How to build a screen above 2m fence?

[Steve5]

Hi,

Our property looks down to a road and I want to add a screen above my 2m fence to block my dogs from getting excited about cars going by. 

Adding the screen inside the fence line means no conflict with council 2m fence restrictions.

My idea is to repurpose some leftover 1.8m wide shade cloth and celing battens.  I only need to cover a section about 5m wide.  (see drawing)

6m ceiling battens will be rivetted together to make the posts  which will be concreted into the ground about 600mm (see drawing).

Grommets will be added to the shade cloth and a pulley to the top of the ceiling batten poles to raise the shade cloth into place. 

The shade cloth will be loosely wired to the ceiling batten poles using insulated wire a similar gauge as internal house wiring.  This will allow raising and lowering the shade cloth as needed.

Any thoughts or ideas greatly appreciated.

[EricL]

Hi @Steve5 

I suggest nothing smaller than 19mm in diameter. If the area gets very strong winds, I suggest using a 31.8mm tube. Please remember to put a cap above the pipe to prevent rainwater from settling inside the tube. In regards to the depth of the hole, 500mm should be sufficient.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Steve5]

Hi Eric,

I'm changing my design to only have about 1m high shade cloth to decrease the chance of wind damage.

With the smaller 2.5m by 1m 'sail', would that change your ideas on pipe diameter?

I'm also considering having 2 middle posts instead of one shared post between 2 sails.

If I cut the 1.8m shade cloth down to 1m, do you think I should fold and stitch cut side so it doens't fray in the wind.

I could fold it over a couple times and thread a thin wire thru it.

I decided to switch from galvanized pulleys to stainless steel similar to a sailboat since I don't want to figure out how to replace a pulley on the mast (saw someone doing it on YouTube..)

Thanks,

Steve

[EricL]

Hi @Steve5 

I suppose with a smaller sail surface there won't be as much force pushing on the sail. Plus, you are doubling up on the post support so it's possible to use the smaller 19mm pipe instead of going for the bigger post. The added stitching will definitely help, and the stainless-steel pulleys will last much longer.  

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric