Awnings for Decks – Canvas Shading on Aluminum or Wood Frame?
Adding awnings for decks or patios in your yard is a great way to expand the comfortable living space of your home regardless of the weather. Hot summer days can not only make spending time outdoors uncomfortable, but the ultraviolet light can even be dangerous to the health of you and your family.
One way to combat the unwanted effects of being outside on sunny days is to use sunscreen, but that can be an annoying and messy job to do just to go relax in a chair while reading a book or watching the kids play. And even though sunscreen can help in that regard, it still won't make it any less uncomfortably hot to be outdoors!
It's not just the hot summer days that are a problem either. During inclement weather, rain, hail, or sleet can make your deck an uncomfortable or even dangerous place to be. Aside from getting wet and cold, the water on the deck can make it slippery to walk on, and increase the likelihood of injury due to accidents. With snowfall traction is even worse. Not to mention the damage to your back from shoveling all that snow!
Awnings for Your Decks have a Lot of Benefits
To protect yourself and your family from these hazards, not to mention the damage to your back from shoveling extra snow off the deck, a great solution is to go with awnings for decks or other outdoor living areas that you would like to weatherproof. The awnings will keep the hot sun from ruining an otherwise beautiful day to spend outside, and will do much the same on rainy or snowy days.
Motorized, retractable, or metal awnings for decks tend to be more expensive than wood ones, and can be a lot heavier too. This isn't always the case though, as aluminum awnings for decks can be very lightweight, even more-so that most types of wood. Whether metal framing or wood framing is best for you is mostly an aesthetic decision though. Choose which one fits in with the rest of your home and landscaping.
Though there is one more objective measure between them ... wood supports for awnings are likely to be within the skill-set of the do-it-yourselfer, if you're so inclined to try your hand at creating a custom awning.
Many awnings will be made of canvas or another lightweight material. These are great for hot summer days as they can breathe and so the heat is free to radiate up away from the deck. The problem with canvas awnings is that they aren't very durable or waterproof. You can apply waterproofing spray, but even then they may leak somewhat. In any case you will need to reapply the waterproofing year after year.
To Shade or not to Shade?
There are some drawbacks to awnings for decks though. As the deck is attached to the house, not only are you blocking sunlight from your deck, but from your windows and siding too. While this can be a blessing in the summer, one that helps you keep down the air condition bills, it can be the exact opposite in winter when you'll have to work harder to keep your house warm.
This is especially true for awnings on the South side of your home if you live in the Northern hemisphere. (Or North side of your home if you live in the Southern hemisphere.) There are ways to combat this though. Given that during the winter the sun is lower in the sky, this allows for an awning that is set somewhat high to allow sunlight underneath it to reach windows during that time of year. The drawback is that in summer, there will be somewhat less shaded area. By adjusting the installation height of your awning, you may be able to find a good compromise between the two.
If even after carefully considering the height of your awning you're still worried about not getting enough sun at particular times of day, or year for that matter, retractable awnings for decks that could use the extra sunlight from time to time are a great idea. With a retractable awning, you can get the best of both worlds. When the weather dictates it, the awning can be extended to provide the shelter from the elements that you and your family need to be comfortable. Then when the climate is more tolerable, the retractable awning can be rolled up to allow for a more natural setting. This way you can save yourselves the sunburns of summer and the heating bills of winter.
Stationary or Portable?
A somewhat new approach to making sure you have the right amount of shade at the right time is to make your awnings portable. Instead of attaching to a house and only being able to cover the adjoining deck, these awnings have their own frame and stand, and can be moved around your yard as you see fit. This is great for times when you'd like to move out onto the patio on a hot summer day.
The problem with using portable awnings for your deck is that they can be difficult to move off the deck. The framing is generally very heavy, and to be portable relies on rollers. Going up or down stairs, as would be the case with an elevated deck, would be a very difficult proposition indeed.
Another consideration is how permanent awnings can be much less intrusive. There's no need for massive support structures, and often they can hang completely off the wall. This opens up the view since there aren't as many, and in some cases not any, big posts in the way.