Choosing Outside Awnings For Home
Homes a hundred years ago typically had awnings for home over each window and doorway. In those days this was pretty much the only way to cut down on the glare from the sun. These older homes had no insulation and no air conditioning or fans. Awnings were the only method they had to control internal temperatures.
Five decades later came the industry gold standard. Heavy duty aluminum came into vogue, and every new housing development proudly displayed all their new awning designs; in many cases, they were turned into important selling points considering homes hadn’t converted to air conditioning as yet. Some were permanent, others were removable to either clean, or take down in the winter.
The next fifty years saw some major changes in how awnings were made and where they were placed. Instead of routinely putting one over each door and window, awnings turned into something used mainly to offer protection from the sun only in larger areas of perhaps a back yard or a patio. As air conditioning became more common in homes, the standard installation of awnings for every new home became almost obsolete.
Newer ones come in many styles and in choices of completely automatic or managed by a hand crank. Most of the homes now only have awnings to cover their large outdoor entertainment areas rather installed over every window.
Depending on what you’d like to install in today’s world, you’ll find large differences when it comes to prices, sizes and whether they are manual or automatic. Of course, the automatic ones cost more but when it comes to large sizes that cover the equivalent of a living room, this is the only way to go. A manual awning of this magnitude would be almost impossible to maneuver easily, or it would need to be installed in sections.
Pricing, sizes and materials now vary greatly. Many awnings are custom made to cover the size of a double door or sliding glass doors. Materials now are commonly of the washable variety although they aren’t supposed to be removed – simply spray on the appropriate solution and hose down. The same ones placed over smaller windows can either have mechanisms added whereby the actual awning can be removed and professionally cleaned, or they too can be prepped and hosed down as well. Buying a material such as vinyl can still be attractive but much easier to keep clean.
If you choose larger sizes it’s best to have them professionally installed, especially if you are buying ones that are automatic. These will need to be connected to electric power, something not meant for the household handyman. Pricing will vary depending on where you buy them. Stores that specialize in awnings tend to be cheaper and have frequent sales. Retailers like home improvement centers might be much higher because they act as a middle man in arranging the sale and installation.
Finding it impossible to pick the perfect outside awnings for home? Get the inside scoop in our awnings for home Mercerville overview.
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