There’s nothing like living in a coastal town. Sure, the salty sea spray might rust your car quicker, but having the beautiful beach in your own backyard more than makes up for it. As Tauranga locals, we’ve learnt that the trick to living by the ocean is to not fight nature, but to lean into the salty air and soil that come with a coastal climate.
This philosophy is what lead the team at Undercover Industries to exclusively use aluminium in our pergolas. We work with our coastal conditions, building awnings across the Bay of Plenty that families will enjoy for years to come.
Here’s why aluminium is an absolute necessity for pergolas in coastal towns.
Pergolas – what are your options?
There are three major options when building a sun shade: timber, steel and aluminium.
Option 1: timber
Wood is the classic option for a simple, easy-to-build awning. The likely choice for a DIY project, timber is accessible, affordable and easy to work with. The problem is it also twists and buckles, splits, warps and rots. So, if it’s a quick and dirty, one-season wonder that you want a Tauranga builder to construct or you want to build yourself, have a go. But if you want a long-lasting, durable pergola, use metal.
Option 2: steel
Known for its strength, steel is a great material to use in pergolas as long as you live far away from the sea. Steel’s weakness is that it rusts. Steel is extra vulnerable in places like Tauranga, where the salty ocean air causes it to corrode ten times faster than in-land air. Companies with steel based pergola’s will only offer a 1-5 year maximum warranty, as steel has such a short term lifespan outdoors
Option 3: aluminium
Aluminium is the gold standard for pergolas in coastal climates. It’s lightweight yet strong, it won’t rust even in the harsh salty seaside cities we love to live in. It is low maintenance, attractive and durable. We’ve looked at the issue from every angle – aluminium really is the only option for beautiful pergolas that will stand the test of time.
Our top grade aluminium awnings
Without getting too technical, the aluminium we use on your pergola is the highest possible quality. Here’s a few of our aluminium’s stand out qualities:
• The same structural grade that aircrafts use, with high tensile strength so it’s lightweight yet very strong.
• Powder coated with premium Dulux powders.
• Pre-treated with a chromate solution.
• TIG welded components assembled in-house for ultimate strength and durability.
Talk to Undercover Industries today
We have recently replaced a steel-based pergola that had badly rusted and know how important it is to get it right the first time. As an aluminium based engineering and fabrication company in Mt Maunganui, we understand the climate, only use aluminium and always install top quality products. Give us a call today: 07-925-9865.