insights
insights
An open-sided structure: galvanised steel posts and beams with knitted HDPE shade cloth stretched across the top, sized to the vehicle in single, double, triple or multi-bay runs with a standard clearance for a bakkie or SUV.
Cant.
Cantilever
Post
Post and beam
03 What it costs
Published as a range with its conditions: the shade cloth grade (the heavier blockout grades cost more), the site, and the exposure; and because poles are planted, ground conditions change the job. Per square metre it is the most cost-effective way to shade and protect what you own, against a built structure or a fixed metal carport. The estimate follows the design; final measurements are taken before anything is built.
Every shadeport is specified to its own site. The towns differ in what that site brings.
North-facing driveways take sustained sun and the berg wind arrives suddenly. Shadeports George
Sun and berg windLagoon-side salt air on Leisure Isle, Thesen Island and the waterfront; a more sheltered position than the open coast. Shadeports Knysna
Salt airDirect ocean exposure at Robberg, Beacon Isle and Keurbooms. Duncan is in Plett weekly. Shadeports Plett
Open coastHoliday homes with cars standing for weeks, and onshore wind as the dominant factor further west.
Absent owners, wind“Every shadeport I build starts with the wind. I look at the site, the prevailing direction, the exposure. Then I specify the structure for it.”Duncan Kane Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
A single bay is in the R20,000 region and a double roughly twice that, depending on the shade cloth grade, the site and its exposure, and the ground the poles are planted in. Send Duncan images of the space on WhatsApp and he comes back with an estimate.
8 to 10 years in Garden Route conditions, depending on cloth grade and exposure, with a 5-year warranty. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings has hundreds of shadeport installations behind that figure.
It depends on the municipality (Knysna, George, Bitou, Mossel Bay), the size of the structure and the zoning. Check with your local authority and your estate before building; a specification document is available for an application.
The dense grade blocks up to 98% of UV; the lighter grade lets more light and air through. Across the two, 80 to 98% of UV is blocked. For a car that stands all day, the dense grade.
Shade net lets water through; it is a shade structure. If the parking has to stay dry, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings builds waterproof roof options too.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, known as the Knysna shadeport specialist: hundreds of shadeport installations across the Garden Route, each specified to its site by Duncan Kane, installed by the team in two to three days, with a 5-year warranty.
Content reviewed by the Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings team.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings | South Africa’s trusted blinds, shutters and awnings specialists since 2010.