If you’re excited to read this article, you probably already know at least a little about the advantages of retractable awnings. If this piece seems totally random (“20 Fast Facts About Kibbles Cat Food”), what you’ll read here will probably surprise you. Here’s a quick look at the specs and benefits of modern awnings so you can see why they’re attracting a growing consumer base.
First, a quick disclaimer: As you read, you may want certain points explained in more detail. Since this article is kind of a “beach read” of awning education, you won’t find much background information here. But if you want to hear these facts amplified, feel free to visit my site. And now, here are some quick and dirty facts about retractable awnings.
- They are essentially oversized waterproof fabric samples stretched on a frame and attached to your home. This is what could be called simple brilliance.
- They need approximately 6 inches of open wall (or ceiling) space lengthwise to install.
- These awnings can be deployed or retracted in less than a minute, either by hand or automatically via remote control.
- Recent models have weather sensors that automatically lower the awnings on hot sunny days and store them when heavy rain or gale force winds could damage them.
- A phrase that all home and business owners love: “Maintenance-free?”
- By controlling sunlight, awnings do a very useful job: they reduce heat and cut UV rays.
- Awnings serve as an outdoor expansion of your business or residential space, and do-it-yourselfers like to design “outdoor rooms” with awnings that expand the styles and colors of the building’s interior.
- If you own a business or manage properties, retractable awnings can expand your seating capacity and increase property value without the services of an architect or general contractor.
- Next time you’re downtown, take a look around: there’s a growing trend to use awnings as commercial signage for businesses.
- Awnings positively affect the interior of your home. When installed over windows, they reduce glare by 94 percent and exterior heat by 77 percent.
- That means they lower indoor temperatures by 8 to 15 degrees and cut air conditioning costs by 25 percent.
- When it comes to real estate, every dollar saved on utility bills translates to $10 to $15 in resale value. If you do the math, you’ll see that awnings can add one to two thousand dollars of resale value to your home. And that’s a conservative estimate.
- Real estate agents say that the exterior appearance of a building is a very important factor in home sales. Awnings give your home a strong curb appeal.
- They also create unique new atmospheres. Have you ever had a coffee and a conversation “in the rain”? Have you ever lain in a hot tub while snow falls around you (but not on you)?
- Retractable awnings allow you to sunbathe, dine in the shade, enjoy a sun-warmed autumn deck, and stargaze all in the same space.
- They can be used “strategically” to cover up rough, unsightly areas on the outside of your home, like that spot where the technician botched the repair job.
- Awnings add more living area – eating, talking and entertaining.
- When awnings are installed over windows, they create cooler and more spacious rooms inside the house, because there is no need to fight the sunlight by pulling the blinds.
- They make the most of the patio, deck, balcony, and poolside areas, making them more than stretches of bleached-blonde wood and smoldering concrete.
- Retractable awnings are eco-friendly. They reduce electricity use, meet EPA guidelines, and are made with sustainable materials.
You now have a basic idea of why retractable awnings are gaining in popularity. How does it feel to have a higher awnings IQ?