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Green shade net shadeport seen from underneath on a steel frame, Garden Route

Commercial & Body Corporate

Commercial Shadeports Garden Route

Commercial shadeports for body corporates, schools and businesses in the Garden Route. Shade net or Chromadek roofing. Multi-bay and custom sizing.

Garden Route installation

Commercial Shadeports Garden Route

Shade across a whole parking area, at a fraction of what building it in brick or fixed steel would cost. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings designs and installs multi-bay shadeports for body corporates, complexes, schools and commercial premises across the Garden Route.

A charcoal multi bay shadeport installed by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings over a patterned brick parking area in Glentana, the shade cloth canopy running the length of the bays

What commercial shadeports does Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings supply on the Garden Route?

  1. Multi-bay shadeports for body corporates, sectional title complexes, schools, hospitality venues and businesses across the Garden Route. Single bay to 20-plus bay.
  2. Two frame types: cantilever, with no front poles, and post and beam. Both rigid galvanised steel. No cables.
  3. Knitted HDPE shadecloth in a dense or lighter grade. UV stabilised, fire retardant colours available, 100 percent recyclable.
  4. Far lower cost per square metre of covered parking than brick and mortar or a fixed steel carport.
  5. Bays follow a standard module: single, double, triple and on across the parking area.
  6. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings consults on commercial and residential developments from design through to implementation.

Salt air, southeasters and a sun that does not let up. Covered parking on the Garden Route is the difference between a car that holds its paint and one that does not.

“Body corporate work is different to residential. You are managing trustees, resident access, sectional title approvals, and consistency across every bay. We phase construction so half the residents always have parking. That coordination is where most projects fall over.”
Duncan Kane, Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
Multi-bay commercial shadeport with white tensioned shade net over resident parking, Garden Route, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
Multi-bay resident parking under tensioned shade net, Garden Route.
Quick Answer

Commercial shadeports: design through to implementation

Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings consults on commercial and residential developments from design through to implementation. The shade strategy for the whole site, not a price for a number of bays: where structures go, how they read against the architecture, phasing around occupied units, and what the specification needs to be for the exposure.

A grey shade cloth shadeport by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings over a boat builder's hoist bay in Knysna, galvanised steel frame with chain hoists and a boat standing beneath the canopy

The estimate follows the design. Once it is accepted we take the final measurements ourselves and build to those. Duncan designs every Garden Route installation personally and our own team fits it.

Commercial shadeport frame options

A charcoal cantilever shadeport by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, its shade cloth canopy carried on a galvanised steel arm with no front poles, tensioned back to a single row of posts
Charcoal shade net shadeport over a boat in a commercial yard, galvanised post and beam frame, Garden Route, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
Post and beam frame in a working commercial yard. Galvanised throughout.

Cantilever shadeport frame

No front poles. Bays open straight onto the parking area, doors open fully, nothing to reverse into. The option most body corporates choose.

Post and beam shadeport frame

The standard four post frame. Galvanised uprights, diagonals and tube perimeter, with tube diameter and wall thickness set by the span.

Both are modular and link side by side and back to back, so a complex can be built in phases or extended later without a second style appearing across the parking area. Side panels and cross bracing available on both.

Commercial shadeport bay sizes

Bays run to a standard module, because the module is set by the vehicle rather than the structure.

A pale grey shadeport by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings over marked parking bays at a Garden Route complex, palisade fencing and indigenous bush behind
ConfigurationCovers
Single bayOne vehicle
Double bayTwo vehicles side by side
Triple bayThree vehicles side by side
Multi-bay runContinues across the parking area

Clearance is standard and sized for a bakkie or an SUV. Extra height for a boat, caravan or delivery vehicle, or a wider bay, is where a professional design consultation comes in. Speak to Duncan before the layout is fixed.

Commercial shadeport specification

Shade net shadeport installed in Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route, galvanised steel frame with UV shade cloth and drop-down side panel by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, Garden Route, South Africa
ElementSpecification
FrameGalvanised steel throughout.
TubingDiameter and wall thickness set by the span.
TensioningRigid steel perimeter. No cables.
FabricKnitted HDPE shadecloth, dense or lighter grade.
ConstructionLock stitch knit. Resists fraying, stops a tear running.
UVUV stabilised. Dense grade blocks up to 98 percent of UV.
FireFire retardant colour range available.
RecyclableYes, 100 percent.
ColoursCharcoal, forest green, olive, latte, beige, black, silver, others to order.
Warranty5 years.

Shadecloth grades

Shade cloth tensioned over a new shadeport frame in Plettenberg Bay, by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route, South Africa
Green shade net shadeport seen from underneath, knitted HDPE cloth on galvanised frame, Knysna, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings

Dense grade. Blocks up to 98 percent of UV, holds its dimensions under tension. The specification for parking that has to protect paintwork.

Lighter grade. High strength to weight. Suits walkways, recreation covers and screening rather than hard vehicle protection.

Both are knitted from virgin high density polyethylene, UV stabilised, and fully recyclable.

The number that decides most body corporate projects. Cost per square metre of covered parking. Brick and mortar garages mean foundations, walls, roof, doors, plans and approval. A fixed steel carport means a full frame and roof sheeting. A shadeport covers the same footprint for a fraction of either, goes up faster, and disrupts an occupied complex far less.

