An awning might look like a fancy covering at first, but these nifty additions to your home can have many benefits. On a hot summer day, they can give your children shade to play under its canopy. It could be the perfect place to hitch up a barbecue (because, well, who wants to have a barbecue in the glaring sun?). The best thing about awnings, though, is that you can find them in a wide variety of shapes, styles, and colours.
This variety can also make choosing an awning difficult for your needs. You probably might not know what fits in with your requirements.
Here are some tips for selecting an awning:
1. Choosing the Right Material.
The type of awning, the angle of installation, and the product’s price are all important factors to consider, before buying an awning. But none of the factors are as important as its underlying material. Generally, you’ll find awnings made up of two types of materials: fabric awnings and aluminium awnings. Fabric awnings look beautiful, and can be customized to meet your needs but often need maintenance. Aluminium awnings, on the other hand, are bog-standard but don’t require much effort in the way of care.
We’d say take some time to think about this one, but come on! We both know you’re leaning towards those beautiful canvas window awnings!
2. Retractable Awnings or Stationary Ones?
If you’re thinking of awnings as just a large piece of fabric hitched outside your house, well, we’re glad to say it’s not the 1800s anymore. Today, you should be selecting a high-quality retractable awning product. These products allow you to retract them when not in use through a combination of motors and switches. They are generally considered the more luxurious kind for obvious reasons.
Some extremely high-end outdoor awnings also feature weather sensors to adjust themselves according to weather conditions, automatically.
3. The Angle of Installation
The angle of installation might be one of the most ignored factors when choosing awnings, but we’re here to tell you in reality that it’s one of the most important! The angle of installation, or more precisely, the drop angle of your awnings, makes a tremendous difference when it comes to performance.
For example, for east or west-facing windows, you need your awnings installed with a drop angle somewhere between 65 to 75%. For southward-facing windows, the recommended drop angle is 50 to 65%. These angles makes sure that your outdoor awnings will be providing the right kind of shade that you need.
4. Size of the Awnings
This one goes without saying, right? The size of the retractable awnings is dependent on the area of protection that you need for a space. If you have a small backyard, you might not have the space for a large-sized awning. On the other hand, if you host a weekend barbecue party every month, a sizable canopy will ensure your guests don’t faint from the heat while the burgers are still cooking. Note – you need to stop choosing the biggest of them all because ordering something like that to cover the entire yard could easily cost you thousands of dollars. Not worth it, right?
5. Accessories
Remember when we said awnings aren’t just large pieces of cloth anymore? We weren’t lying. To make your experience cozier, you can get your hands on several easy-to-use accessories for your awnings. For example, side panels are a trendy choice for homeowners wanting to expand the protection given by their awnings. They’re also not very expensive (at least, when you choose a mid-range set), which helps matters.
Final Words: Customizing Your Awnings
Didn’t we tell you? Aluminium awnings are significantly harder to customize, but most dutch hood window awnings come in many shapes, styles, and colours to fit the theme of your house. You can opt for the regular white fabric or choose the one with red and golden stripes for that extra bit of flair.
Our most prominent piece of advice for choosing awnings would be to consider your needs carefully. Choose them based on what will fit your yard, and don’t be afraid to head online for more advice!
