Hey folks, I'm in the middle of building a deck (1 foot above grade), and have decided to add a trellis for shade and for trumpet vine/ clematis to grow on. The trellis "ceiling" will be 8 feet from the deck, and cover a
24 x 8 area. (deck is 30X25ish) the 24 foot stretch will edge the house. I'm toying with the idea of somehow making the trellis water proofish, so that I could sit under it in a rainfall and stay dry. The trellis will consist of 2x6 joists that run perpendicular to the house and are supported at one end by a ledger board attached to the house, and on the other by a double 2x6 beam held up by 4x4 posts.2 approaches so far.
one is to put some type of retractable awning above or below the trellis itself.
pros
- fairly straightforward installation,
- most come with a warranty
- pretty rainproof if there is not a strong wind.
cons
- would it look stupid to have an awning above a trellis?
- awning below trellis restricts headroom, and possibly interferes with plants
2nd idea is to fill the space between the joists with either a plexi or greenhouse grade glass. starting the glass at the "top" of the joist on the end close to the house, and finishing at the "bottom" of the joist at the beam the glass would fill the joist spacing and keep the deck below dry. The glass would be on a 1 - 16 slope assuming the glass extends 8 feet from the housepros
- potentially better looking??
- less interference with plants?
cons
-potentially not as water tight
-requires spring and fall removal and replacement of glass due to snow load in winter.
anyone have any other ideas?
Dave