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I am looking for a good way to fix something light like a sunshade on the wall above my balcony without drilling into the wall (not allowed).

I was thinking about clamping something in between the ventilation gaps in the wall and connecting a little hook on it. But I cant find that much info about this solution.

I was wondering whether you guys have some feedback on this method, or if you guys can recommend any other solutions. The balcony isn't that big, so putting a parasol on the ground is something I'd rather not do.

Thanks a lot for your help! See pictures below for some context.

Ido

Image of the wall above my balcony

The sunshade / shade canopy I'd like to fix to the wall.

Anchor for hollow block and brick [https://www.mcmaster.com/94255A500/]

RawlPlug Steel Spring Toggle Cavity Fixing, 14mm fixing hole diameter https://nl.rs-online.com/web/p/plasterboard-cavity-wall-fixings/0520447

Ido Telio
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  • Rock climbing gear! A nice camming device will work ok. – Jon Custer Jul 19 '22 at 12:59
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    In my experience those "shade sails" need quite a lot of tension on the corners to pull & stretch them tight. I'd be very nervous about slipping one of those toggle-bolts into the weep holes between the bricks because that row of bricks on the bottom is not as firmly attached and I feel there'd be a rick of pulling them out, The cement mortar between those and the row above doesn't have very much tensile strength. – brhans Jul 19 '22 at 13:01
  • I'd be tempted to (very quietly and on a day in the middle of the week when everyone else is at work) drill a small (1/4" or 5-6mm) hole in the steel lintel up into the weep hole so that I could attach the shade with a D-ring clip ... What do you plan to attach the 3rd corner of the shade to? – brhans Jul 19 '22 at 13:05
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    I'd also be concerned about tension from wind. Ideally you'd take it down before it gets windy, but there'll always be distractions or mind slips. You might damage those weep holes if you rely on a clamping mechanism (or even some kind of reversible expanding butterfly thing). What you're showing may be light, but it's literally a sail. – MiG Jul 19 '22 at 13:28
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    This sounds like a recipe for watching your sun shade sail away in the next light breeze. I've seen these attached to heavy eye-bolts run through 6x6" wooden posts around here and wouldn't count on those lightweight toggles to hold. I know that climbing gear is rated to stop a human from falling, but it's only rated to do that _once_, not day in day out. Also, apartment management may well notice that you've got that sun shade up there and wonder how you did it without breaking the rules and ask to take a closer look, and they may not like what they find... – FreeMan Jul 19 '22 at 13:41
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    Hi all, thanks a lot for the input. @brhans - The third point on the sail will be mounted to the metal balcony fencing, which is very sturdy. Though the wind on this side of the building is very little, a sail is still a sail (As MiG suggested). It will load the bolts in the wall under both tension and shear. It is indeed the tension I'm most worried about. drilling holes for hooks is the obvious solution, I'll see with the housing whether or not I can get an exception on the drill-ban for this modification. – Ido Telio Jul 20 '22 at 15:20
  • Do you know what kind of structure the closed section of the facade is? It's common these days to just have a thin strip of brick panels in front of a concrete structure. If so, drilling past the thin brick panel and into the concrete will provide a very strong connection. – MiG Jul 20 '22 at 15:28

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