Colorado resident John Sanford was looking for a multipurpose canopy to use in his backyard. He found his solution in WeatherPort® Shelter Systems.
After buying a house about five years ago, John decided to buy some kind of movable structure to put up in his backyard. His main requirements were that it be structurally sound and designed to last — Colorado winters would wreak havoc on anything of inferior quality.
If possible, John also wanted to find a structure that was American-made.
John searched for options online and came across WeatherPort. After reading reviews of WeatherPort’s Canopy Series, he was impressed with the quality of the structures. “I just like well-made things,” John explained.
He eventually decided to purchase a four-sided WeatherPort canopy structure.
John followed the directions for setup and, with the help of his nephew, was able to get the frame up in around an hour without any problems.
Although the original purchase included just the canopy, John ended up purchasing side curtains later on to help keep out bad weather during the winter. He opted for two solid curtains, one with a zipper door, and one with a window.
John’s WeatherPort canopy has served various purposes over the years. Initially, it covered an outdoor cement patio, but when he purchased a hot tub and built a new patio later on, it was moved and used as a hot tub enclosure. Putting the side curtains down in the winter allows for year-round use.
During the five-plus years that John has had the WeatherPort canopy structure, it has seen some pretty bad weather. The Denver metro area in which John lives experiences regular hail storms and often gets 100 mph winds. “It sees all kinds of weather and we have not had any issues from it,” John explained. “We’ve had to replace our roof; we’ve had car damage and windows broken. Pretty much everything else that’s exposed has seen damage from the storms, but not [the WeatherPort].”
A period of widespread regional drought even caused a 500-pound tree branch to fall 10 or 15 feet onto the canopy. Local arborists were booked for weeks because of all the damage in the area, so six weeks passed before the branch could be cut up and removed.
Nevertheless, the WeatherPort canopy emerged unscathed: John remarked that “the steel frame was not damaged at all,” and the exterior architectural fabric had “barely a scratch.”
When asked how he feels about his WeatherPort purchase, John said that he and his family are “absolutely happy” with it. “We love it,” he went on. “We’re definitely considering making at least one more and possibly two more purchases somewhere down the road.”
