Outdoor Living, Room by Room

Every square metre has to work harder. The problems repeat: a neighbour with a direct line of sight, wind funnelling down the side passage, and a west sun that empties the patio from November to March.

• Outdoor blinds

  Screen mesh on the exposed side blocks the sightline and the wind while the view stays. Rolled up, the patio is open again.

  Privacy and wind in one

• Louvre awning

  Low profile where headroom is tight. Blades open for sun, close for rain, and the roofline does not visually shrink the space.

  Overhead, compact

• Security screens

  On ground-floor doors and windows: privacy and a deterrent, with the screen open for air.

  Privacy plus security

With space to work with, the goal is flexibility: entertain when it suits you, not when the weather allows.

Folding-arm awning

Instant shade over the dining table or braai; pulls back fully for sun. Somfy motorisation extends and retracts it by remote, and a wind sensor retracts it before a gust can

Louvre roof

Total overhead control: blades open for brunch, closed tight when the cloud comes over. A permanent structure that adds covered metres to the house

Outdoor blinds on two or three sides

An open patio becomes a near-enclosed room without a building extension. With a louvre roof above, rain, wind and sun are each handled separately

The braai test

If you cannot comfortably braai and eat outside in every month, the space is underperforming. Cover above plus protection at the sides is the answer