Awnings - features? Cost? Pros/Cons?

[puntloos]

I've lived in many countries, and it keeps on surprising me that the UK is extremely conservative on technologies that seem obvious anywhere else. This ranges from toilet design, to window construction, and in this case... Awnings.

 

Why is there no topic at all on buildhub on awnings? Is this a magic technology people are not yet aware of?  Seriously though, what am I missing? Why are awnings not a default in every house? They literally keep the sun outside as long as you want, and move politely out of the way if you want the brightness. Cost? 1500 delivered for 6m wide electrically operated one. , 229 for 1.5m wide one. (primrose are possibly a bit on the cheap/flimsy side, but frankly that's just a hunch). To awn-ify your entire sun-facing side you're probably out 2500 GBP and any solar gain problem is effectively gone.  

 

Anyway.. for those of you who have them:

- What features to look out for

- What are bad design features to watch out for

- What color works? I am thinking some natural green style color but perhaps it feels wrong when inside on a sunny day?

 

And if you actively considered but rejected them: 

Why?

 

My current ideal are:

1/ Folds up ideally into a wall, rather than a cassette stapled to the wall

2/ All awnings in the house controllable from one spot (ideally with smart home but at least RF or one button)

3/ Backup manual control from the inside. 

4/ Waterproof so can actually be used as a rain shield for a BBQ style party

 

Thoughts, experiences, comments welcome!

[Oz07]

Think back-up manual control from inside could be problematic. Sounds like holes being needed to be drilled through. 

[vivienz]

I don't have awnings, but I do have 2 exterior motorised blinds on each of my south facing windows, one upstairs and one downstairs. They are each controlled independently by a manual switch inside, next to the window. They are also attached to a wind speed detector that will raise them up into the cassette (recessed into the cladding) if the wind speed is too high for them to safely remain down.

They are very effective at reducing solar gain but as they are a mesh type fabric you can still see outside when they are down.

 

[MrSniff]

Both places we've lived in Luxembourg have an awning - very good for controlling solar gain (and of course for sitting under when the midday sun is too hot). Both were electrically controlled from a straightforward wired indoor switch. I haven't yet found a smart switch for controlling these or the external blinds we also have - not at my price point anyway!

 

My only slight concern is the loading on the mounting bolts with ever a fairly light breeze: not that I have had a problem so far, but I can imagine repeated small movements over time from that, and even opening and closing, could weaken the mounting so I guess needs to be checked every so often.  Nonetheless I would happily install them where I wanted them.

[puntloos]

5 hours ago, Oz07 said:

Think back-up manual control from inside could be problematic. Sounds like holes being needed to be drilled through. 

 

Well, clearly outside power is needed, but presumably we can do this without puncturing any thermal barriers..

[ProDave]

Nice find finding electric awnings to fit yourself.

 

When we built the last house, 15 years ago, I could not find anyone selling an electric one to install yourself, just companies wanting to fit them for you. It struck me a bit like the stair lift market, tightly sewn up.  So then we opted for a purely manual one.

 

By the time we left the fabric was getting pretty tatty, particularly the last lap on the roll that remains always exposed.  If fitting one again I would want a full cassette where no fabric shows when retracted.

 

They put a lot of load on the wall, so really only suitable for brick or block walls. I would not want to try fitting one to our wood fibre walls, or a rendered ICF wall for example.

 

[puntloos]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

Nice find finding electric awnings to fit yourself.

 

Yeah there's a few around - this company has german awnings: https://www.appealshading.com/awnings/?ppc=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA98TxBRBtEiwAVRLqu-jbyh4fM8E5iSZdf6SRzu9wPLOInqjnJTyH5zpNrk8lv6zqo1vtuxoC0osQAvD_BwE - and are immediately 6x as expensive. 

 

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

When we built the last house, 15 years ago, I could not find anyone selling an electric one to install yourself, just companies wanting to fit them for you. It struck me a bit like the stair lift market, tightly sewn up.  So then we opted for a purely manual one.

