over your house could be setup to provide summertime shading but allow valuable light in the winter to heat you up. It's kind of like the poor man's green roof? Cheaper than rebuilding your roof to accommodate the weight and moisture concerns of vegetation, but still provides shading (though no insulation barrier). Like turff homes but with just a simple tent.
http://dornob.com/cu.....dern-home/
15 Feb ’12
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We kinda did something like that with the chicken coop, we planted grapes so they vined over the run to give shade and protect from flying predators.
6 Oct ’15
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I have seen a couple of places where they tried grape vines...they proved to be too heavy on the structure after a while, plus they attracted a lot of bees. Also have seen morning glories used...pretty good growth, but high winds damaged them a bit and issues with bees again.
The shade cloth works well and come in different % of blockage...
27 Aug ’14
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Nice permaculture! I bet the vines love all of the chicken poop and you get delicious grapes! I would imagine the shade also keeps ground moisture higher for attracting more insects? My old landlord in college had a greywater line to his chicken coop claiming that the moist soil attracted more bugs, supplementing the chicken's diets.
15 Feb ’12
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Yeah, i have some pics somewhere, i will look for them
27 Aug ’14
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Gravel, with the goal being something passive my only concern with shade cloth is that you would then need to take it down come winter time.
Agreed on the structural concerns, perhaps a separate lattice? You would need sufficient spacing between a roof structure so that you could still clean it. Bees are not something that I had considered, nor other insects...
Or we could always get a hot air balloon to sit at just the right spot:
6 Oct ’15
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...well I have an allergy to bee venom...so I think about that one....and if birds go for the grapes, they poop on your chairs.
The best thing with shade cloth is to take it down for the winter to increase it's useful life.
A wood trellis with some clothes line would be cool...multipurpose..shade and laundry care.
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