Retractable sun awnings

Primrose

Thinking of buying a motorised one to maximise time spent in the garden in a comfortable way.

Any advice on special points to be aware of, pitfalls, advantages, disadvantages etc? We would be looking for quite a deep one and am wondering if this would put any specific weight strain on the extending arms and mechanism. Also, are they fitted flush to the house wall or is there a gap where the rain could come through?
Thanks.

firefox1956

Can't really help much but be very careful of leaving it extended when it is windy.
They a very susceptible to major damage if the wind catches them.
HTH

rob7475

We got one from here last year

https://www.primrose-awnings.co.uk/

We paid extra for a remote controlled electric version and are glad we did. If we'd have got a manual wind out one, we wouldn't use it half as much.

I echo the point above about being careful in the wind - a breeze will catch them quite easily. Ours bounces around a fair bit in the breeze but no damage as of yet.

Fitting is quite straightforward if you are up to it. Just make sure you get a good solid fixing as there will be a good bit of downwards force when fully open.

There is a gap between the housing and the wall behind so rain will still pass through.

I'd also recommend a cover to cover the whole thing up in winter.

ComicGeek

We got a motorised awning from Hillarys earlier this year. It has worked brilliantly this summer, and keeps the lounge nice and cool. Really easy to use.

We live in a windy area, but it has a wind sensor which pulls it in if the wind picks up - hasn't needed to do it yet though, as it's dealt well with wind so far.

Each manufacturer will have a maximum depth, so if you need a particular size it's worth asking this question first. The deeper it is the more effect wind has on it.

Rarely will you be able to get a deep enough awning to shade a large external patio - ours was intended to shade the lounge instead as it's south-west facing and used to bake in summer. We can get a couple of chairs in the shade outside during the day, but it doesn't extend enough to cover the table and all 4 chairs.

I had to get an external socket installed for it, but no real hassle. Works brilliantly, wish I'd done it earlier.