What an outdoor blind is, and is not
Ours are clear PVC panels in a folding frame. They run across the open side of a verandah, patio, alfresco area or balcony, close against the head, the posts and the floor, and fold back against a post when the weather is good. They are not a roof, not a wall and not a sealed external door: they keep wind-driven rain and cold off a covered area while the view and the daylight stay.
That distinction matters for expectations. An opening from a living room straight onto a deck wants a sealed external door, which is a bifold or a stacker and not something we make. A verandah or an alfresco area that already has a roof is exactly what outdoor blinds are for.
It needs a roof over it
The blinds close the open side of a covered space. A verandah roof, a solid pergola cover or a balcony slab above the area is the starting point. An open deck with nothing over it will not become dry by closing its sides, and a pergola with open battens will still let rain straight through the top.
Exposure decides the detail
A courtyard sheltered on three sides and a balcony facing the weather are not the same job, even at the same width. Exposure decides how the panels seal at the head, the posts and the floor, and which way the run should stack so the folded panels sit out of the wind. It is the first thing looked at on a site measure, and the honest advice for any run in a strong wind is to fold it back.
Coastal openings add salt air, which affects hardware and finish. Say so at quote stage rather than after.
Keeping the view and the light
Because the panels are clear, a closed run does not turn the verandah into a store room. The garden or the street is still there and the daylight comes through. Any clear PVC outdoors weathers over time, and the sun does most of it: keeping the panels clean and folding them back on hot, still days when they are not needed extends the life. Ask about the grade of the sheet for your exposure.
Insect screens and where the stack goes
Where the area is already screened for insects, the blinds run in front of the mesh and the two do different jobs: mesh for summer evenings, clear panels for the wet and the cold. If there is no screen yet and one is wanted, set both out on the same posts at the start.
The panels fold into a stack against a post or a wall at one or both ends of the run. Allow roughly ten to fifteen percent of the run for it, and decide with the furniture and the barbecue in mind, because the stack sits there whenever the blinds are open.
Cafes, pubs and venues
Outdoor dining that closes every time it rains is outdoor dining that cannot be booked. Closing the terrace in keeps the tables in use through winter, and the run folds back on a fine day. The same exposure questions apply, and a venue run is usually split at the posts so a single panel can be opened for service without moving the whole thing.
What to send for a quote
For a first number, the width between posts, the height from floor to head, which way the area faces, and a few photographs from inside and outside are enough. Every run is measured on site before it is made, because verandah posts are rarely evenly spaced and the floor falls for drainage. Within 50 km of our Keilor East workshop the measure and the quote are free; further out, travel is shown as its own line.
- Width between each pair of posts, and the height to the underside of the head
- Which way the open side faces, and whether it is sheltered or exposed
- Whether there is an insect screen already, or one wanted
- Where the panels can stack when they are open
- Photographs from inside the area and from the garden side