Add A Room To Your Home With A Patio Awning
By Garry John, Fri Dec 9th
/p>
Do you need a patio awningfor your lovely patio off of your backyard that only gets halfthe use it could because of rain or far too bright sun?Installing a patio awning to shade and protect it can be almostas good as adding a room to your home!
When choosing a patio awning, you’ll need to consider a numberof things – the area that needs to be covered, the structure onwhich the awning will be installed (usually your house), theweather conditions in your area, the cost and the aesthetics.There are many types and styles of patio awningsavailable to suit your needs – once you’re certain what yourneeds are.
The most often stated reasons for installing a patio awning are:
- Protection from Weather
A patio awning provides shade from the sun and cover from rain,to extend the usability of your patio and make it morecomfortable at all times of the day.
- Protection of Your Investment
Patio furniture and wood floors or patio carpets are asubstantial financial investment. A patio awning helps protectthat investment from the damaging UV rays of the sun. Inaddition, if your patio has full glass sliding doors, the patioawning will also help protect the carpets and furnishings insideyour home from those same harmful rays.
- Energy Efficiency
Besides shading the patio itself, installing a patio awning canreduce the heat of your home’s interior by as much as 70%, whichcan be a major savings in electricity if you’re paying for airconditioning.
- Low construction costs
Patio awnings – even fancy retractable ones with built-inlighting and heating – cost far less than adding a full room toyour home, but in many cases, the effect is almost the same –expanded living and entertainment space.
- Aesthetics
Patio awnings come in an almost limitless array of colors anddesigns. A well-made patio awning can add beauty to your homewhile providing shade and comfort for you.
What type of patio awning is best? That depends on your patio,where you live, and how you use your patio. Some of the mostpopular styles and their best setting are listed below.
- Fixed Patio Awning
Fixed awnings are not usually recommended as patio awnings.They’re designed to withstand extremes of weather conditions,and cannot be rolled back. If you’re planning a patio area thatyou’ll sometimes want to expose to full sun, a retractableawning is a far better choice.
- Retractable Patio Awning
Retractablepatio awnings are designed to be retracted during extremesof weather to prevent damage to the awning. They can beretracted via a hand crank or a motorized pulley, and some ofthe latest styles even feature automatic wind and rain sensorsto close the awning whether or not you’re there to push abutton. You can choose patio awnings that retract completelyinto a compact ‘cassette’ frame, that have installed lighting orheating, as well as patio awnings that are specially constructedfor windy areas or for full tilt-angle control to adjust yourshade precisely.
A consultation with a professional dealer and patio awninginstaller will give you the best idea of what sort of patioawning will suit your needs best.
About the author:Garry John has contributed to many home improvement sitesincluding patioawnings
