Custom Motorized Shades in
Memphis, TN

Most Memphis patios get their best use in the spring and the fall. Then summer settles in, and the back porch turns into the one spot nobody wants to sit, with the late sun coming in hot, the air getting thick, and the chairs staying empty right through supper. The right shades in Memphis, TN change that, and they let you get back to using the space you already have.

Shade Doctor installs motorized patio shades, retractable awnings and custom buildouts for homes and businesses across Memphis and Shelby County. Every shade is built to fit your opening, and it all starts with a free consultation at your home, where we walk the space with you and take the measurements. The company started in Houston, grew into the number one volume installer in Texas, and carries a 4.7-star average from more than 380 Google reviews along with an A+ rating from the BBB.

Why Memphis Patios Need Shade

Memphis summers stay sticky for a long time. The muggy stretch of the year runs about 4.8 months, from early May to the start of October, and July alone averages close to 27 muggy days. That covers most of the season you'd want to grill, sit out after work or let the kids play on the porch. On those days a bare patio holds onto the heat long after the sun moves on.

The hottest weather lands in the same months. Daily highs average above 83 degrees from late May to late September, and July's average high sits right at 91. Those are the evenings when the sun drops low enough to slide right under a porch roof and land on the table, the grill and whoever happens to be sitting there. Even a covered patio bakes once that late sun comes in from the side.

That's why so many patios around town sit empty during the exact hours people want to be out there, from the end of the workday into the evening. Shade on the open sides of the patio blocks that low sun before it ever reaches your seating. Solar mesh keeps a good share of the heat out, and the breeze still moves through, so a July evening on the porch feels a whole lot more like the spring evenings you were missing.

Motorized Patio Shades for Memphis Porches and Patios

Motorized patio shades are the core of what we do, and they're the system most folks have in mind when they ask about patio shades in Memphis, TN. Anyone comparing roller shades in Memphis will recognize how they work. The fabric or solar mesh winds onto a tube inside a housing at the top of the opening, and at the touch of a button it rolls straight down into tracks on either side. A weighted bottom bar holds it snug at the floor.

Those side tracks do a lot of the work. They hold the edges of the shade steady when the wind picks up, and they close the gaps along the sides where mosquitoes like to slip in. That's a real help on a Memphis porch at dusk, when the bugs come out right as the evening cools off.

Solar mesh blocks up to 90% of UV rays, and you can still see out and feel the air move. A higher-opacity fabric gives you full privacy for the times you'd rather not have the neighbors looking in, and it runs on the very same hardware. Shades can go as wide as 30 feet and as tall as 20 feet, and each one is custom built to your opening. A sloped concrete patio gets the fabric cut to match the slope, and arched openings can be fitted too.

These motorized patio shades work well for Memphis, TN homes with covered patios, back porches, outdoor kitchens and pool cabanas. You can run them from a remote, an app or a smart home system, and plenty of owners set them on a schedule so they come down on their own when the afternoon sun hits. That hands-off setup is what most people are after when they look into automated shades in Memphis. You can read through the fabric choices, smart controls and warranty coverage for our motorized patio shades whenever you're ready.

Motorized Retractable Awnings

Plenty of Memphis homes have a slab patio out back with no roof over it and no beam to hang anything from. A retractable awning is made for exactly that kind of patio. It mounts to the house, rolls out to put shade over the patio or deck, and then tucks all the way back in when you want the sun again.

These electric shades for Memphis, TN patios run from a wireless remote. Dimmable LED lights are built right into the awning arms, and they work off the same remote, so it's easy to stay outside well after dark. The pitch adjusts with a crank from the ground, with no ladder needed, which means you can tilt the awning lower as the evening sun drops.

A summer thunderstorm in Memphis can knock the power out for a while. Every awning comes with a manual override, so you can still bring it in by hand when the power's off. The override is also handy for anyone in the family who'd rather not fuss with a remote at all.

Colors, patterns, finishes and sizes are all chosen to suit your house, and each awning is made to fit your space. You can look over the built-in lighting, the pitch adjustment and all the color and style options for our motorized awnings to get a feel for what would look right on your home.

