Lou wrote in reply:

I would appreciate any suggestions, ideas, or criticisms of the idea of
using a trellis & wire system to support vines (climbing or drooping) to
shade a rooftop and house side walls in Zone 7 (hot & humid).

Would suspended planters for droopers also work?

snipped
You apparently want something pretty hefty if you want to shade the roof
as well as the sides of the house, and I'd guess you don't want to start
fresh
every year

BTW - annuals are not a problem if I can get to the planter.

so you'd also want it to be perennial.. I can see it prying
off
the siding.

NO siding.

If you have a brick or stone house, it'll try to creep in the
windows. If it makes it to the roof, it'll pry the shingles off.

No shingles.
The house in question will have a concrete foam sandwich wall and roof deck.
And the plants would not be anchored to the house or roof, but to amn
offset trellis, wires, or arbor, etc., or suspended from pots hanging from
an armature.

In essence, the foliage will form a shell, with an airspace between.

Any suggestions on minimum / maximum spacing between a wall and a trellis?


You
want
shade, plant some trees.

Shade trees aren't the best solution in this area. Unfortunately, due to the
clay soil, trees are susceptible to knockdown after soaking rains and
windstorms.

Plus the east / west walls need side shading more than overhead shading.

Make sure they're not too close to the house.

That's a good point. I know folks who had removed a mature tree, and found
their basement suddenly started flooding. Apparently the tree was sucking
out the excess moisture.