 

By the time we left the fabric was getting pretty tatty, particularly the last lap on the roll that remains always exposed.  If fitting one again I would want a full cassette where no fabric shows when retracted.

 

They put a lot of load on the wall, so really only suitable for brick or block walls. I would not want to try fitting one to our wood fibre walls, or a rendered ICF wall for example.

 

You're right, a 5m awning could be 80kg or so, and I imagine if fully extended and perhaps swaying in the wind, the load on the actual bolts that secure it to the wall will be even worse than a straight load. 

 

We probably need to pre-plan this carefully.. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by puntloos

[Ferdinand]

TBH 8 think we probably do not like awnings as a culture.

 

Plus we have a rather more temperate climate than eg the areas in Europe you highlight.

 

For me I think they are unlikely to last long enough in pristine condition.

[puntloos]

5 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

TBH 8 think we probably do not like awnings as a culture.

 

Plus we have a rather more temperate climate than eg the areas in Europe you highlight.

 

For me I think they are unlikely to last long enough in pristine condition.

 

FWIW my parents, in the Netherlands (which is pretty much identical climate) have had the same, built-in awnings for 50 years, and while the fabric at this point has some mouldy spots (don't leave standard cotton it in the rain and then roll it up..) it's still quite serviceable. 

 

Frankly, awnings are a great example of 'simple' technology that everybody should use, like 'the washing mashine'.. I'm surprised that the UK has mostly ignored it. 

[epsilonGreedy]

7 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

TBH 8 think we probably do not like awnings as a culture.

 

Plus we have a rather more temperate climate than eg the areas in Europe you highlight.

 

 

It is a cultural thing though not logical. The climate in Paris or Normandy is not that different to ours.

 

I also suspect Buildhub members are not as out doorsy as the general UK population hence little discussion of awnings here. An awning is an essential element of our self build and has nothing to do with solar gain control, we just want a veranda with FFL height decking, awning, infrared heater and lighting.

 

The OP asked about colours. Stripes are very 1980's, solid colour = trendy. Having sat out under canvas on many boats I suggest avoiding colours that turn people's skin into alien looking coloured skin, so choose a neutral like buff or grey, though orange is in vogue at the moment.  

[puntloos]

6 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

It is a cultural thing though not logical. The climate in Paris or Normandy is not that different to ours.

 

I also suspect Buildhub members are not as out doorsy as the general UK population hence little discussion of awnings here. An awning is an essential element of our self build and has nothing to do with solar gain control, we just want a veranda with FFL height decking, awning, infrared heater and lighting.

 

The OP asked about colours. Stripes are very 1980's, solid colour = trendy. Having sat out under canvas on many boats I suggest avoiding colours that turn people's skin into alien looking coloured skin, so choose a neutral like buff or grey, though orange is in vogue at the moment.  

Stripes also feel very 'candy store' to me. No.

 

But exactly I am wondering about what is an appropriate color is. For integration with the surroundings, green might be quite nice (blending with the garden), and fwiw it would be a very good color to hide a bit of dirt and mould.. - but aesthetics and 'weird skin tone effects' I'm not quite sure. 

 

Funny, my parents' awnings are orange.They were the vogue in the 60s. Orange works fairly well (60yr Anecdote for you there..) but I'm still tempted by green, although indeed perhaps grey might work.. feels a bit... grey..

[Adam2]

There are some nice options that could work well with more contemporary designs as well. We quite like this approach, providing that the cover can fully retract the shutters:

 

https://www.iqoutdoorliving.co.uk/iq-awning-roof/

[puntloos]

Interesting, indeed we were thinking to create indeed some awning-able area. And perhaps an awning like the IQ might be a bit more 'solid' (wind resistant) than the standard stretchy-army one.

