Awning or veranda: which one your garden really needs
This is the decision we are asked to help with most, and the answer nearly always comes from one question: are you trying to escape the sun, or trying to escape the weather? Fabric handles the first brilliantly and cheaply. Glass handles the second and keeps handling it in November. Neither is a compromise if you choose for the right reason.
Choose the awning if the problem is sun
If your patio is unusable in July because it bakes, but perfectly pleasant the rest of the year, an awning solves your problem for less money and vanishes when you do not want it. It is also the right choice where you do not want a permanent structure changing the look of the house, or where light into a north facing room is precious and you cannot afford to lose any of it.
Choose the veranda if the problem is the weather generally
If the real complaint is that a shower ends the evening, or that the outdoor furniture is packed away from October to May, fabric will not fix it. A glazed veranda keeps rain off dependably, stays out in wind, and with lighting and infrared heating it turns a patio into a space you use across most of the year. That is a bigger spend for a much bigger change.
The middle ground people forget
The two are not mutually exclusive, and a common upgrade path is a veranda now with screens or an awning added later for solar control on the sunniest side. Louvred roofs also sit between the two, giving adjustable shade with rain cover when closed, at a price above a veranda of the same size.
- Veranda plus zip screens, weather protection with wind and privacy control
- Veranda with solar control glass, cover without the July heat
- Louvred pergola, adjustable shade plus rain cover, higher cost
- Awning now, structure later, if budget must be staged
| Retractable awning | Glazed veranda | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun control | Excellent, and you choose | Good, better with solar control glass |
| Rain cover | Light showers only | Reliable, all year |
| Wind | Must be retracted | Engineered to stay put |
| Winter use | Effectively none | Genuine, especially with heaters |
| Light to the room behind | Unchanged when retracted | Slightly reduced, glass keeps it high |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Visual permanence | Disappears when closed | Part of the house |
Living with each of them
An awning needs retracting in wind, drying before storage and reproofing every few years. A veranda needs the glass washing twice a year and the gutter clearing in autumn. Neither is demanding, but the awning asks for attention at the moment you use it while the veranda asks for a couple of scheduled hours a year.
How the house looks
A closed cassette awning is a slim box on the wall, easy to overlook. A veranda is architecture, and it should be specified to suit the elevation rather than fitted to the maximum size that will fit. On period properties, the frame colour and post spacing matter more than most people expect, and on modern houses a slim aluminium frame usually looks better than a bulky one.
What we would ask you at survey
How many months a year do you want to use the patio, what stops you now, is the space in sun or shade in the evening, and are you likely to want heating. Four questions, and the product usually chooses itself before we have measured anything.
Questions people ask us about this
Can I sit under an awning in the rain?
In light rain with a decent pitch, yes, and the fabric sheds it. In heavy or prolonged rain, water can pool and it should be retracted, which is where a veranda is the better product.
Will a veranda make the room behind darker?
A little, though far less than people expect with a clear glass roof. On a north facing room we would use clear toughened glass to keep every bit of light.
Which lasts longer?
A powder coated aluminium and glass veranda has the longer life, since fabric is a wearing component. Frames on both are covered up to 10 years.
Can an awning be fitted to a veranda later?
Yes, and it is a common combination on very sunny elevations, though screens or solar control glass often solve the same problem more neatly.
Which adds more to how the house feels?
The veranda, because it changes how the back of the house is used. The awning changes a summer afternoon, which for many people is exactly enough.
In short
Sun problem, buy an awning. Weather problem, buy a veranda. Screens, solar control glass and louvred roofs cover the ground in between.
Let us look at the patio before you decide
We fit both, so we have no reason to push you towards the dearer one. Tell us when you want to be outside and we will price the option that gets you there.