3 Reasons to Choose a Shade Sail Over a Pergola for Your Garden

Having an outside space of your own is great. When the weather is nice, you get to sit outside and enjoy it with your friends and family. Of course, it's also nice to have some sort of covering structure to provide shade when the sun is at its more ferocious or keep the rain off when the heavens open.

Gazebos are the traditional choice, but more and more people are finding out about shade sails. Here are just three reasons why shade sails make a better choice.

1. Cheaper and Faster to Build 

In case you don't already know, a shade sail is a piece of fabric that's stretched out between three or more support poles. Just imagine a ship's sail stretched out horizontally above you. They provide plenty of shade, but they're also extremely inexpensive to build — all you need is the sheet itself and the support posts, and putting those posts in the ground is very quick and easy.

In contrast, a gazebo is a substantial structure that costs a lot of money to build and takes some time to put together. If you want to keep things simple and keep to a considerably stricter budget, opting for a shade sail makes sense.

2. More Durable and Lower Maintenance

Since gazebos are fixed, freestanding structures, they require quite a lot of maintenance. Even if they aren't damaged, you'll need to varnish them, regularly apply more paint and keep the roof clear of debris. Since they cannot be taken down in the event of bad weather, gazebos are often damaged during storms or even during periods of heavy rain. Repairs tend to be expensive.

A shade sail is much simpler. For starters, there's not much damage that can be done to a few posts and a sail, and virtually no maintenance is required. In fact, you can simply take the sail down if you're expecting bad weather.

3. Added Versatility

Finally, keep in mind how much more versatile a shade sail is. You can remove it completely when you want to soak up all the sun's rays or feel the breeze, and there are several types of sail available to fit your changing needs. Pick a lighter sail with UV protection for summer, then switch it out for a heavier, waterproof sail when the weather starts to turn. With a gazebo, you're stuck with the same structure at all times of the year.