Top 5 things to consider when buying a Retractable Awning

The term retractable awning can be widely used to describe Folding Arm Awnings, Conservatory Awnings and Retractable Roof or Retractable Pergola Systems and sometimes retractable vertical blinds and screens. This article will focus everything you need to know about how to buy a retractable awning of the cantilevered Folding Arm Awning system and give some reference to the other systems.

Retractable Awnings or retractable canopies are a great way to cover your outdoor areas from the harsh Australian sun and combat the greenhouse effect on your home or commercial dining area while also adding to the appeal of your property. A lovely aesthetic point to your outdoor living or dining space, they add colour and style to your patios and terraces while also being practical. Choosing the right awning for your building requires some exploration and research to ensure that the awning you purchase is functional and suitable for your space.

The Top 5 factors to consider when choosing a retractable awning.

Number 1 – Choosing an Awning - The Size

It is important to look at how much space you would like to cover. Two main factors affect this decision how much sun your terrace gets and how much shade you want. For the first factor in deciding on your awning size, measure the area you ’d like to cover to get a general idea of the awning size you need. This includes the space on the wall and how structurally strong fixing area is and if you have any windows or doors which might interfere. The dimensions you take will give you an idea of what size awning you ’ll need, large or small, to fit your area. The alternate factor in determining the ideal awning size for your home is the direction it faces. The sun is at different heights and angles during the day and numerous homes with an east or west exposure find that an awning needs to have a very low pitch to offer protection in the morning or afternoon. Northernly aspects are easier to manage as the sun at its highest point during the middle of the day.

Number 2 – Choosing an Awning - Location

**Folding Arm Awning in Wind Beach Location can look amazing but the use might be limited due to wind and weather.**

It is important to consider your location and how much use you will get out of your awning. The price of a retractable folding arm awning is often very attractive compared to other retractable roof options however location is very important to consider so that you can really get the maximum use of your retractable awning. As an awning is like a large sail it can catch wind quite easily, so it is important to consider that your standard backyard without too much wind is normally suitable. If, however you live on a beach or elevated escarpment or multi-level building the awning will be exposed to very different levels of wind. Quality modern awnings, generally those manufactured in Europe not China, are very strong however they have their limits. The two most common requests for repairs on awnings are wind damage and water damage. Wind damage occurs when excess wind hits the awning and breaks the arms or pulls the awning out of the wall. Water damage occurs when the awning is damaged from users expecting the awning to stand up to rain. So, if your location gets a lot of weather you should expect not to use the awning much of the time or opt for a system with posts like a conservatory awning or a retractable roof system or retractable pergola system.

Number 3 – Choosing an Awning - Intended Use

As we have mentioned awnings can be susceptible to the weather so we need to choose the right awning for our location wisely. The easiest way to do this is look at this is some examples.

A low lying residential home – In this instance a folding arm awning can provide good shade around a pool or over a terrace lounge or dining area. If the particular side of the house is facing west or east the awning can be adjusted to stop the sun coming into the house as the sun is low in the morning or afternoon. Depending on how high the awning can be fitted on the wall it may also offer some protection in light to medium rain. The industry rule of thumb is 15 degrees for water run off but the more pitch you can have the better. For this reason, we often fit awnings into the roof above the gutter in single story houses.

Elevated Home on hill, building or a beach - Such locations are naturally great as you may have a great view and regular breeze to keep things cool in summer. The downside is for and awning I might be regularly getting battered by the weather while you nervously watch if it will break or be pulled of the side of the house. We know of one instance where the awning was found in the neighbours backyard two houses over. Motorised awnings mostly come with wind sensors and sometimes rain sensors as well but it is important to note that the wind can come up faster that the awning can sometime retract itself so these are great and should always be installed but are not a 100% insurance policy. So, this instance you should look at a conservatory awning or better still a retractable roof system for more use and safety.

Local Café – If you own a local café a folding arm awning can be a great choice as most of the time people are coming and going relatively quickly and providing you have some indoor seating or are doing take away you are not going to lose too much business if the awning must be closed in bad weather. In Australia this might mean that 80% of the time you are going to be fine. It a cost-effective business investment to advertise you café and comfortable shade customers.

**Classic Cafe Folding Arm Awning Sun Protection**

Restaurants, Pub and other entertainment venues - the necessity for more reliable cover becomes critical here as folding arm awnings may serve some casual drinks and fast food areas but if you are counting covers and people on seats with bookings if becomes problematic when you lose space. In this instance you should maybe consider retractable roof systems which will act as a fully waterproof roof.

