Thanks for the replies, and Amysrq, what a lovely porch! My covered patio doesn't have walls like yours, though, so it wouldn't be quite the same. It is just open to the backyard, and where I need the sun to be blocked is all open. That west side spans from the house to a cedar post in the ground, with a solid shingled roof overhead, and flagstone patio underneath. I don't want to have 2 stacks of curtains in this area because a stack near the post would look odd, since there are no walls, and especially because it is an extremely windy location (Texas). I know that I am going to have to deal with wind regardless, but if I can pull all of the panels over to the side with the house wall, the stack will be out of the way, and I can secure them with a tie back or rope to the wall to contain them. Securing them to a cedar post just wouldn't be as secure or sheltered, since it is the corner of the structure that is most out in the open. The stack of curtains would be constantly flapping about in the wind. I would like the look of a copper pipe used as a rod, but I can't see how I could get around having to put a support bracket in the middle. S-hooks would be fine, or even clip hooks instead of using the grommets, but they still wouldn't pass by the middle bracket mount, would they? I will look into curtain tracks to see if that might work. I have to figure out some kind of solution since we built this cover to make our patio usable in the evening for eating dinner, and we have found that we still cannot use it from 4pm until the sun completely sets because the sun peeks under the roof all evening and aims itself directly at our patio table. Frustrating.

bodica - per DH, gas pipe is very similar to galvanized pipe, just a different finish. He used it (enclosed in PVC) for the "rod" because he says it is rigid. Rebar is what he put inside the counterbalance for weight. He believes rebar, spanning 12', would not be strong enough to use for a rod and PVC alone would bow, same with electrical conduit. marti8a - The valances pull down to double the size you see in the photo. In the very late evening, they don't block the sun however sunset follows shortly thereafter. This is the first season for them and these are made from an in-stock outdoor fabric and they have shrunk some being exposed to the weather since the photo was taken. When I remake them using Sunbrella, I'll probably go a few inches longer. We actually "borrowed" the valance idea from one of those kit shelters we saw at a patio shoppe. Theirs had a piece of fabric which went over the entire roof allowing it to be pulled down on opposite sides giving it a greater length when fully extended to one side only. Another option might be to create a way to roll it up like one of those bamboo shades.

Fivefootzero: Is your pictured rod realy a traverse rod or is it a decorator rod? On my monitor yours looks like a beautiful rod but one where you open and close your draperies by hand - one side at a time. It's a cord-tension pulley system attached to the wall that makes a rod a traverse rod. Pulling on the cords moves both flanking panels open or closed at the same time.

I mounted them full-width of the room and LOVE IT THIS WAY! Thank you guys so much for the tip. Had it not been for you, I would have mounted close the window frame. Attached are photos and thoughts: - My room is actually pretty bright (window facing west), shooting against the light makes it look dark. - Yes, I know the curtains are way too short and not wide enough. I will buy double-width ones, and longer (then cut to the right length, just above the floor but not touching). - Yes, I will replace the ceiling fan. Let me know of any modern ones you think about. Either dark or light color is fine. - I will probably get rid of the vertical blinds and go for light-filtering curtains on the inside rod or bamboo/cellular blinds? The idea is to have an option to block out the harsh western sun at 5-8pm each day but not totally blackout the room. Any other ideas? - Are the curtains too high? I love the height but wonder if they are in fact crowding the molding too much. I also pulled the curtains too far out from the wall, I think if I push them in closer to the wall, it will crowd less. (I'm using Ikea curtain hardware with the adjustable slider mounts, btw.) - Are the curtain rods at the right distance from side walls? I think yes? - Do you guys think I should go for a lighter curtain color? I think I still like the dark rod. White rods kinda look too plastic-ey. - I love grommets because they slide and fold-up so nicely but willing to explore others (rod-pockets).