Oct
27
Retractable Awnings Add Value To Your Home.
October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Retractable awnings make a fine addition to any home, and are a great way to add functionality to your awnings. Retractable awnings are useful for a range of purposes.
Awnings and patio covers and other ways of providing shade to windows and other parts of the house come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What are the benefits of a retractable awning over a fixed awning?
It sounds silly but you need to remember that a fixed awning is fixed in one place so you can’t move it at all. This is the cause of a number of problems. Firstly it needs to be fixed in place and usually an arm or post of some kind is used. This can look a little ordinary. Worse, once your awning is fixed it cannot be taken down, at least not without a lot of trouble, so having fixed awnings is a real problem in bad weather, like storms. At best they will bang and thrash, at worst break or tear or even get torn down. In times like these fixed window covers are not a good idea.
Now you could get up there and take your awnings down if there is a storm coming, but realistically who is going to do that? It’s quite common to get damage to fixed awnings in storms.
And there’s more. Because a fixed awning is out in the sun and rain all the time it gets repeatedly wet and dry and sun damaged. Many rot or fade and deteriorate over time, and of course then you need to buy more awnings.
They will fade in the sun too.
Hence the life of the cover is much shorter, and they need to be replaced more regularly, involving expense and hassle.
And many awnings have arms made of steel which rusts and has to be replaced from time to time.
On the plus side, the initial cost of fixed awnings is cheaper.
A retractable awning, on the other hand, is much more expensive to buy, but it is more user friendly. Retract it when it’s windy. Keep it in when it’s raining and it stays dry. Keep the material out of the sun except when it’s needed and dramatically extend the life of the awning from avoiding sun damage.
Even if you’re not at home you can have your awnings retract in wind with motion sensors and rain sensors. Put them out on hot days, keep them in on cool days.
And the kids won’t be running into fixed poles and there’s no arms to rust.
If it’s hot you can keep the house cooler, if it’s not you can retract them and increase the light in the house.
It’s a no brainer really, a retractable awning is more expensive to buy, but when you consider the advantages it’s the only awning to own. Buy a retractable awning every time.
Head over to Peters website Awnings Explained to learn more about retractable awnings as well as patio awnings
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