Maximo, Houston: A Corner Patio Wrapped in Navy, Six Weeks from Deposit to Dinner
Maximo sits on a corner in West University Place with a patio that faces two streets and an afternoon sun that comes straight through it. The owners wanted to keep the look they had built, a navy scalloped awning over a cream wall with cactus at the corner, and make the patio usable through a Houston winter and a Houston summer. The answer was motorized curtains in the same navy, tucked under the awning, with clear windows at eye level so the street still reads from inside.
What we built
- Customer: Maximo, West University Place, Houston, Texas, part of Local Foods, a repeat customer.
- 5 motorized curtains in navy with a clear vinyl window in each, 6-inch housings mounted up under the awning so the fabric disappears when the patio is open.
- Sizes: the two corner returns at 86 inches wide by 120 inches tall, and three long runs of 195, 222 and 195 inches wide, 84 to 96 inches tall. About 520 square feet of motorized curtain.
- 4 fixed panels in the same navy, the two tall ones at 81 inches wide by 124 inches tall, and two small fills at the angled returns.
- 1 framed swing door on the sidewalk side, a 42-inch opening, 123 inches tall.
- Posts: four aluminum 4x4 posts, powder coated in Sierra Tan to match the trim.
- Controls: two 5-channel remotes.
Before and after
Before, the patio was the awning and the wall and nothing else. Wind came across the parking lot, rain came in under the valance, and the heaters fought the open air. The curtains hang inside the awning line, so from the street the restaurant looks the way it did, and the patio has become a room that opens and closes with a remote.
Four steps, September to October 2025
- September 8, 2025: deposit received after the owners chose motorized over manual.
- September 16, 2025: design consultation in Houston. Our installer measured every bay, drew the corner returns, and set the door on the sidewalk side where guests come in from the street.
- October 7, 2025: into manufacturing.
- October 22, 2025: installed and signed off the same day, with final payment that afternoon.
What made this one different
The geometry. The roof over this patio slopes, so the two corner bays are triangles and the long bays run under a scalloped valance that stays. The motorized curtains had to clear the valance, land on a short knee wall, and meet fixed panels at angles that were not square. Our installer drew the corner returns on site and the panels came back from the shop to fit them.
The other thing is that people notice it. The corner sits on a busy street in a neighborhood full of restaurants, and we have closed other Houston jobs after owners drove past this one.
Specs
| System | Motorized roll-down curtains, 5 units, with 4 fixed panels and 1 framed door |
| Fabric | Navy solid vinyl with clear windows, flame-rated to NFPA 701 |
| Largest unit | 222 inches wide by 96 inches tall |
| Posts | 4 aluminum 4x4, Sierra Tan |
| Wind rating | Motorized curtains are rated for 65 mph deployed at this size |
| Warranty | 5 years on motors, 3 years on workmanship |
| Lead time | 6 weeks from deposit to sign-off on this job |
| Installation | Our own crew, one day. Outlet locations only; we do not do the electrical. |
Ready for a number on your patio?
Tell us about your space and we'll come back with a design and a number. Commercial projects only — $10,000 minimum, installed.