Anyone with a roof over birdcage?
 

Was curious if anyone had put a roof over their birdcage. I have seen some with a canvas top but imagine that would create a lot of heat underneath. Any other options?

Yes, you can get a 'sail' that will attach to the birdcage and provide some shade, OR, you can have the roof area screen replaced with sun reducing screening, we currently have a 75% sun reduction, which works great. We had damage in this area during recent storms, so we had the entire roof area (33 panels) rescreened, cost was $2500.

ail
 

Do you take the sail down when it’s raining so it doesn’t fill with water? And do you take it down when there are high winds to curtail it from flapping? Or if you away on vacation?

No idea on the sails, I have seen these but never used them as we have the sun reducing screening.

Thanks. The canvas gives you some weather resistance as well in that there is no rain that passes directly through (get some splash through the screens on the side when the wind is blowing). Our neighbors can sit under theirs in a pouring rain and remain dry. It is just that the heat builds up under the canvas on theirs, so I'm assuming all. Hoping for a different solution that keeps rain out but is not as hot as I think it would get on our application.

We have the canvas over the birdcage and an adjacent roof covered lanai. The bird cage cover works well, but needs to be replenished every few years due to wear and tear from rain, wind and sun. It has held up very well in hurricane force winds. It does make a drumming noise in the very high winds. I don't understand the comment about heat under the canvas - there is no difference in temperature between the birdcage and the lanai. I would do it again. I recommend Sunshine Awning. They stand behind their work.

Lanai Roof
 

When we extended our lania we had a insulated aluminum roof installed. They put shingles on to match the roof. Looks nice and stays dry. The panels are 3" thick. The lanai stays dry and is useable year round. We also have a large table fire pit there.
The canvas tops only last about 8 yrs. is what we were told.

Our friends have a canvas top, and they are having problems with squirrels chewing through it. They have tried plastic owls, squirting the hose, etc, but those dang rodents keep making holes.

Sunshine Awnings now offers a new fabric made of reinforced vinyl instead of canvas. We had our top redone with this and the material is considerably better. Unlike canvas it doesn't absorb water so it doesn't sag with weight. The water doesn't pool in the center of sections as it rolls off better. We have a 1,300 sq ft birdcage and have 950 sq ft covered. It's fantastic and makes the birdcage usable year round instead of just now and then.

We originally had canvas with a promised 10 year life. We had a number of issues with leaks and at 5 years, they offered to recover it with the vinyl fabric at a substantial discount. The new fabric is far superior at keeping water out than the canvas was.

In the summer it's easily 10 degrees cooler in the shaded area of our birdcage compared to the non-shaded area.

I use rodent repellent spray with peppermint oil. I spray a few shots around the lanai perimeter every several days. It seems to be very effective keeping squirrels away. You can find it at Lowe’s.

We put 90% blockage screen on one row across the top of the birdcage. Made big difference. Happy with choice. The water does still come thru, just slower.

We have a 300 sq ft birdcage with canvas cover. We wanted the hard top cover as described in previous post but were denied by ARC. They said only canvas covers over a birdcage were allowed. In the end, we're happy with it. The height of the birdcage gives it a more open feel and being only 300 sq ft that's a good thing. It does radiate some heat but IDK if that's worse than sitting in the sun. I know it works a lot better for me being Irish and having very fair skin. It's about 98% water tight. We get a couple of drips where the screws are on heavy rainy days but more comes in from the screens so not a big deal. I'm pretty sure Sunshine Awning is the only company doing the covers. I'm hoping they will still be around 8-10 years from now when I would probably have to replace the canvas.

Birdcage roof
 

A couple of years ago we looked at putting canvas on the birdcage section of our lanai. One major drawback was that canvas gets mold and other nasty stuff on it, and thus requires maintenance. Then we discovered a company in Mt. Dora, Simplex. They replace the screen roof with - get this - styrofoam. It's thick and sturdy enough to walk on, and can also be shingled. Check it out, it's a great option. If you do cover your birdcage and it gets hot, use a fan.

We have a canvas top on ours. We get the morning sun so the remainder of the day it’s in the shade. We also put a ceiling fan in ours. We love it!