Custom Shade Solutions for Memphis Homes

The median home in Memphis was built in 1971. A lot of the patios and back porches around town went up long before anyone planned for a motorized shade, and many of them were never framed with a beam or a square opening to mount one to. Older additions and screened porches tend to have the same quirks.

Our custom work is how we handle those older patios. A beam buildout gives the shade a solid place to mount on an open gable that never had a beam. Custom cedar posts square up an opening where a wall meets it at an angle, and those posts can be painted or stained to match your trim. Coping moves the shade line out past the edge of the slab, finished in tile, stamped concrete or brick, so the shade comes down right where it should.

Fixed shades fill gables and hinged spaces with steady shade that never needs adjusting. We also build custom storm doors in glass or screen, with an optional doggy door at the bottom, so getting in and out of the porch works right alongside the shades around it.

Many Memphis homeowners start out searching for custom blinds and shades for the back porch, and they find out pretty quickly that the shade is only half the job. The other half is giving it something sturdy to hold onto. All of that buildout work is priced as part of your shade project in one turnkey quote, and most custom projects are finished in a day or two. Workmanship is covered for a full year. You can see how each one works in our beam buildouts, coping, fixed shades and storm doors section.

Built for Mid-South Weather: Wind Rating and Warranty

Spring storms are part of life in the Mid-South. The National Weather Service office in Memphis found that the area's busiest severe weather season runs from April through June, with June the peak month for damaging wind gusts of 58 mph or more. The same study counted an average of 14 tornadoes a year across the region the office covers. Those months line up right with the start of patio season.

Every Shade Doctor shade is guaranteed against blowout up to 105 mph. The side tracks and the weighted bottom bar are what deliver that rating. They keep the fabric locked in place through the gusty afternoons and passing storms Memphis sees all summer long.

The warranty is there to back that up. Hardware carries a lifetime warranty. Fabric and mesh are covered for 15 years, and motors and controls are covered for 10 years. Those are the numbers our materials and engineering are built to.

Good habits still go a long way. Any outdoor shade or awning should be rolled up ahead of a severe thunderstorm warning, the same way you'd bring in the patio cushions and tie down the grill cover. With a motorized shade that takes a single press of a button, and the shade is safely tucked into its housing before the wind arrives.

Modular Pergolas

A modular pergola gives you a roof you control over an open spot in the yard with no cover at all. The louvers turn by hand up to 90 degrees, so you can open them for sun or close them for shade and rain. It needs no power, so it can go just about anywhere in the yard. Rainwater runs off through a built-in gutter system. The frames are powder-coated aluminum, they come in 10x10 and 12x12 sections that join together for bigger spaces, and privacy walls are an option. Anyone pricing pergolas in Memphis, TN can look over the sizes, louver details and privacy walls for our modular pergolas.

Serving Memphis and Shelby County

Shade Doctor installs outdoor shades for Memphis, TN homes and businesses, along with the communities around the city in Shelby County. That covers older homes with an open slab patio, newer homes with a big covered porch and an outdoor kitchen, and restaurant patios that need shade for their guests. Our Memphis work is part of our wider shade installation service across Tennessee.

Every job is a little different, and the details of yours are easiest to sort out in person. When you're ready, you can schedule a free consultation, and we'll come out to your home, walk the space with you and measure for a firm quote. It helps to have everyone who'll weigh in on the decision there for the visit, so all your questions get answered at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do motorized shades cost in Memphis?

The price depends on the width and drop of each opening, the fabric or mesh you pick, the control system, and whether the patio needs a beam buildout, angled wall buildout or coping. Any buildout is included in the same quote as the shades. The estimate is free, and once we measure on site you get a firm number.

Will the shades hold up to Memphis storms?

Our shades are guaranteed against blowout up to 105 mph, with side tracks and a weighted bottom bar holding the fabric in place. Rolling them up ahead of a severe thunderstorm warning is still a smart habit, and it only takes a button press.

Can you add shade to a patio that has no cover?

Yes. A retractable awning mounts to the house and puts shade over an open patio, and a modular pergola can stand on its own anywhere in the yard. An opening with no beam can get a beam buildout, which gives a shade something solid to mount to.

How long does installation take?

Most installations are finished within a day or two once the shades arrive. The lead time before that depends on the size and fabric you choose.