open deck or (covered) gallery on north facing deck?

I have a long, north facing deck in STT.

It is not covered now, but I think I will cover part of it at some point. The sun is not bad but on a very hot and sunny day and on rainy days I find it hard to stay out for really long periods as I'd like. I do have a patio umbrella and it is useful but during periods of brisk wind it's pretty hard to use. Hence, my plan to cover part of the deck (I'll leave part uncovered as I like being able to sit out and look straight up at the stars at night.

Islandlola

I am a real fan of pergolas. It's like the best of both. You get dappled light, which your plants will adore, still open, which is why you have a deck, it's attractive, and you don't feel so "exposed" when sitting out there. You can always add extra shade with umbrellas or partial roof, something like that.

If you look at the older traditional style homes almost every outdoor living area is covered.

Thanks folks, all excellent ideas to think about.

It's a tough trade off (to me) because:
- a covered outdoor area allows you to spend more time outdoors
- but, a covered area blocks more light from getting into the home, making the home darker, and blocks those beautiful sky/cloud views

I also like pergolas, and agree that dappled light is excellent for deck plants... and the hourly movement of light and shadows is visually interesting. And I think a pergola can let those hurricane winds slip right through without causing damage. But on a north facing deck with little Sun, I'm not sure I'll really get the benefit, enough of the year.

Islandiola, I like your idea of a small covered area... best of both worlds... I understand. I'm going to look at this idea, but so far, I can't find a room that I'd be willing to block more light from. Maybe I can redefine the use of some of the space inside the house and fit an outside covered area.

I don't think skylights are a good answer to add inside light, because I don't know how to (easily) protect these from hurricanes.

I wonder if the answer is retractable awnings? It might end up being a temporary solution: if I find that I spend lots of time on the deck, and the loss of light is not bad, then I might replace it with a more permanent covering.

My gallery faces north-northeast and is covered in the West Indian Style. I get morning sun but after that its a nice cool place. The furinture and the grill stay out of the weather and its where we dine and entertain. The roof dosen't make the house dark at all but greatly helps to keep it cooler inside.

Thanks Bombi, sounds like I need to see your place for ideas the next time (???) I'm on island... can I bring lunch?

EngRMP, There is a pic on www.myspace.com/islandpapo click photos