Sun shields for high floors

[RosaWaiting]

hello all

I nearly titled this "does this exist" because I sort of know what I'm looking for.

you know those fake garden trellis things that can be fixed by suspension? I need the equivalent of a sun shade.

for context, I live in a boiling hot new build flat - from April - November it's boiling boiling. Men come in and think they are having a hot flash and ask me to switch the heating off when it's never on!

large glass balcony door gets full sun. I've tried everything to keep the heat out but could do with adding another layer. So a canvas awning that can be suspended would be ideal but there's no way to fix things and the lease prevents external fixings anyway.

significance of high floor - screens, umbrellas etc simply fall down in a breeze, because on a high floor, a breeze is very strong. The balcony spot is small and to complicate things, it has a side panel of glass as well, so anything heavy that falls over is risking damaging the glass that acts as bedroom window.

window film etc has all been tried and is no help. Last summer I just put blackout curtain lining up on the outside (in addition to indoor stuff) but the heat kept melting the velcro glue!

thanks.

I am struggling to picture your set up, how about a diagram?

Have you tried special UV blinds? It's hot where I live and we have them on some windows and they make quite a difference.

I don't understand, how can you suspend it if you're not allowed external fittings. Can you explain further?

re suspension

have you seen those fake garden trellis things you get in Robert Dyas and such like - you can suspend them between two walls, so no fixing needed.

what I was thinking is that if someone does the equivalent in canvas, I could just suspend the canvas from balcony ceiling to balcony floor.

re UV blinds - internal blinds made made of light blocking fabric? I have those as equivalent in curtain linings. I'm looking for extra protection from the south west facing window. It's a studio flat so it's effectively the only window and it adds to the heat like a glasshouse.

it's not likely to cool the place more than a degree or two so not worth spending a lot, but just thought it would be nice to have something more manageable than last year's effort.

the building has cladding etc so the heat holding is horrendous, sorry if it sounds OTT but I promise it isn't. I don't even want to use the oven from April - November in a normal summer. If we have another summer like last year I will have to live at mum's tbh!

example of fake trellis

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fake-hedge-Lauro-100x200cm-extensible-evergreen-balcony-trellis-48665/153390812710?hash=item23b6ce0e26:g:f9QAAOSwi5dcuUu0

this in a sunshield canvas might help a bit.

Had you considered a free standing plug in air conditioning unit? We have them at work and they’re very effective.

more they are really expensive aren't they - also I'd have a lot of issues venting it out of a balcony door if you see what I mean.

space is a problem here too. Those are quite big aren't they?

Would a sun sail be possible, still needs some attachments but minimal so landlord might agree to it. Google sun sails or shade sails for ideas, you may be able to get a freestanding type that you could weigh down as wind could be an issue.

laundry it would need attachments though and I'm not keen on anyone drilling into the balcony ceiling either - there may be any fallout, literally!

there's the balcony ceiling and the UPVC frame, I wouldn't want to drill into either even if I could get it agreed.

I'm now wondering if those 3M stick on hooks might survive the heat? I use them as a coat rack and just thinking it over, they had 2 heavy winter coats hung up there and they were okay so I could try hanging a sail shade on those.

Sun sails need attaching to either the floor or the walls.

Do you mean you need something to wedge in op?

What about some basic screening? You know the wooden folding screens that Stand on their own? They would block the sun out.

Bluntness I tried the folding screen - I already owned one when I moved in, used it as room section.

it kept falling down. Also it's not tall enough.

I think you all have helped me think it over - thinking out loud online - I'm going to try a sun shade, with 3M hooks over the door. Fingers crossed it works! Thanks all.

Actually it might work. Get the really heavy duty hooks. That take a lot of weight, the harder the better, and it might just work,

Blackout blinds inside, fixed as close to the glass as you can get. Blackout curtains on top, make sure there is minimal space between the curtain rail and the glass. You can get all these things in Ikea.

Curtains and windows closed at sunrise or as soon as possible thereafter. Open as soon as the sun is off your window and the air is cooler outside than in your flat. They stay open all night.

You'll get more of a cooling effect from just adding another layer of blind curtain inside than out. Again, Ikea do curtain rails so you can have multiple layers of curtain on one rail and pull as many as you need to on any given day.

Alternatively,what is your balcony made if could you attach a screen using cable ties so it doesn't fall over? Or twists of wire if too hot for cable ties.

I think you should record the temperatures you are getting in your flat and approach the developer/freeholder to ask them to rethink external fixings. There are all kind of external options like shutters like you would see in hot countries. If it gets so bad you want to move out for summer it’s got to be worth pleading with them!

Internal plantation blind shutters. Not cheap though.

thanks for replies, I've ordered a canvas sail shade thingy.

Plantation shutters - love those but need a lottery win. Also I think shielding the sun from the outside is a better solution. There's already 2 layers of shield inside.

Asking the freeholder - they don't care, why should they? There's no legal obligation on them to protect from heat, I think?

I'm grateful they told us not to spend money on the problem because it's all about how the building holds heat.

They know the temperatures, the thermostat display vanishes after a certain point - 32 I think.

fingers crossed for a cool summer.

The architectural name for solar shading structures is brise soleil. In case that helps for future ideas.

I only know this as we’re building a passive house and so need them on some of our windows to prevent it getting too hot - even in Cumbria!