For spaces that have exact coverage or space requirements, or that need to attach to existing points, we offer two types of custom Shade Sails

(A) Commercial quality with Stainless steel cabled perimeter and extra reinforcement. Custom made to fit the space with no adjustment needed.

(B) "Ready Made" type construction in custom sizes and colors. ("Ready Made" construction cost less but is limited to a maximum of 325 square feet and are not as strong) "Ready Made" Construction Customs are usually made a bit smaller with chain added to the corners to allow for stretch. These sails are made to our "Ready Made" standards like the ones we offer in standard colors and sizes.

Custom made Shade Sails are made to fit very accurately to their attachment points. Therefore it is important to follow these instructions:

1) Plan your installation. Check with your local building Dept. Many installations require a building permit. Unless FLorida Shade Company has been contracted to manage the installation, we are not responsible for obtaining permits or for engineering your installation

2) To Help you visualize the Sails, you can use string stretched between your planned attachment points. Remember the sail do not have straight lines at the edges, they are constructed with a gentle curve that deflects about 10% over the length of each edge. We have found the best looking installations have bold changes in height from one corner to the next, and that overlapping sails or multiple sails give a more interesting look.

3) The attachment points should be installed first. Then the sails are made to fit. Therefore, install your posts with eye bolts, plates, eyes or straps to the house, tree or whatever you have chosen to support them. Remember, there can be substantial wind loads. (from 5.5 to 15 lbs. per square foot of sail). The sails have stainless wire around their perimeters and can handle high wind loading. These loads are divided between the corners, but it is important that where they attach to be adequate.

• For our posts, we usually start with 4" schedule 40 steel pipe (galvanized) or temporary power poles (treated) that are 6" or larger for our posts. They are usually embedded in a concrete footing, 3 ft. to 6 ft. deep and 1 ft. to 1.5 ft. in diameter. As the sails get larger or higher then the post size should be larger.

• Corners of buildings are excellent attachment points and we have designed a special corner clip for that application (see order form). Also, it is often possible to connect to remote structures with wire spanning the distance.

4) The sails have a stainless steel ring at each corner that must be attached to your attachment point. This can be done in a variety of ways; the best method for the "do it yourselfer" is to rope them on with a length of low stretch Dacron rope. This gives a lot of adjustability and is very strong and inexpensive. For a more high tech look you can use stainless steel "D" shackles and turnbuckles.

5) Measure accurately from the outer edge of the eye of one attachment point to the next. On four sided sails we need diagonal measurements as well. Also, indicate the highest corner (if there is one) with an H.

6) The hems can be on top (up) or on the bottom (down). Indicate your preference (usually down).

7) Choose a color. All our fabrics have an ASTM Class 1 fire rating. (Colors are shown on the Shopping Cart page.) Other fire ratings such as NFPA and ratings are available in limited colors and at an increased price.

8) To calculate the cost of the sail, add the perimeter dimensions together and divide the total inches by 12. Commercial customs = ($16.00 per linear foot). Then add $40 for each corner. (Prices subject to change without notice. Please call us first.) (Sails with perimeters larger than 80' add 10%)

"Ready Made Construction customs" = ($12.00 per linear foot). Then add $35 for each corner. (Prices subject to change without notice) (The "Ready Made" constructed custom must be limited to 325 square feet)

9) You will need various hardware to attach the sails, since we compensate the measurements to include the size of the hardware, it is essential to use our marine grade stainless hardware as we are familiar with their sizes and the parts are all compatible. In any case, we need to know how you intend to attach the sails so that we can adjust the dimensions accordingly. If you do not use our hardware then we will not guarantee the fit.

Custom Shade Sails take about a month to complete.

DISCLAIMER (Read carefully) The following installation suggestions are offered as a courtesy to mail order purchasers and to facilitate accurate ordering of the product. Florida Shade Company does not and cannot know the specific intentions of purchaser stress factors, variables for the area such as soil, wind condition and exposure, existing structure strength, local access codes, etc. The following is offered only as a highly generalized summary of installation methods used successfully by Shade Sails in the past. Shade Sails makes no extension of warranty by these general guidelines and disclaims any responsibility for the installation, design of installation, engineering requirements, code compliance or any other installation related matter. Shade Sails offers these services on an individual contract basis and purchaser has elected to purchase the ready-made sail only as a more economical alternative.