Size really does matter

A highly important consideration to make when selecting a patio awning is the size. The width and projection (extension) of your patio awning are vital to it serving the function your require it for. Most good quality patio awnings are built to order and therefore can be made to virtually any size, allowing you to have a patio awning that is sized to suit your property and specific requirements. Cheaper imported awnings are pre-built to selected sizes and very rarely are the size you will need for your property, not to mention the other lack of quality features.

The first thing you need to consider are the reasons why you want a patio awning, what is it’s purpose, for both now and in the future. Are you just going to use the awning for internal heat, glare and UV protection, is it for occasional outdoor summer shade or is the awning going to become an extension of your property and outdoor room that is used for entertaining and dining all year round?

When you have decided on the above, this will help you and your patio awning advisor to determine the ideal width and projection for your patio awning and property. There are some other factors however to take into account, these include;

• Location of your property – is it exposed or surrounded by trees and structures?
• Orientation the facade you would like a patio awning on faces?
• Size of the patio table you want to shade and shelter?
• Tall obstructions near the perimeter of your patio area

As a general rule of thumb, most reputable manufacturers and good retailers of patio awnings will recommend the following:

Width

A minimum of 500mm wider each side of the patio doors and/or windows it is going over. So for a 2.4m wide set of French Doors, the minimum awning width should ideally be 3.4m. This will help to ensure as the sun moves around your property shading is offered under some of the awning as well as to the adjoining internal room.

Projection

If the awning is being used to create an outdoor dining / entertaining area, ideally the projection should be 3m or greater to help ensure everyone sitting around a good sized table remains protected. For internal shading, a smaller projection should be adequate.

Another factor to consider is the mounting height and leading edge (front profile) height of the awning. Most manufacturers recommend an awning pitch of 14 degrees, see why here. This would mean for a typical 3m projection awning that it would be mounted around 2.75m to the underside of the awning on the wall for a normal 2.0m front profile walk under height when fully extended. The higher the awning is up the wall on your property the more sun that can creep in the sides, but the lower it is which will help offer side sun protection, will mean that either the front profile will have to be considerably lower posing issues with people walking into it or the pitch will have to be less which is not ideal.

A positive side to having the front profile height lower is that more frontal sun protection is offered, even just another 100mm lower can make a big difference.

Remember the sun rises in the East and set’s in the West, with temperatures reaching their highest level around noon and the sun’s damaging UV rays strongest between the hours of 10am – 3pm. The sun is lower in the winter but rises earlier and sets later in the summer. Make sure you check the movement of the sun around your property, see how trees, objects and other structures affect how the suns shadow falls on your patio area. Is your patio lit up all day long, or does a fence panel or tree give some shade for a short period of time during the day.

Remember, it’s ALWAYS better to have your patio awning a little larger than you think you need. You will use and benefit from the extra shade and shelter it provides.