**Waterproof and windproof retractable roofs are an alternative to folding arm awnings in wind locations**

**Retractable Roofs Offer More Protection from Wind and Rain**

There are many other examples of how awnings and retractable roofs can be used but these give a good summary of some basic do and don’t.

Number 4 - Choosing an Awning - Price and where to buy a retractable awning?

Choosing if you awning is for occasional use or everyday use combined with your local weather patterns is critical for making a wise choice and not wasting you money. Should I buy online, from my local hardware shop and are there any risks to potentially damaging your building. Once you start to research you see there are a wide range of prices for retractable awnings.

**Cassette Awnings are a functional and dynamic addition to any terrace**

When considering purchasing and folding arm awning the adage you get what you pay for stands quite true. As soon as you type folding arm awning into your search engine you will get a myriad of options awnings starting from only a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand. Then once you contact a professional awning company you will realise the cost ranges up to sometime over $10,000. So why the massive variance?

Firstly, the awning industry is not regulated like the car industry. So, for example you can buy a car for $2000 online from China problem is you will never get it registered in Australia for obvious quality and compliance reasons. There are no such regulations in for awnings in Australia anyone can sell anything. What a quality awning, either made in Europe or assembled in Australia with European parts, has in the high standard European TUV or CE Certification and most companies can also produce the engineering or wind class reports as well.

What you will also get is a professional installation team which will understand how to fix to a wall with the right fixings. What most people do not realise is that there are not that many safe locations to fit to an awning to a wall and fixing to the wrong location could cause serious damage to property or people.

What can happen if buy an awning online?

We are not trying to be alarmist or trick you into just buying from professional awning companies but this is what we have noticed with purchasing online awnings.

· Systems get damaged in the slightest bit of adverse weather.

· All the materials are of the lowest grade to corrode and breakdown very fast.

· You can only buy limited sizes.

· You can only buy small sizes as they know that all the problems here are exacerbated the large the awning is, and it is difficult to ship

· The motors are weak and fail very often and do not put enough tension on the fabric.

· The manual versions do not put enough tension on the fabric.

· Radio Silence if anything goes wrong.

· You have to install it yourself and unless you have a knowledge of construction and awnings it can cause other problems.

In short educate yourself before buying to know what you are getting yourself in for.

Number 5 - Choosing an Awning - Choosing the right Company.

The awning industry is relatively small and finding people who really understand awnings is important. The awning industry goes hand in hand with the internal blind industry but the two business could not be more different in terms of installation difficulty. Internal blind companies have little to no need for structural fixing understanding but are often selling external awnings as they have the same suppliers but they do not necessarily have the appropriate experience. In short, we recommend you discuss your installation with a few companies and the companies with real installation knowledge will stand out over those who only want to talk about colours and fabrics. Any company who can show evidence of working on commercial projects will be a good bet as there is very high level of expertise required to work with building companies.

These are the most critical points to consider when buying an awning in our opinion. There are some other less critical options and considerations which are more straight forward once you have the main considerations out of the way.

Sensors

A good awning company will offer that you awning has wind sensor included for weather protection if you the awning is out and the weather changes. For this reason we generally recommend motorised awnings over manual. For an additional $1000 you have awning which is nice and easy to use but less likely to have serious damage. Rain sensor should also be added to awnings which the water cannot run off (i.e less that 15 – 20 degrees pitch).

There are also many different styles of awnings but mostly there are two categories Cassette and Semi Cassette. Cassette awnings enclose the whole fabric and arms when closed so aid in the longevity of the motor, fabric and materials. On a semi Cassette awning you may see the arms and sometimes the fabric when retracted so with less metal and more basic design they are generally more cost effective. They are often better suited to cafés and more traditional looking buildings as they are easier to add fabric valances create a more rustic look than the more modern cassette systems.

Colour & Design

The colour of the awning for your home or business should round your building’s design and style. There are numerous different options when choosing the colour of awnings. The first thing to consider is your house’s architectural style. There are plain colours, stripes and patterns to make the appearance more subdued or to stand out. Consider your building’s architectural style when choosing a colour for your awning.

The awning scape team have over 50 years of combined experience in the most complex awning and retractable roof installations working with Architects, Builders, and the Hospitality industry. Feel free to reach out with you project details and see how we can assist you and good luck on your awning buy journey.