The Modern Screened-In Porch

Shading Texas Improves Outdoor Living Space With Draper FlexShade Technology

By Anthony Leo

It’s not your grandfather’s screened-in porch. Exterior motorized window shades are becoming a new alternative for enclosing a fourseasons patio to keep out bugs or filter harsh sunlight, adding to the flexibility and comfort of an outdoor living space.

Matt Pierce, owner of central Texas-based Shading Texas, has found success selling and installing Draper’s FlexShade ZIP exterior shades, which combine convenience and ease of use with the simple touch of a wall switch or remote. The exterior shades can be raised or lowered quickly and quietly to the desired position, with side channels or cable guides keeping the fabric in place.

In one recent project in Austin, TX, the homeowner wanted to be able to use their outdoor space more comfortably, enjoying dinners or barbecues and even shuffleboard, without having to worry about the bugs.

“This project is a new build that we worked with the builder on to give them an enclosed patio effect,” Pierce said. “There are steel posts that we had to mount to, and there are three bays on one side and three bays on the other side, as well as a couple of entry points, as well.”

Pierce noted that the exterior shades can be used to cover anything from a single door window all the way up to multiple-opening patios. “We also do awnings and tension-zip systems that can go on top of pergolas,” he noted. “So, there’s really no job that’s too small or too big that we can’t handle.”

Shading Texas’ Austin project is a good example of large screens that lower in place to enclose large bays while also allowing entry points. Pierce used Draper’s Phifer Tuffscreen fabric, which Pierce said, “does a really great job keeping out the bugs and also keeps out some of the particulates without losing the breeze or any of the view.”

Pierce particularly likes that the Draper exterior products are also designed with durability in mind. “This is not something that we’re selling to someone and then just walking away,” he said. “This is someone that we’re going to have a relationship with for a long time, so we need to make sure that the product actually lasts the length of that relationship. Other systems are just meant for a couple of seasons and don’t have that lifespan that you get with a Draper product.”

With work-from-home careers becoming more common since the start of COVID-19, Shading Texas is finding clients looking for new ways to get out of their “cooped up” home offices for a while to enjoy a fresh breeze and sunshine. And with vacation travel also getting more expensive, clients are looking to create a space for relaxation while still at home.

“This gives people the ability to enjoy their outdoor space the way they couldn’t previously, and that’s becoming just a more and more appealing thing with all of the different changes that are happening around the world,” Pierce added. x