The Short Answer
Most motorized patio shade projects in DFW run 3 to 5 weeks from the day you sign off on a quote to the day the installer leaves your driveway. That window has three pieces: in-home measure and quote, manufacturing at SunPro, and the actual install. Each piece matters, and skipping any of them is how homeowners end up with shades that fit poorly, look off, or arrive after the holiday weekend they planned around.
If Memorial Day weekend is the goal, that means orders need to be locked in by mid-May at the latest. By the third week of May, the calendar gets tight even for projects in our regular service area.
Week 1: In-Home Consultation and Measure
Every Patio Shades DFW project starts with an in-home visit. Durrell Glick, the owner, comes out personally for the consultation. That is not a salesperson handing the project off to someone else. That is the same person who will also handle the install. We measure each opening, look at the patio orientation, walk the wind exposure, and check the structural points where housing brackets will land.
For most homes, that visit takes 45 to 60 minutes. From there, we send a written quote within 24 to 48 hours that lists out fabric, mesh percentage, motor spec, control method (remote, wall switch, or app), housing color, and the installed price. Homeowners in Fort Worth, Southlake, Keller, Colleyville, and Westlake are all inside our regular weekly route, and consultations in those cities can usually be booked within 3 to 5 days.
Week 2: Order Placed, SunPro Production Starts
Once a deposit is in and we have written approval on the quote, we place the order with SunPro. SunPro is the supplier behind everything we install on patios. They manufacture custom-built motorized exterior shades, drop shades, and cable-guided screens to spec.
Production lead time at SunPro is one of the reasons we use them. Most custom shade orders ship within 1 to 2 weeks of approval. Compare that to the industry average of 4 to 6 weeks for custom exterior shades, and the difference is the entire reason a Memorial Day install is even on the table this late in the season.
A few things slow this step. Non-standard fabric colors, where some Sunbrella weaves are made-to-order, will add days. Wider-than-spec openings that require split panels need extra engineering. SunPro severe weather screens, with self-adjusting tracks and retention pins for storm-rated openings, are also made-to-order. Tell us up front if any of those apply and we will give you a real production date instead of a generic estimate.
Week 3: Shipping and Pre-Install Coordination
Once shades ship from SunPro, we coordinate the install date. We confirm the power supply for motor wiring, double-check the mounting surface, and walk the homeowner through what to expect on install day. If you are using app-based controls, we make sure you have the right hub and credentials lined up so we can connect on site instead of leaving you a "we will get to it" punch list.
For homes in Argyle, Flower Mound, Trophy Club, Roanoke, Justin, Northlake, Weatherford, Granbury, and Grapevine, we work installs into our weekly route to keep travel costs down. The further out from Fort Worth, the tighter we batch our scheduling, so locking in your install date early matters more than most homeowners think.
Week 4: Installation Day
A typical residential motorized patio shade install runs 4 to 8 hours, depending on the number of openings, the mounting surface, and whether we are pulling fresh power or tying into an existing circuit. A single-opening project on a covered porch usually wraps up in half a day. A multi-panel install on a two-story patio with a fire pit and outdoor kitchen can take a full day.
We test every shade three times before leaving: full extension, full retraction, and at least two intermediate stop points. Cable-guided screens get an extra check on tension, because once those are dialed in correctly they will run for years without complaint.
Why Mid-May Is the Real Deadline for Memorial Day
Working backwards from Memorial Day weekend (May 23 to 25, 2026):
Production at SunPro takes 1 to 2 weeks. Shipping to DFW takes 3 to 5 days. Install scheduling and execution takes 2 to 4 days. That is roughly 3 to 4 weeks total in the best case. An order placed by May 7 to 10 has cushion. An order placed May 18 is risky. An order placed the week of May 20 will not be ready, and we will tell you that on the consultation call instead of taking your deposit and missing the date.
After Memorial Day, the schedule eases up through early June, and then it tightens again as the heat sets in and homeowners realize their patios are unusable from 3 PM onward.
What Speeds the Process Up
A few patterns shave days off the timeline. Standard fabric colors are stocked at SunPro and ship faster than custom matches. Existing power on the patio, like a soffit outlet or covered junction box, eliminates electrical sub-coordination. Single-opening projects are simpler than multi-panel. Approving the quote within 48 hours of receiving it keeps your slot in the production queue. Homeowners who decide quickly almost always come in under the average timeline.
What Slows the Process Down
And a few patterns add days. Stucco, stone veneer, and arched openings require additional engineering on the mounting brackets. HOA approvals, common in parts of Westlake, Southlake, and Trophy Club, can add 7 to 14 days. We will tell you on the day of the consultation if your neighborhood typically requires a submission. Severe weather screens with retention pins are made-to-order and add roughly a week to production. Holiday weekends in the supply chain, including Memorial Day itself and July 4th, push shipping out by a few days.
Ready to Lock In Your Memorial Day Date?
If you want patio shades up, tested, and ready before Memorial Day weekend, the window to order is closing. Reach out to Patio Shades DFW today, get on Durrell's calendar this week, and we will tell you exactly what is realistic for your project. We will not promise a date we cannot hit, and we will not start a project we cannot finish on time. That is the standard we hold ourselves to with every install we put up across the DFW metroplex.