We've been doing this in San Diego for nearly 20 years. You probably know someone we've installed for. Every shade is built to your exact opening and put up by our own crew — not a subcontractor, not a wholesaler. We warranty the motor and fabric for 20 years, which is twice what anyone else offers. Don't take our word for it — 423 Yelp reviews say it better than we can.
Push a button. The shades drop, the afternoon sun stops, and your patio turns into somewhere you actually want to be. Twenty seconds. Push it again and they're gone — tucked back into the housing overhead, out of sight until you need them. Nothing to fold, nothing to hook, nothing to think about.
This is what turns your patio into an extension of your home — a real indoor-outdoor space you use morning, afternoon, and evening, not just when the weather cooperates. San Diego gives you 266 sunny days a year. Outdoor shades let you use all of them. The motor is what makes that happen reliably. Ours run on the Maverick motor — Apollo's own proprietary system. Remote, wall switch, or phone app. And unlike every competitor who warranties their motor for 5 to 7 years, we warrant ours for 20.
A shade that flaps in the wind is a flag, not a shade. San Diego's coastal wind — especially the afternoon onshore flow — can turn a free-hanging shade into an embarrassment inside a week. Side tracks are how you fix that problem before it starts.
The fabric runs inside vertical aluminum channels bolted to each side of the opening. Captured the full height. No slack. No edge for the wind to catch. The shade moves smoothly and stops flat — whether it's calm or gusting at 30 mph. When fully lowered it seals against the track frame on both sides. No gaps. No light leaking around the edges. Just a clean, flat wall of shade.
San Diego summer means afternoon sun that comes in low and west-facing, turning your patio into a heat trap even when the air temperature seems manageable. The concrete and pavers hold heat long after the sun moves. A covered patio with open sides barely helps.
Drop shades close off the sides and stop the sun before it reaches you. The solar mesh fabric blocks UV and cuts glare while still letting air move. You can see out. The sun can't get in. The temperature difference on the other side of a lowered shade is immediate — you'll feel it in the first 10 minutes.
The fabric is warrantied for 20 years. Not 5, not 7 — twenty. Because it's designed to live outdoors in San Diego sun, not fade out and sag in three seasons.
Most shade companies warrant the motor for 5 years and the fabric for 7. We cover both for 20. That's not a marketing line — it's in writing, and we can stand behind it because we build the product ourselves.
Apollo's proprietary motor system. We designed it. We warrant it. For 20 years.
Premium exterior-grade solar mesh. Rated for desert UV, heat, and wind. Warranted for 20 years because we stand behind what we build.
We build it. We ship it. We install it. No distributors, no middlemen, no franchise. What you order is what we make — for you, to your measurements.
Apollo manufactures its own screens in-house. We don't buy product from a wholesaler and resell it. We source our own components, build to your order after we take your measurements, and ship straight to our installation crew.
That's how we can offer 20 years. A company that doesn't control its own product can't make that promise. We can.
A lot of San Diego's newer neighborhoods — Carmel Valley, 4S Ranch, Del Sur, Scripps Ranch — were built with smaller lots and homes closer together. Nice houses, great patios, but sometimes it feels like your neighbor is basically in your backyard with you. Two-story additions and elevated lots make it worse.
Outdoor shades close that off without permits, without permanently altering your property, and without blocking your view when you want it open. The mesh blocks the sightline from outside without trapping heat on your side — you still get the breeze. Lower them when you want that closed-in California room feel. Raise them in three seconds when you want the open yard back.
There are a few ways to shade a San Diego patio. Here's how motorized outdoor shades with side tracks stack up against the alternatives.
| Feature | Apollo Outdoor Shades | Fixed Screen Enclosure | Shade Sail | Manual Roll Shades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorized one-button operation | ✓ Standard | None | None | Manual only |
| Side-track guided system | ✓ Standard | ✓ Framed | No tracks | No tracks |
| Retracts completely out of sight | ✓ Fully | Permanent structure | Manual removal | Manual only |
| Custom-built to your opening | ✓ Every unit | ✓ Custom | Standard sizes | Standard sizes |
| Privacy + sun block in one | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Overhead only | Partial |
| Local San Diego installation team | ✓ Escondido-based | Varies | Self-install | Self-install |
| 20-year motor & fabric warranty | ✓ Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A |
We handle everything from measurement to motor wiring. You don't coordinate a thing.
We come to your property throughout San Diego County — Escondido, Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, Chula Vista, El Cajon, La Mesa, and surrounding communities. We measure every opening, show you fabric samples in person, and walk you through your options. Takes about 45 minutes. No obligation.
Your drop shades are built to your exact dimensions — width, height, fabric openness rating, frame color, motor type, and control preference. Nothing off the shelf.
Our Escondido-based crew handles mounting, track installation, motor wiring, and control setup. Most single-opening jobs take a few hours. We do a full walkthrough before we leave so you know exactly how everything works.
Powder-coated aluminum frames in white, bronze, black, and custom colors. Solar mesh fabric in multiple openness ratings and tones. We bring samples to your consultation so you can see them in your actual space before committing.
"Got motorized patio shades on two sides of the pergola. The difference is night and day — we can actually use the patio in the afternoon now. Motor works perfectly and the side tracks keep everything flat even when the onshore breeze picks up. Apollo was easy to work with from start to finish."
"Finally did the motorized shades. Went with the darker mesh for privacy from the neighbors. It filters the sun but you can still see out from the inside. Looks way better than I expected and the motor is dead quiet. Really happy with how they came out."
"Called on a Monday, had someone out for measurements Thursday, shades were installed the following week. Fast turnaround, showed up on time, and they actually answered every time I called. If you're looking for patio shades in San Diego, these are your people."
Free estimate, no obligation. We come out, measure your openings, show you samples, and give you a real number. Takes about 45 minutes.
Tell us about your project. We'll follow up within the hour with real numbers — not a ballpark. No runaround.
Not a voicemail, not a queue. When you call or text, you reach our San Diego team — the same people who will come to your home and do the install.
Prefer to start online? Fill out the form above and we'll get back to you fast with real numbers.
Come Visit Our Escondido Showroom!
Outdoor Shades & Motorized Patio Screen Installation — Areas We Serve
Escondido · San Marcos · Vista · Carlsbad · Oceanside · El Cajon · La Mesa · Santee · Chula Vista · National City · Poway · Ramona · Alpine · Lakeside · Spring Valley · Lemon Grove · Rancho San Diego · Bonita · Jamul · Del Mar · Encinitas · Solana Beach · Cardiff · San Ysidro · Coronado · Point Loma · Mission Hills · Mission Valley · Kearny Mesa · Mira Mesa · and surrounding San Diego County communities
