Markets Covered

Whatever your requirements Watermelon Shade has a solution for you. We serve three distinct markets, Residential, Educational and Commercial.

Residential

There are many ways to provide shade or weather protection in a garden or entertainment area dependent on your taste and budget. Our experts can work with you to design a unique solution, after all there is a colour, shape and style to suit every household.

Our free measure and quote service includes a site visit, full discussion with you on the options available, measure-up, typed quotation and full breakdown - all professionally provided and with no obligation to choose us. We also always follow up our quotes and help you in any way we can to reach your decision.

Benefits of Shade & Weather Protection at Home:

• Protect you and your family from our harsh NZ climate, harmful UV rays cause more than 90% of all skin cancer, shade protection can reduce exposure by 75%.
  
  
• Enhance your entertainment area, adding a stylish feature to your home
  
  
• Protect your property from fade and weather damage
  
  
• Secure your privacy - if you're overlooked why not consider a sail or structure?
  
  
• All shading systems are available in either shade material or waterproof PVC.
  
  
• Can provide regular service of seasonal shade sails, including dismantling, storage and re-installation.

  Allow you to enjoy the outside longer, protect from sun or rain and hail!

Residential Case Study
Our client needed shade protection over an extensive wooden deck and BBQ area which was to the front of their architecturally designed new home. Our brief was to meet their shade requirements and also devise a concept that would create great street appeal; would not detract from the unique features of the building and would enhance the landscaped exterior. The unusual design of the home restricted anchorage points, however, poles had been installed to accommodate a lighting & sound system so we were able to specially design brackets to clamp to these four columns. We provided the client with a three sail - two colour configuration that moulds beautifully with the building superstructure. Numerous outdoor functions have since been held with great feedback from guests and visitors on the design and ambience the sails create.

"Watermelon Shade were very professional to deal with. They came out and quoted for the work and also followed up on the quote, unlike other suppliers who didn't even get back to me. They were fantastic to deal with and managed a difficult installation without a hitch. I would absolutely recommend them."
Katey Gregg, Gregg Builders, www.greggbuilders.co.nz

Educational

When the weather's good, children need to be out enjoying it, without worrying about burning delicate skins. We are experienced at working with early childhood centres, primary schools and secondary schools to help you decide on the best solution for your outdoor play area, regardless of its size, big or small. Our free measure and quote service includes a site visit, full discussion with you on the options available, measure-up, typed quotation with full breakdown - all professionally provided and with no obligation to choose us. We also always follow up our quotes and help you in any way we can to reach your decision. We understand the requirements of presenting to boards and do out utmost to cover every angle- just like our shades and protection structures do! Feel confident that you can leave it to us. We also make sure we work around usage times, not encroaching on your busy schedule.

Benefits of Shade & Weather Protection at School

• Protect delicate young skins from harmful UV rays, rest assured they are sheltered and not at risk of painful, dangerous skin burn.
  
  
• Protect your property and outdoor equipment from fade and weather damage.
  
  
• Secure privacy - if you're overlooked or don't have a great outlook a sail could help.
  
  
• Can provide regular service of seasonal shade sails, including dismantling, storage and re-installation.
  
  
• All shading systems are available in either shade material or waterproof PVC.

  Allow you to enjoy the outside for longer, whatever the weather!

Educational Case Study - Lollipops Pre-School Addington, Christchurch

We were approached by a landscape contractor to erect a shade sail at a new Lollipops Pre-School. As with most commercial projects we needed to seek council consent which in this instance became problematic. For a sail covering 13.3m square metres engineers required us to prepare footings for each of the four poles 1.5m deep x 1.2m square which needed to be infilled with concrete. This requirement was necessary as the area had a very high water table.

Working around ground staff, soft fall installers, carpenters, and landscapers added to the difficulty of the project, particularly as it needed to be completed quickly. Regardless of these problems the job was completed on-time and to satisfaction. Following on from this successful installation we also installed two further sails beneath pergolas and over sandpit areas and also installed a vinyl post protector around one of the sail posts. We have been asked to mirror the configuration on the opposite side of the building once the centre has reached capacity. This job looks spectacular set amongst commercial buildings, with positive feedback on its successful, effective design.

"We were happy with the installation, nothing was too much trouble. It's great that the children can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about sunburn."
Juliette Thompson, Supervisor, Lollipops Addington.

Educational Case Study - Lincoln Primary

For health reasons Lincoln Primary school had to remove their Silver Birch Trees, instantly removing all of their natural shade and exposing the playing areas and their children to harmful UV rays. Following a site visit and consultation with the Board of Trustees and Principal, Watermelon Shade submitted a comprehensive proposal for a phased installation of 17 shades over a three year period.

Recognising the need for urgency, we planned to first cover the infant play area and the two popular adventure playgrounds. Consideration needed to be given for the set of the sails and the extreme exposure to prevailing east & westerly winds, plus clearance over the highest points of the play equipment. In addition we needed to make sure the cloth was taut to avoid the problem, often prevalent in public areas, of undesirables using sail structures as trampolines. To overcome this we strung a wire tracer, looped through stainless steel triangles sewn into the cloth, from high post to high post. This resulted in no billowing of the sail cloth and provided a sufficient deterrent to any misuse.