Knitted HDPE shadecloth from underneath. Dense cover, filtered light, no glare.

Body corporates and sectional title

Grey multi bay shadeports by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings over the parking bays of a Knysna residential complex, the lagoon and the hills above Knysna beyond
Linked shade net shadeport bays covering a car and a boat on a trailer at a Garden Route complex, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings

Consistent appearance across every bay, sectional title compliance, resident parking during construction, and a structure that still looks right in ten years as communal property.

The common briefs: re-covering sun rotted cloth, adding bays as a complex expands, and standardising mismatched styles. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings works directly with managing agents and trustees, and supplies quotes and drawings in the format they need to table at a meeting.

Linked bays across a shared parking area. Same structure, extended along the run.

Where we install commercial shadeports

Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, George, Sedgefield, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Great Brak River, Hartenbos and the surrounding Garden Route. Larger projects also into the Overberg, Langkloof and Eastern Cape border areas.

Two charcoal multi bay shadeports by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings over marked parking bays at a commercial premises, galvanised steel posts and a palisade boundary behind
2010Established
20+Years Duncan’s Experience
5 YrShadeport Warranty
100sShadeports Installed

Commercial shadeport questions

Who is the best shadeport contractor for a body corporate on the Garden Route?

Ask who carries the job from design through to fitting, and who has watched their own structures age on this coastline. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings works directly with managing agents and trustees, specifies galvanised steel throughout because of what salt air does to a lesser frame, and installs with our own team. Duncan has over 20 years in the industry, and Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings has been established since 2010 with hundreds of shadeports installed across the Garden Route.

What is a shadeport?

Covered parking made of tensioned shade net over a galvanised steel frame, rather than a solid roof on walls. It shades and protects what is parked under it while staying open on all sides. On a complex it is the standard way to cover parking without building garages.

Is a shadeport better value than garages or a steel carport?

For covering parking, yes, and not by a small margin. Garages carry foundations, walls, roof, doors, plans and municipal approval. A fixed steel carport carries a full frame and roof sheeting. A shadeport covers the same footprint for a fraction of either. The trade off is that it shades rather than encloses. If you need a locked, dry, enclosed space, garages are the right answer and we will say so.

Does a shadeport keep the rain off?

No. Shade net is a shade structure and water passes through. It keeps sun, hail, bird mess and tree debris off a car, but it is not a rain cover. If you need parking that stays dry, that is a waterproof roof, and Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings builds those too. Say so up front and we will quote the right thing.

Will a commercial shadeport stand up to Garden Route wind?

We do not publish a wind rating, and we would treat one with suspicion from anyone who has not seen your site. Exposure changes street by street on the Garden Route. What we control is the specification: galvanised steel throughout, cross bracing where the span calls for it, and upright positions and spans set for your site rather than pulled off a standard drawing.

What size is a single, double or triple bay?

Bays run to a standard module set by the vehicle, so a single covers one car, a double two side by side, a triple three, and multi-bay runs continue in the same increment. Clearance is standard and sized for a bakkie or an SUV. Extra height for a boat, caravan or delivery vehicle, or a wider bay, is a design consultation with Duncan rather than an off the shelf answer.

How long does the shadecloth last?

The cloth is UV stabilised and carries a 5 year warranty. Beyond that it comes down to exposure and grade, and salt air is harder on a lesser cloth than most people expect. Re-covering sun rotted cloth on structures built by somebody else is regular work for us.

Can you re-cover or extend our existing shadeports?

Yes, and it is a large part of what we do for body corporates. We assess what is there and tell you honestly whether the frames are worth re-covering or whether you are better off replacing them.

What does a commercial shadeport cost?

No per bay figure means anything without seeing the site. Price is driven by bay count, cantilever or post and beam, ground conditions and how much foundation digging is needed, cloth grade, and access for the crew. What holds true throughout is that cost per square metre lands well below brick and mortar or fixed steel over the same footprint.

Do we need building plans?

It depends on the size of the structure and your municipality. We advise on what your project needs and can arrange drawings where required. Body corporate rules may set their own approval process on top of that, and we work within it.

Do you work with managing agents and trustees directly?

Yes. We know sectional title approval processes, common property rules, and the coordination needed to install across an occupied complex. Larger projects are phased to keep parking available for residents throughout.

Completed shadeport covering a driveway in Plettenberg Bay, by Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route, South Africa

Ready to specify a commercial shadeport?

Tell us about the development and what the parking has to do. Duncan works through the design and comes back with an estimate.

Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings is an independent, owner managed business established in 2010 by Duncan Kane, based in Knysna on the Garden Route. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings designs and installs commercial shadeports for body corporates, sectional title complexes, schools, hospitality venues and businesses across the Garden Route, from single bay to 20-plus bay, in galvanised steel, in cantilever and post and beam configurations, with knitted HDPE shadecloth in dense or lighter grades. Every structure is custom designed to the site rather than supplied as a standard kit, and delivers covered parking at a far lower cost per square metre than brick and mortar or fixed steel over the same footprint. Hundreds of shadeport installations across the Garden Route provide the technical reference base for specification in coastal environments. Custom Blinds® is a registered trademark of Saxon Commodities.

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