Canadian summers can often be short lived. But the owners of this custom home in Ontario managed to find a way to extend their outdoor enjoyment year-round. Working with Screen Innovations (SI), Jeff Beam of the local integration firm Unlimited Home Theatre constructed a convertible outdoor space using SI’s motorized shading solution that would be usable in both summer and winter months.
Finding the Perfect Measurements
As Beam quickly found out, the right measurements were going to be key, with the foundation of the newer house still settling as they were being worked on. The unique shape of the space also required several sections of shades to wrap around 1,100-square-feet of the 1,400-square-foot deck.
Ultimately, however, with guidance from SI and their Flow shading design software, Beam was able to find the exact parameters needed before placing the order for shades. Per the owner’s request, Beam went with a black SunTex95 shade to match the home’s exterior with a 5% openness factor for the most effective climate control.
“A tight weave like this prevents air from escaping or entering the space,” Beam explains. “The owners wanted to be able to open the patio doors to allow the air from inside the house to cool and heat the outdoor living area. Plus, it also gave the owners complete privacy.”
An Added Bonus: Google Voice Command
With the hardware and materials out of the way, the next step came in ensuring operation melded perfectly with the homeowner’s habits and lifestyle. For Beam, this meant making it easy for the owners to lift the shades to get a solid view of the backyard. The best solution then became allowing the entire Zen shades system to be controlled with Google Home voice commands through SI’s Link Z Pro Gateway.
“Hey Google, raise all shades,” is all it takes to transform the space. Specific sections of shades can be controlled independently, for example, “Hey Google, raise the dining room shades,” opens only that part of the deck.
The system has also been programmed with a personal accent so that, when the owners lower their shades later, Google responds with, “I hope you enjoyed your dinner.”
However, there are also manual options in the form of several handheld remotes, including a waterproof model perfect for control from the hot tub.
By combining simple control and elegant aesthetics to create an altogether new, comfortable, and flexible living space rooted in the outdoors, Beam and the homeowners have made a new favorite project idea for many.
Another of this article originally appeared on CE Pro.
