I've got the Southern/western sun with the same problems.
37' x 16'.

I have nothing to offer, but will be watching! :)

CEFreeman - but I bet you will find the best bargain around!
Pricey but may be easier than umbrellas in the long run
Thanks
A2Gemini

We installed the sunsetter retractable awning about 20 yrs ago. Not motorized back then. It has served us well; our rear deck gets too hot/sunny till about 4pm. Would do again without hesitation. Check eBay too; I think that's where DH scored ours. It was a little cheaper, I think, a slight reject (stripes at fold over edges weren't perfect; could only see that from 2nd floor looking down into awning).

What about a pergola? You can grow roses, wisteria, or vines on it that would give you seasonal shade and a little cover from light rain etc...

I was just going to suggest a pergola. While building a deck off our kitchen, DH realized how hot the deck was going to be. DH decided to cover part of the deck in a pergola. We mocked it up with boards to see how much shade it would give us. It's not done yet so I can't tell you how it is working.

I saw some offset umbrellas at ikea

Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant-past, I was a landscaper and purchased a Bulldog tarp for the purpose of covering plants and tying down trees during transportation. Not only were they effective and gentle with the plants the woven design permitted air to flow through them and not blow away during a highway trip.

What this means to YOU is that once I delivered a tree to a friend and she said "What a great sun shade this would make!" And she is absolutely correct! The subtle multi-color, tough grommets and fairly tight weave make for a great shady spot in all but the harshest sun conditions.

It is expensive for a "tarp" but incredibly inexpensive for a shade cover of similar quality and marketed as a home improvement product.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bulldog Tarps

Mags and EAM44 - I think we will build a Pergola on the south part of the deck. EAM - what type of wood did you use and did you have someone build it - the tricky part for us is the deck is off the ground by about 3-4 feet. Your Pergola is beautiful.

If you can visualize a 40 foot deck made from 2 rectangles - so one part of the deck sticks out 4 feet further than the other - there is not a height difference and the boards on the main part are contiguous.

I went down the neighborhood looking at ideas - a few have retractable awnings - 2 pergolas, and the rest were basic umbrellas.

We have this other problem - the squirrels think they own the deck. They sit up in the trees and pee and poop on whoever is on "their" property. LOL - so for our sitting area - we do want something that gives another form of protection.

Greenhaven - I bet that is where sunsails originated - from tarps. Same basic issue with the deck being elevated, the attachment points become problematic as you need enough tension to keep it from collecting water.

I am sure most of us have experienced this issue when camping - Stepping out of the tent and getting avalanched with the water from the outer tarp. LOL

Anyone else out there have retractables and like them. We picked out a color that coordinates with the house but I am thinking we need more color or it might look too tent like.

Thanks

We have a retractable awning and think it's great. It is motorized but we've only used the manual crank (the kids love to operate it). Ordered through Costco years ago. Good luck!

Thanks!
We ordered it today.
Now to figure out how to build a pergola.
I showed DH the picture and he liked it

Oh, and I scrubbed the deck
It looks so much better