Summer is the season when residents all along the First Coast seek to spend as much time in their backyard oases as possible. But that sunlight can be a bit relentless if no shade is available.
Which is why homeowners contact businesses like Titan Outdoor Solutions.
“We’re an outdoor solutions specialist,” said company President Melanie Fraser, who co-owns the business with husband Bill Davis. “We specialize in shade. We are the North Florida dealer for Struxure smart pergolas and Fenetex Retractable Screens. We also do things like pavers, travertine, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, all that good stuff.”
When a customer calls to inquire about adding one of these products, Titan sends out a design consultant and performs the consultation free of charge. Because each homeowner’s needs are different, all jobs are customized. And all of the Titan consultants have a background in construction.
“We do customized jobs that other people cannot do,” said Fraser. “The skill level of our employees, and my husband in particular, is above and beyond. … My husband built aluminum sailboats. He was a Boeing flight test manager. He built airplanes. And he’s a master carpenter. He knows his mediums; he knows how to make it work.”
Titan’s work is sought not just locally but internationally as well. The team is sometimes sent to places in the Caribbean, for instance. Recently, it tackled a job in Mexico, where it required a five-hour drive just to reach to work site.
“If we can get there, we’ll get it done,” Fraser said. “There’s no job that’s too tough for us.”
In the United States, as well, Titan has done work for a lot of commercial projects, restaurants, hotels and more. Recently, it did an installation for a casino in Sacramento, California.
Fraser attributes Titan’s success in part to its emphasis on customer service.
In addition, it only works with manufacturers that offer lifetime warranties and products that don’t deteriorate, which is important to homeowners in Northeast Florida, which has a salty environment.
“The last thing we want is for someone to spend a bunch of money and something happens in, like, seven years,” Fraser said. “Some other smart pergolas, they only have a five-year warranty.”
The smart pergolas sold by Titan are hurricane-rated for winds of up to 145 mph with the louvers closed.
“With them open, it can blow as hard as it wants to,” said Fraser. “It’s not going anywhere.”
This quality is good for permitting, especially when the pergola is attached to the home.
Beyond the product, Titan offers a 25-year warranty on the installation.
Smart pergolas are a big trend right now. The louvers in these are automated. That regulates the amount of sunlight the homeowner wants to admit. It also makes it easier to protect the outdoor space from rain.
In addition, these pergolas have integrated gutter systems to channel that rain away.
Another big trend is the outdoor kitchen as al fresco dining is becoming very popular.
Titan opened in 2016 as a factory installer for Fenetex Retractable Screens. When that company began to grow, it did not want to become a dealership, so Fraser and Davis agreed to start a dealership.
To learn more about Titan Outdoor Solutions, go to titanshuttersandscreens.com.
