GuidesStraight answers on shade.
What we tell people on site, written down. No fluff, no sales copy dressed up as advice.
We get asked the same questions on site every week. What is that shape called. Will it stop rain or only sun. Who signs off the engineering. This is where we write the answers down.
Every guide here comes from the people who measure, make and install the thing, out of our own factory at Rydalmere, after 40+ years of doing it. If we are not sure of something, we say so.
If a guide does not answer your question, call us. Free measure, blueprint and quote, seven days a week, across Sydney and all of NSW.
All guides
Every guide, newest first.
Australian standards · shade structures
There's no single shade sail standard. AS 4174, the AS/NZS 1170 series, AS 4100 and the fire tests each cover one part, so here is what each one measures.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Council approval · NSW shade sails
Almost never. Most home shade sails are exempt development in NSW: nothing to lodge, no waiting. Here's when approval does come into it, and who handles it.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Repair or replace · a decision guide
A symptom-by-symptom guide to repairing a shade sail versus replacing it, and when a new skin on the structure you already own is the smaller job.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 5 min read
Sails vs pergolas vs awnings
Shade sail, pergola or awning? Where each one wins, where sails lose, and how cost direction, council approval and summer heat compare.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Shade cloth vs waterproof PVC
Knitted shade cloth breathes and runs cooler. Waterproof PVC keeps the rain out. A plain comparison of heat, rain, light, lifespan and cost direction.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Shade funding · NSW schools & childcare
Which grants fund shade for NSW schools, preschools and community groups: what is open, what has closed, and how to build a submission an assessor can approve.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min readShade sail care · the working guide
How to clean and re-tension a shade sail without wrecking it: the hose-and-soap method, what should never touch the cloth, and the signs it's time to call us.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Shade sail costs · Sydney 2026
What shade sails cost in Sydney: the seven things that move the price, market ranges by scenario, and how to get an estimate built from your own yard.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min readShade sail lifespan · the real numbers
A quality shade sail gives you ten to fifteen years in Sydney sun. What shortens that, what stretches it, and how to tell when only the cloth is finished.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
What does COLA stand for?
COLA stands for Covered Outdoor Learning Area: a roofed, open-sided space over a court or a play yard on a school site, built to keep sport and lessons running.
Updated 1 September 2026 · 5 min readStill got a question?
Ask the people who build them. Free measure, blueprint & quote, 7 days a week, across Sydney & all of NSW.