# Stand Alone Awning



## hdmass (Apr 20, 2010)

We have a south facing deck that is very hot and sunny (uncomfortable) in the summer.  We do have umbrellas, but they do not provide that much coverage.  I love the idea of a giant awning not attached to the house, but I worry that it will just blow away and possibly damage the house.  They are expensive, but if it works, it would be worth it.  Does anyone have any experience with these?

Thanks.


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## marice (May 23, 2011)

I much prefer this too. Like the retractable awnings they can’t be retracted as and when wanted. They are more of a permanent structure and can be placed anywhere you so desire. They can be used wisely as a part of your backyard, or can be used to protect a vehicle or any such thing. Since they are not attached to the structure of your building, it is best to choose the stand alone awnings made of sturdier material that can face the wind and don’t get blown away easily.


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## Passepartout (May 23, 2011)

We tried umbrellas, delta-shaped awning, hats, and just toughing out the sun, rain and wind. None were satisfactory. Finally went with an aluminum open-lattice patio cover. Cheap? No, but it's permanent, increases the house's value, and adds several weeks a year of very pleasant patio use. We like the open 'roof' for it's filtered shade rather than a solid roof. If you get more rain in your area, you may prefer the solid top. Wind isn't a problem-(though last night's storm in Joplin would be- my heart goes out to those folks)

Jim Ricks


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## Tia (May 23, 2011)

http://www.shadetreecanopies.com/pergola/pergolashade.asp is what I've always liked after seeing one. They can be done separate from a house.


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## easyrider (May 23, 2011)

The only covers that will last any lenght of time are aluminum. I have seen them all, wood, steel, vinyl, canvas and aluminum. You can now get faux wood look covers in a many colors. 
http://patiokits.com/flat_panel_covers.html


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## SueDonJ (May 23, 2011)

hdmass said:


> We have a south facing deck that is very hot and sunny (uncomfortable) in the summer.  We do have umbrellas, but they do not provide that much coverage.  I love the idea of a giant awning not attached to the house, but I worry that it will just blow away and possibly damage the house.  They are expensive, but if it works, it would be worth it.  Does anyone have any experience with these?
> 
> Thanks.



I don't have experience with a stand-alone awning but we've had a motorized awning from Sunsetter for ten years and have been very happy with the company and the product.  Late last summer I started to think it was time to replace the fabric because it was beginning to show some fading, but as it happens we're re-siding the house so we need to change the color anyway.

This link should take you to the company's new stand-alone awning product.  (If it only goes to the home page then click the Oasis link on the left.)  Just going by the picture I'd guess that this is a pretty sturdy awning - the framework appears to be the same heavy metal as our motorized awning which has held up perfectly.  Also, I'd recommend the company for any of their products - they have gone above and beyond the warranty coverage when we had small issues with our flagpole and globe lights.


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## stmartinfan (May 27, 2011)

We have had success with the stand alone awnings that you purchase at places like Walmart, Lowes, etc.,  The canvas tops usually last 2-3 years before they start to degrade from the sun.  (We take the canvas top down during winter here, but leave the frame in place.  Our current one was purchased at Fleet Farm, a regional chain, and they offer a replacement canvas as a separate purchase, so this one will last us a few years longer.  The price for the stand and top are ususally less than $300 on sale, if I remember right. 

What's essential for us is to wire the frame to our deck.  We run brown-coated electrical wire (so it's pretty inconspicuous) through the legs and then down between the boards of our deck to fasten the legs tight.  We also wire yhe side railing of our desk on one end.  We learned this the hard way - our first awning ended up blowing into the pool! When it's fastened down, it's lasted through some pretty strong winds and storms.

We've looked at doing a retractable awning from our house, but the design of the door area doesn't work well for this.  Having the awning has made a huge difference in our using our deck - it's just so much more pleasant with the shade.  We don't seem to need the mosquito side panels but they are available.  Even though we have to replace occasionally, it's well worth the price.


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## PigsDad (May 27, 2011)

Tia said:


> http://www.shadetreecanopies.com/pergola/pergolashade.asp is what I've always liked after seeing one. They can be done separate from a house.


Friends of ours have had this awning system for a few years now, and it has worked out well for them.  The best part is that they will automatically retract (no motor -- just the wind pushing them back) when it gets too windy so that they will not be damaged.  That is a big issue here with awnings, since we can suddenly get gusts of 30-50mph wind that spring up from a calm day.  You don't have to remember to retract the awnings when you just leave the house to run an errand.

Kurt


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## ronparise (May 27, 2011)

i dont mean to gloat but the only time We Floridians are outside in the summer is when we are moving from one air conditioned space to another, or going from the house to the pool. For those times when we do sit by the pool (winter) our homes are designed with a significant portion of the lanai under truss ie under the roof to provide shade.

I think with my experience here I would suggest a more permenant structure like a gazebo or pergola, rather than an awning of canvas structure


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## hdmass (May 27, 2011)

Thank you for all of the information!  We had a pretty bad winter here and it looks like we will need to rebuild the deck (probably a patio).  The permanent structures are really interesting and may be the solution I have been looking for.


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## easyrider (May 27, 2011)

ronparise said:


> i dont mean to gloat but the only time We Floridians are outside in the summer is when we are moving from one air conditioned space to another, or going from the house to the pool. For those times when we do sit by the pool (winter) our homes are designed with a significant portion of the lanai under truss ie under the roof to provide shade.
> 
> I think with my experience here I would suggest a more permenant structure like a gazebo or pergola, rather than an awning of canvas structure



Permenant = $140.00 per sq. ft. +++
Faux Wood Aluminum =  $25.00 per sq. ft.
White Aluminum = $17.00 per sq. ft.

I like the permenant structure.


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