 

One thing I haven't found yet: my parent's 60's awnings are actually built into the window frame. The 'control' is actually some band that you can pull around from the inside to raise/lower. I'm not quite sure I'd want to build this stuff deeply into the house wall even if I could (replaceable parts and all that) but it's worth considering..

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

It is a cultural thing though not logical. The climate in Paris or Normandy is not that different to ours.

 

I also suspect Buildhub members are not as out doorsy as the general UK population hence little discussion of awnings here. An awning is an essential element of our self build and has nothing to do with solar gain control, we just want a veranda with FFL height decking, awning, infrared heater and lighting.

 

The OP asked about colours. Stripes are very 1980's, solid colour = trendy. Having sat out under canvas on many boats I suggest avoiding colours that turn people's skin into alien looking coloured skin, so choose a neutral like buff or grey, though orange is in vogue at the moment.  

 

The climate in Paris is like the climate in Sunderland.

 

Hmmm ?

[puntloos]

Ha my dad sent me the flier for the awnings.. just as a blast from the past (I want horizontal extending so you can walk under it..)

 

 

- Max 450cm wide, should be 10cm wider than the window on each side.

- Dralon anti-mould fabric. Eh. It lasted 'okay' for 60 years..

- Simple 1m rotating area. 

 

 

[epsilonGreedy]

On 29/01/2020 at 22:48, puntloos said:

Thoughts, experiences, comments welcome!

 

 

I got close to buying an awning for my previous house 6 years ago. After the usual internet research I visited a local specialist showroom and had to revise my ideas. Before buying it is worth inspecting some examples up close to appreciate the range in quality.

[puntloos]

6 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

I got close to buying an awning for my previous house 6 years ago. After the usual internet research I visited a local specialist showroom and had to revise my ideas. Before buying it is worth inspecting some examples up close to appreciate the range in quality.

 

Quite so, there are some very cheap internet brands, but I think my 'quality' selection has been narrowed down to:

 

- Luxaflex

- Haus

- Markilux

- Brustor

 

As a rule of thumb, these awnings cost 2000 GBP per meter width, incl install (probably a fair chunk)

[puntloos]

@epsilonGreedy why did you revise your ideas? Purely because the quality was poor?

[Tony K]

My self build has a 6m long chunk of floor-to-ceiling south-facing glazing, and so overheating was an obvious concern, partly for building regs approval, and partly just because, well, because of course it is.

My solution is certainly an awning, and I wanted one that projected up to 3m. 

 

A few firms struggle to provide a single awning to that dimension. I got one quote for what looked quite a posh one with a smooth front profile (‘..disappears completely into a wall or precisely into a recess)!. Other features listed were..
1 No. Markilux 3300 Pur folding arm cassette awning complete with bionic tendons
Size: 5800 mm wide x 3000 mm projection
Electric operation complete with 1 channel remote
Vibrabox wind sensor
Framework – Made from durable aluminium and powder coated in a choice of 7 standard colours

 

For this I was quoted £6,120 to supply and fit. Haus suggest I will be looking at over 8k for one of theirs, whilst a Markilux 6000 is £4385 ex VAT. At the other end of the price range (and I presume the quality range too) Primrose do one 6m long one as per the original post on this thread. 

 

I have also considered an alternative approach – to buy two 3m wide awnings and fit them side by side. This might open up the market a lot, though I am struggling a little to find off-the-shelf 3m wide awnings I can just buy in a shop and take home with me. 

 

I’d be keen to know:
1.    What the drop off in quality is like from something like a Haus awning to a Primrose one, and how much it actually matters? What are the implications of buying cheap?
2.    Where to find decent quality 3m wide off the shelf awnings?
 

[puntloos]

On 19/02/2020 at 17:16, Tony K said:

My self build has a 6m long chunk of floor-to-ceiling south-facing glazing, and so overheating was an obvious concern, partly for building regs approval, and partly just because, well, because of course it is.

My solution is certainly an awning, and I wanted one that projected up to 3m. 

