Shade Solution

So the trellis is proving difficult to design. It's a 17' span, and general feedback is that I need to go to 2x12 on both sides of the 6x6 posts to span that distance. 2x12 is going to look pretty big up there! and it's going to be mighty unstable with just 2 poles. best solution would be to go with a traditional square setup and bring it out over the hole island, but i dont really want that much structure. another alternative is to go with a metal beam but they are pricey, heavy etc.

So the latest "outside the box" thought I had was one of these. I would need a custom shape/size but could hang 2 two corners from the house and one from the fence. (or a new post sunk just inside the fence). I wouldn't have it cover the grill part, just the seating area (as a large sheet of canvas over a flaming grill being attached to the house seems not too clever). this will obviously cause me a problem with hanging a heater off the trellis, so I need to rethink that part.

This place does custom sizes, shapes and colors. custom prices seem to be about 600-1000 depending on the size, quality etc but that's likely less than the trellis with custom steel beams, and it could like pretty cool.

On the tile VS granite decision, I am leaning heavily towards tile - Despite the ease of cleaning granite I think a solid chunk of granite is going to look out of place in our backyard. Spoke with the tile guy tonight and he recommended a natural stone, like slate. He's going to send me a quote - he estimated it would take him about 4 days to do it properly (with mitered edges etc), so it's not going to be cheap! He's also quoting the stucco, painting and plumbing (which involves digging a long trench and cutting a trench thru the tarmac side path).

However, he's booked for the next 3 weeks, so the June 1st date would be out the window.