Outdoor blinds & awnings in Smithfield.

Alfresco-first market.

Smithfield and the northern corridor through Trinity Park grew on newer estate builds, and almost every one of them was designed with a covered alfresco off the living area. That alfresco is the obvious place to live in the Cairns climate, but as built it is only half a room: open on the sides, so the wet-season rain blows in and the western sun bakes the slab. The most common job we do in Smithfield is closing that alfresco in with Ziptrak track blinds so it becomes usable all year.

Built-in fixing points.

A bonus of the newer Smithfield homes is that the alfresco posts and beams are modern, square and sound, which makes for a clean track-blind or enclosure install with proper fixing into solid timber or steel. We can run the tracks tight to the posts for a neat, almost built-in look that suits the contemporary architecture.

Heat and breeze.

Many Smithfield blocks sit in a pocket that warms up in the afternoon, so heat control is a real part of the brief. A tinted or mesh panel on the western side of the alfresco, or a folding arm awning over the western glass, makes a measurable difference to the temperature on the slab and inside the living room behind it.

Typical Smithfield jobs.

• Three-sided Ziptrak enclosure of a covered estate alfresco
• Motorised front drop with a wind sensor for one-touch operation
• Insect mesh on the breeze side for evening use near the creeks
• Tinted PVC or shadecloth on the western aspect for heat control
• Cafe blinds for a simpler single-side fit-out

What it costs.

A three-sided Ziptrak enclosure of a typical 4 metre by 4 metre Smithfield alfresco runs around $7,500 to $12,000 supplied and installed, depending on material mix and whether the front drop is motorised. A single side fit-out of cafe blinds is closer to $2,000 to $3,500. See the pricing guide for the breakdown.