A braai does not stop for winter. What stops it is the weather around it: a cold front pushing rain in sideways, or a wind that turns the fire into a smoke machine and sends everyone indoors with their plates. The braai area itself is usually fine. It is the open sides that are the problem.

Drop-down clear PVC blinds close those sides off. The rain stays out, the view stays in, and the heat coming off the fire actually stays where the people are.

Why clear PVC works for a braai area

A braai area with solid walls on the open sides would be warm, but it would also be a room, and nobody builds a braai area to feel like a room. Clear PVC gives you the seal without the enclosure:

Wind stops at the blind. The fire draws properly, smoke goes up the chimney instead of into faces, and the temperature around the table climbs noticeably once the through-draught is gone.
Rain stays outside. A winter front can dump for two days straight and the braai still happens.
The view stays. Clear PVC keeps the garden, the pool, or the valley in sight. If glare or privacy is a factor, bronze and smoke tints do the same job with less transparency.
The warmth holds. An enclosed braai area with a fire going is comfortable in shirt sleeves on a 10-degree evening. The same space open on two sides is not.

Blinds roll up out of the way in summer, so you are not trading the open-air braai for the winter one.

Keep the PVC away from the fire

One honest caveat: PVC and open flame do not mix. Position blinds on the openings away from the braai itself, and leave the panel closest to the fire rolled up, or fit a shorter drop there. As a rule of thumb, keep flexible PVC at least a metre from any direct heat source, further if the braai spits. A good layout seals the wind-facing sides and leaves breathing room around the fire, which the chimney draught needs anyway. Send us a photo of the braai area and we will flag anything that sits too close before we cut.

What we make

Every blind is made to the specific opening, not bought off a rack:

Clear, bronze, or smoke PVC, 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm thick, UV stabilised so it does not yellow after one summer.
Single blinds up to 5 m wide by 3 m drop, which covers most braai area openings in one panel with no join in the middle of your view.
Manual or motorised. We supply the roller and crank fittings for manual systems, or Somfy-compatible fabric and components if your installer is fitting a motor.
Canvas awnings in any colour if the braai area also needs cover overhead, with UV and mildew treatment.

Supply lead time is 1 to 2 weeks from sign-off.

We manufacture, you install

We are a manufacturer. We cut and build the blinds to your exact opening sizes, and you handle the fitting. Most braai area blinds are a straightforward job for a handyman or shopfitter, and if you do not have one, we can recommend an installer we trust. This keeps our lead times tight and our prices well below a supply-and-install operation.

Already have blinds that are past their best?

If your braai area or patio already has PVC blinds that have gone cloudy, torn, or split at the seams, phone us before ordering new. We repair existing blinds regardless of who made them: welded patches, replacement clear-window panels, full re-skins on existing frames, and re-welds on perished seams. Most repairs cost a fraction of a replacement and add years of life.

How to order

Measure the width and drop of each opening you want to close, note which side the weather comes from, and send it through with a photo of the braai area. WhatsApp 083 631 5329 and we will come back within 24 hours with a spec, a price, and a lead time. There is no minimum order: one opening or the whole entertainment area.

The full range is on the blinds and awnings page, and if you are still weighing up fabrics for the rest of the patio, start with our patio blinds and awnings buyer's guide.

Braai area blinds: keep the fire going through winter