Installing Costco Koolspot Sun Shade on My Porch

text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter!

We've needed a sunshade on Steph's porch for a long time. After some tree work in her yard and the yard of her neighbors, it was clear we couldn't go another summer on the porch without some kind of sun protection.

Costco, once again, had their Koolspot Shades on sale in the store this past month. Unfortunately, the one in the store was too long for the porch so we ordered one online. 

Here's how we installed it, the tiny bumps along the way, and what we think about it.

Materials/Tools:

• Koolspot Outdoor Sun Shade – Pole Operated (Costco)


• Center Punch & Nail Set Tool (Amazon)


• Stainless Steel C-Clamps (Amazon)

This is the display at our Costco. Only the 8 feet wide model is available in the store.

This is everything that was with the shade. There are three brackets, but we only used two and we didn't end up using those bungie things you see under Steph's hands.

There is a paper template included but we did not use it as it didn't work for our installation. Steph found where she wanted to drill the holes for the first bracket and marked this with a center punch.

Steph predrilled the holes for the screws. We did encounter a problem with the second screw location as it was directly above a vertical screw. Because of this the bracket had to be moved over and the hole re-drilled.

Before fully tightening the screws, Steph checked the bracket to be sure it was level. Once level, the screws were fully tightened.

Since we didn't use the paper template, we used a Kreg multi-measure to measure the location needed for the second bracket.

Once the second bracket was in the place, we easily snapped the shade into place. It's also very easy to take down as well.

We assembled all the pieces to the crank handle.

Here Steph is adding the crank ring to the side of the shade. The end of the crank slips into this ring and this is how the shade is raised and lowered.

Here Steph is showing how the shade is lowered by using the crank.

This is the part that is suppose to keep the shade in place when the wind blows. But we didn't have a place to attach it to.

We found these stainless steel clamps online which works to keep the shade from moving when the wind blows.

Here's the view with the shade up.

Here it is down. You still have a view but the porch is considerable cooler with the shade down.

Just a note that motorized shades are available online if that is something you need. That would be nice, but it's not that big of a deal to hand crank it open and closed.

​The sunshade has been a great addition to the porch. Not only is it cooler, but it does block the bright light coming into the house when the sun is setting. Before the light coming in through this screen through the sliding glass door made it really uncomfortable if you were sitting at the table. 

It was an easy installation. One of our concerns was how difficult it would be to take down in the event of bad weather. 

It is VERY easy to remove to safely store inside during really windy conditions. 

Please note: This is not a sponsored post.
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FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP.

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