Choosing The Right Awning
Awnings serve more than the basic purpose of providing shade. For the home, it means extra space for you to relax, have bonding time with your family, or entertain guests. These also protect your furniture, rugs, and drapes from fading due to exposure from the sun.
For businesses, awnings provide an aesthetic appeal that attracts customers and helps your shop or restaurant achieve the look and feel it aims to project. They provide shape, dimension, and color in any space.
Awnings can also give you significant savings in your energy consumption as these prevent solar radiation, which is responsible for around 20% of the load on an air conditioner, from penetrating through the glass.
With these benefits in mind, the next question to answer would be “how do I choose the right awning?” Here are several more questions that you can answer which will eventually guide you in making the right decision for your awning.
How will you use it and where will you place it?
Location and use are important factors to consider when choosing an awning. If you wish to place one on your porch or patio, a retractable awning will work best as it gives you the option to control the amount of light you want to come inside your space. In addition, these don’t have a lot of physical barriers as compared to fixed awnings so these can easily be rolled when you wish not to use it.
Its flexibility is one of its best features. A retractable awning gives you more outdoor space without the hassle of going into a full scale remodeling that can be quite costly.
If you are eyeing to place an awning over windows, doors, or entryways, fixed or stationary awnings are the ideal option as these areas will have to be permanently covered and so would not need a retractable feature.
Protecting wooden window pane, shielding furniture from the sun’s rays, reducing glare without blocking natural sunlight, and having the option to keep your windows and doors open when it’s raining are some of the benefits of setting fixed awnings over these areas.
What colors and materials do you prefer?
When choosing the color of your awning, you first have to decide whether you want it to blend with your facade or have it become a focal point of the space. Your property’s setting can be a good determining factor for color.
Properties located in areas where there are lots of foliage can opt for neutral and earthy tones; whereas poolside or seaside spaces can go for bright hues. If you want a classic look for your business, you may consider a black and white-striped awning. For both businesses and homes, choose colors and patterns that blend with the style and color palette of your interior as this provides visual continuity upon entry.
If your primary reason for setting up an awning is to reduce heat then go for lighter colors as these block and reflect direct sunlight.
As for awning materials, these normally include fabric, mesh, acrylic, resin, polycarbonate, and aluminum. The advantage of choosing fabric is the variety of style and color you can choose from; the disadvantage, however, is the maintenance it requires. This is the exact opposite of aluminum awnings which are a good option in colder and wetter climates.
The kind of weather the awning will largely be exposed to is also a good indicator of the kind of material you will choose.
What style do you want?
There are many styles of awnings to choose from. There’s the straight-edged traditional style, dome style, or semi-circular style – commonly used for entryways – to name a few. There are also various edgings – pertaining to the bottom of the awning – which include: ocean wave, scalloped, and serpentine. In picking a style and pattern, ensure that this is proportional to the size of your structure and your awning.
On the practical side, choose awnings that have proper drainage and ventilation. Pooled water can be a breeding ground for bacteria and can potentially damage the awning due to its heavy weight. This is particularly necessary in areas that experience a lot of rains. Poor ventilation, on the other hand, can deter the cooling benefits of an awning. Choose one whose design releases built-up heat.
Once you have decided on the kind of awning you want for your property, give us a call and we will be more than happy to provide your needs. Or, if you are still having a hard time deciding, it is all the more necessary for you to contact us so we can properly advice you on what type of awing will work best for your space.
