subject: Finding Outside Awnings For Home [print this page] It wasn't all that long ago (maybe a mere hundred years) that all houses were built with awnings over each window and each door. After all, before fans and air conditioning, these were the only way people could at least try to control the amount of sun and heat that got into their homes. And they were very successful! Awnings for home were here to stay.
Half a century later, new homes were built with even better awnings. Solid metal and aluminum became the norm, and these lasted for years and years without rusting or needing much maintenance. Many were permanent fixtures and others could be removed depending on the season or perhaps to repair or clean them.
The next fifty years saw some major changes in how awnings were made and where they were placed. Instead of routinely putting one over each door and window, awnings turned into something used mainly to offer protection from the sun only in larger areas of perhaps a back yard or a patio. As air conditioning became more common in homes, the standard installation of awnings for every new home became almost obsolete.
Newer ones come in many styles and in choices of completely automatic or managed by a hand crank. Most of the homes now only have awnings to cover their large outdoor entertainment areas rather installed over every window.
However, homes dating back to the fifties and sixties that sell today with their original awnings usually remain untouched. The new owners are more than happy to keep these old awnings because they still look good and do the job they were intended to fifty years ago.
Always consider professional installation especially if you want the automatic styles. Since they need to be hooked into a power supply directly (they don't just plug in), this isn't really a job for anyone but either a licensed electrician or a professional installer.
Pricing varies greatly. The typical large home improvement centers usually act as middlemen; they only put you in touch with local stores and contractors who can help you choose awnings and get them installed. Smaller local retailers might be a better choice if they actually manufacture the product themselves and offer installation services. They sell direct to the consumer and because of that, are most likely able to provide lower prices than at the big box popular retailers.
