Footer Guide
Footer Options, Depending on the product
When it comes to shade structures, there are a few options for mounting. Which one you choose generally depends upon your installation area and surface/soil.
Common footer types we offer:
Inground Mount is the most common system. With this footer, the pole is buried directly into the ground with rebar and concrete. It is commonly used for shades with an overhead structure (like hips and pyramids) because you can put it together and pour footers at the end.
Recessed Plate Mounting is where the shade structure is mounted with plates onto a rebar and concrete footer that is buried, followed by an additional pour of concrete up to the surface. It is the ideal footer for heavy-duty posts or cantilever shades where bracing the upright post while concrete cures will be difficult. You can pour the buried footer before the shade structure arrives. Anchor bolts and plates are required for this footer type.
Uncommon footer types we can quote upon request:
- Surface Mount is mounted and bolted directly to a solid drilled pier. This approach can also be used for very large existing concrete pads, but the anchor bolts and plates that are required for existing slabs would be built to design by a local structural engineer to be provided by the customer. You can contact us if you'd like to start the conversation to attach a shade to an existing slab.
- Spread Footers are used when there is an issue with the depth or soil in the installation area. The shade posts is not a long as with other mounts and requires more concrete and labor to install. It isn't very common, but you can contact us for a quote if needed.