 

A few firms struggle to provide a single awning to that dimension. I got one quote for what looked quite a posh one with a smooth front profile (‘..disappears completely into a wall or precisely into a recess)!. Other features listed were..
1 No. Markilux 3300 Pur folding arm cassette awning complete with bionic tendons
Size: 5800 mm wide x 3000 mm projection
Electric operation complete with 1 channel remote
Vibrabox wind sensor
Framework – Made from durable aluminium and powder coated in a choice of 7 standard colours

 

For this I was quoted £6,120 to supply and fit. Haus suggest I will be looking at over 8k for one of theirs, whilst a Markilux 6000 is £4385 ex VAT. At the other end of the price range (and I presume the quality range too) Primrose do one 6m long one as per the original post on this thread. 

 

I have also considered an alternative approach – to buy two 3m wide awnings and fit them side by side. This might open up the market a lot, though I am struggling a little to find off-the-shelf 3m wide awnings I can just buy in a shop and take home with me. 

 

I’d be keen to know:
1.    What the drop off in quality is like from something like a Haus awning to a Primrose one, and how much it actually matters? What are the implications of buying cheap?

Yep me too, am gravitating towards Markilux 3300 pur, based on this post  - this is the very first in-wall one I've seen which makes it a LOT more elegant.

 

Did they tell you how the architect should build the wall to make it ready for this awning?

 

 

Quote

2.    Where to find decent quality 3m wide off the shelf awnings?
 

 

https://patioawnings4less.co.uk/ ?

 

One further note: make sure that your wall will actually hold an awning whilst the wind hits it. From I think the haus company:

 

- 5m wide awning weighs 65kg
- needs 40cm space above the roller
- 6 fixings (3 on each end)
- Each fixing max load 6.925N (under windy conditions)

 

Frankly that 6925N sounds crazy (because it implies that effectively each fixing needs to be able to hold 700kg.)

 

Edited February 23, 2020 by puntloos

[Russell griffiths]

We lived in oz and had some very funky shade sails, one set over the pool and another set over the front drive. 

Im going to put some stainless eyes in the wall at appropriate points so if I feel they are necessary I will install them in the spring/ summer and remove in the winter

give them a good scrub and store away ready for next spring. 

[Tennentslager]

To me this is the pose of a happy man admiringly contemplating his reward for making a good job complete, just like our famous @Onoff and @pocster with a little Teutonic swell from @retiredacademic

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, Tennentslager said:

To me this is the pose of a happy man admiringly contemplating his reward for making a good job complete, just like our famous @Onoff and @pocster with a little Teutonic swell from @retiredacademic

 

But he has a mullet ...

[Tony K]

22 hours ago, puntloos said:

Yep me too, am gravitating towards Markilux 3300 pur, based on this post  - this is the very first in-wall one I've seen which makes it a LOT more elegant.

 

Did they tell you how the architect should build the wall to make it ready for this awning?

 

 

 

https://patioawnings4less.co.uk/ ?

 

One further note: make sure that your wall will actually hold an awning whilst the wind hits it. From I think the haus company:

 

- 5m wide awning weighs 65kg
- needs 40cm space above the roller
- 6 fixings (3 on each end)
- Each fixing max load 6.925N (under windy conditions)

 

Frankly that 6925N sounds crazy (because it implies that effectively each fixing needs to be able to hold 700kg.)

 

 

I haven't looked at the wall being able to take the wind force, as I only envisage this awning being in use to block summer sun, and not in the winter. 

I will be attaching the awning to the 6m long steel that sits over the top of the bifold doors. 

[AleesLLD]

We got our awning from Roche and when we discussed it with them they suggested that we have the full-cassette option as this would protect the awning from winter weather (which in the UK is a big thing). It was one of the best investments we made as we kept going back on our decision and then deciding to have one etc. If you're unsure, get some advice but I would recommend a full-cassette as it has withstood one of the worst winters we had and some very high winds. 

 

Hope that helps.