Shade port repairs
Most shade structures that look finished are not finished. The steel is usually sound and the frame is usually straight. What has gone is the tension, the stitching or a cable — and all three are a repair, not a replacement.
We maintain before we replace. That is not a slogan, it is how I quote. If your frame is good I will tell you so, even though a new structure would be the bigger invoice. If the steel really is finished I will tell you that too, and I will show you why.
I work on structures I did not build. That is most of what I do.
What I repair
| Job | From |
|---|---|
| Re-tensioning a net A net that has gone slack. The cheapest thing on this page and the one that prevents the rest. |
R375 |
| Refitting a net Taking a sound net off, sorting the fixings, and putting it back properly. |
R450 |
| Restitching Seams and edge ropes that have opened up. Caught early, a tear stops being a new net. |
R1,750 |
| Replacing a cable 3 to 5mm galvanised steel cable, sized to the structure. |
R500 |
| Repainting the steel Rust treated and the frame brought back, rather than replaced. Priced per structure, not per net. |
From R1,500 |
| Call-out / transport Flat rate, anywhere in the Johannesburg area. |
R600 |
Starting prices — per net, except painting, which is per structure. Difficult access, height or larger structures sit at the top of the band — the full price list shows both ends of every range.
Steel repairs
The frame takes damage too, and it is almost never a reason to start again. We cut out and replace the damaged section rather than the structure.
- Broken cross welds — the joint lets go, the frame loses its square, and the net pulls unevenly from then on. Re-welded in place.
- Bumped and bent poles — the most common one on a parking site. Someone reverses into it. A leaning pole can usually be straightened or cut and replaced without touching the rest.
- Broken hoops — the arch that gives the structure its shape. A broken hoop drops the net onto the vehicles under it. New hoop, welded and painted to match.
- Levers and anchor points — the pieces that hold the tension. Once one goes, the net never sits right again.
- Rust at the base — treated and repainted if it is caught in time.
Steel work is quoted per job rather than off a rate card, because no two knocks are the same. Photos of the damage are enough for me to give you a rough number.
Steel options
Whatever we put back matches what is already there, so a repair does not end up looking like a patch.
Four post
Poles at all four corners, hoops across the top, cross-braced. The simplest and the most common, and the easier of the two to repair — a damaged pole can usually be cut out and replaced while the rest of the frame stays standing. 76mm poles as standard.
Cantilever
Poles down one side only, with arms carrying the net out over the bays so nothing stands in the way of a car door. That puts every load through one row of anchor poles and the levers that hold them, so on a cantilever those are the parts to watch — a bent anchor pole or a failed lever pair shows up as a sagging front edge long before the steel itself is in trouble. Heavier anchor poles than a four post, and 101mm where the ground or the span calls for it.
Both types use the same steel whether the structure covers one bay or three. Only the net gets longer.
| 76mm poles | Our standard on four-post structures. Enough for normal ground and normal spans. |
| 101mm poles | For difficult ground, larger structures or exposed sites. A judgement call per job, not an upsell — I will tell you which one your site needs and why. |
| Hoops and crosses | The same steel across single, double and triple structures. Only the net length changes, which is why a wider structure does not cost three times as much. |
| Painted finish | Primed and finished in your colour, standard on every install. A repaired section is painted to match, so it does not read as a patch. |
| Cable | 3 to 5mm galvanised steel, sized to the structure. It carries the tension, so it is not the place to save money. |
Netting options
We install Knittex and Plusnet — both South African, both commercial grade, both UV stabilised. We are an approved Knittex installer.
| Knittex Z25 | The range most of our parking and commercial work uses. 25 colours, 13 held in stock. See the range → |
| Plusnet | Our other supplier. Same commercial grade, a different colour set. |
| Shade percentage | Denser is not automatically better — over vehicles it is, over plants it is not. How to pick → |
| Life expectancy | Ten to twelve years in Johannesburg sun. A net that is younger than that and has failed usually failed on tension or stitching, not on age. |
| Wind | Fitted to hold up to 100 km/h, tensioned properly and on sound cables. |
Netting is ordered by the metre, so on a refit you are not paying for a size you do not need.
Repair, or replace?
There is an honest test, and you can do most of it yourself in ten minutes without me.
Repair it if the poles are solid in the ground, the frame is square, and the netting still folds softly in your hand. Slack, frayed cables, open seams and tired paint are all ordinary maintenance.
Replace the net if the fabric crackles and feels stiff when you flex it, or tears run as soon as you touch them. Commercial UV-stabilised netting lasts ten to twelve years in our sun. Past that it will fail in wind it used to shrug off, and re-stitching it is money thrown after it.
Replace the structure only if the steel has gone at the base, the footings have lifted, or the frame has twisted. It is rare. In most of the jobs I am called to it is not the answer.
The one that costs people money
A slack net is not a cosmetic problem. It flaps, and flapping puts shock loads through the stitching instead of steady ones. Re-tensioning is the cheapest line on this page. Most of the emergency calls I take in August could have been a routine visit in May. What fails in wind season, and in what order →
What that looks like
GHH Mining Machines in Boksburg, August 2026. The netting was past its life and two of the structures needed work on the steel. The frames stayed. New Knittex Z25 Blue went on, the steel was repaired and repainted, and the site was back in use.
See the full album, before to finished →
How to get a price
Send me photos. That is enough for a rough estimate. A wide shot of the whole structure, a close-up of whatever is wrong, and a rough idea of the size. I come back to you the same day, and it costs nothing.
A site visit gives you the firm quote. It is R450, so the price holds. If you go ahead it comes off the total.
If it turns out you do not need me yet, I will say so. I would rather you called me in three years than paid me today for something that did not need doing.