Choosing a patio awning that still looks right in ten summers
A patio awning is the fastest way to make a sunny terrace usable, and the easiest product to buy badly. The decisions that matter are made before colour: how far it needs to reach, whether the folded fabric is protected, what the fabric is made of, and whether your wall can genuinely carry it. Get those four right and everything else is preference.
Work out the shade you need, not the awning you like
The sun moves, so an awning sized for midday leaves you squinting at six in the evening. Stand on the patio at the time you normally use it and note where the shadow line needs to fall. For most rear gardens that means a deeper projection than people first guess, because low evening sun comes in at an angle rather than from overhead.
Width, projection and the pitch
Width is limited by the clear run of wall and by windows and downpipes in the way. Projection is limited by the arms and by the height available, because an awning needs a fall across it to shed water. A steeper pitch sheds rain better and blocks low sun better, a shallower pitch gives more headroom at the front. Your fitter should tell you the pitch they intend, not just the size.
Cassette types
When the awning is retracted, the fabric is either exposed, half covered or fully enclosed. In this climate, exposure means grit, damp and grime working into the roller and the arm joints all winter. A full cassette keeps the folded fabric clean and dry, which is why an awning that looks tired at year five is usually an open one.
- Open cassette
- cheapest, fabric and arms exposed year round
- Semi cassette
- hood protects the roll, arms remain outside
- Full cassette
- sealed when closed, longest fabric life, neatest look
Have your patio measured for the shade you actually want
We look at the aspect, the hours you use the garden and what the wall is built from, then quote a size and fixing that suits all three.
Questions people ask us about this
How far should a patio awning project?
Enough to shade your seating at the time of day you use it. For a typical dining set that usually means three metres or more, because low evening sun needs depth rather than width.
Can an awning be fitted above patio doors?
Usually yes, provided there is height for the brackets and a workable pitch. Where headroom is tight, the bracket type or a soffit mount solves it.
Do awnings work on rendered walls?
They can, but the fixing has to reach sound structure behind the render, which means longer anchors and a careful survey rather than a standard bracket.
Should I take the awning down in winter?
No. A cassette awning stays in place, retracted and dry. Just avoid rolling it away wet and leaving it that way for months.
What warranty comes with an awning?
Frames are covered up to 10 years, with fabric and motors under their manufacturer terms, and our installation workmanship guaranteed.
Fabric, and what makes one last
Solution dyed acrylic carries pigment through the fibre, so colour holds far longer than printed cloth. Weight and weave affect how it hangs and how much light it filters. Water resistance is a finish rather than a permanent property, and it is renewed by cleaning and reproofing every few years. Pale fabrics show marks, dark fabrics show fading if the grade is poor, and a good grade avoids both problems.
The wall, which is not an afterthought
An awning cantilevers a substantial load off a few brackets. Solid brick is straightforward, render over insulation, timber frame construction and thin outer leaves are not, and a soffit or rafter fixing changes the bracket entirely. Where a wall genuinely cannot take it, the honest answer is a freestanding structure or a veranda rather than a hopeful fixing.
If nobody asks what your wall is built from before quoting, that quote is an estimate for somebody else's house.
The mistakes we get called about
Almost all awning damage is avoidable. Leaving it out in wind is first, rolling it away wet and leaving it for months is second, and letting water pool in a sagging fabric is third. A wind sensor deals with the first automatically, and the other two are simply habit.
- Leaving the awning extended in gusty weather
- Storing it rolled while soaked, which invites mildew
- Ignoring a pool of water forming in the fabric
- Cleaning with a pressure washer or a stiff brush
In short
Size for the hour you sit outside, choose a full cassette and a good acrylic fabric, and make sure the fixing suits your wall. Those four decisions decide whether an awning lasts a decade.