"We have an ongoing relationship with Watermelon Shade and I find them professional to deal with. After installation of our sails they came back for a review, listened to us and rectified a couple of problems we were having. The biggest advantage for us has been the huge improvement in the system for putting up and taking down the sails. Previously, this had been a real effort! The new system is more mechanical and Watermelon Shade are happy to come out and set up for us. I would recommend them."
Brian Baker, Principal, Lincoln Primary, Canterbury

Commercial
Our shades and structures can quickly make outdoor space usable, helping you to serve more customers and increase your profits. Stylish shade structures and coverings can also enhance the appearance of your premises, increase your professionalism and attract more business. We have lots of experience of helping clients in commercial situations and have a healthy respect for the bottom line. Our free measure and quote service includes a site visit, full discussion with you on the options available, measure-up, typed quotation with full breakdown - all professionally provided and with no obligation to choose us. We also always follow up our quotes and help you in any way we can to reach your decision. Come installation we make sure that it interferes as little as possible with the running of your business and is installed quickly and efficiently so that you are quickly reaping the benefits.

Benefits of Shade & Weather Protection for Premises

• Protect your customers and your property from harsh weather, particularly harmful UV rays, allowing customers to comfortably enjoy the outside longer.
  
  
• Increase serving or display areas.
  
  
• Smarten up your premises and attract more business.
  
  
• Create the right ambience and encourage your customers back.
  
  
• Enhance outside areas and add stylish features.
  
  
• Overlooked, or not a great view - secure privacy and add a smart feature.
  
  
• All shading systems are available in either shade material or waterproof PVC.
  
  
• Can provide regular service of seasonal shade sails, including dismantling, storage and re-installation.

Commercial Case Study - Vegeland

Our client needed to protect his on-sale produce and increase display and selling space. The existing premises also needed revitalising to effectively compete with local competition. After consultation it was agreed that a red sail would be installed across the front of the premises to blend in with the existing roof colour. The sail was lifted with poles specifically cantilevered to avoid any significant encroachment into the car parking area. The sail provided instant effective sun and weather protection for crated fruit and produce, as well as a more comfortable shopping environment for the customer. To further enhance the premises, we also suggested the installation of Weather Protective Blinds to fully enclose the veranda area which were lockable for outside of trading hours. The blinds extended the usable display area and removed the need for the proprietor to move produce from under the open veranda at the start and end of every trading day. The blinds gave added security and protection from adverse weather and were provided in keeping with the existing colour scheme.

"I decided to go with WMS because they were well priced and their quote documents were the most professionally laid out. They were nice to deal with and obviously knew their stuff. Adding the sail and the blinds has allowed me to significantly increase my display area and this coupled with other improvements we've made has increased business by 70%. I was impressed with the service and their going the extra mile to have things set up the week before Christmas."
Tony Kiesanowski, Owner, Vegeland

Commercial Case Study - Ferrymead Golf

We were initially called to quote for the supply and installation of two shade sails over the dining and bar area of the new restaurant. After discussions and recommendations by Watermelon Shade the clients reassessed the project and chose to fully enclose their veranda with the use of Weather Protective Blinds. The result secured greater return on investment, increasing the dining area to accommodate an additional 30-40 guests at minimal cost. Diners now have all the comforts of indoor dining but still retain a view of the outdoor courtyard.

Metal Pelmets were installed to cover the eight rollers which not only acted as draft protectors but aesthetically finished the project to a high standard.

"Watermelon Shade did a great job, they were very thorough and everything was done on time. Installing the Blinds has created more revenue for us as we have increased our outdoor area allowing us to seat more people in a sheltered area out of the wind. I have already recommended Watermelon Shade to others."
Carl Lawson, Managing Director, Ferrymead Golf

Commercial Case Study - Oxford Boarding Kennels

"Can you help us?" was the cry for help from the owners of Oxford Boarding Kennels, North Canterbury. Steve and Jane had shifted from the North Island and set-up a purpose built boarding kennels on their lifestyle block. This elaborate complex had an independent dog run for each resident and could accommodate up to 26 dogs. One issue they had, which concerned dog owners booking in their pets, was that no overhead protection was provided for the dogs while out in their runs. Shade sails running the complete length (16.6m x 4.3m) on each side of the complex looked the best option. Bearing in mind we were in an area exposed to extremely high north-westerly winds and snowfall through the winter months, we needed to ensure our anchor points exceeded our standard engineering specifications. Underneath the guttering and coach screwed to the internal framework we bolted a 100x50 beam to which we attached sail awning track. On the outer side of the access way servicing the dog runs were 200mm wooden posts at varying heights already concreted in the ground. To these we attached our own fabricated 50x20mm box section spigots to give the sails sufficient elevation above the framework of the runs, but also ensuring the fall on the sails was sufficient to allow for drainage. The end result has provided more than adequate sun protection for both the animals and their attendees around the perimeter of the complex, plus now happy dog owners.

"Out of the four suppliers I rang, Watermelon Shade were the only ones who bothered to come out and prepare us a proper quote! We couldn't have run the kennels without the sun sails, it gets up to 40 degrees here in the summer and without shade the dogs really suffer. They not only look great visually but we really appreciate the difference they make."
Jane McPhee, Owner, Oxford Boarding Kennels