If you are planning to buy an awning for your garden, here are a few tips that you may want to keep in mind to ensure you choose the perfect one.
Opt for a motorised awning if you have mobility issues or are not physically fit
Manually operated retractable awnings (which are extended and retracted by turning a hand crank) are less expensive than their motorised counterparts. As such, if you're on a tight budget, you might be tempted to buy the former instead of the latter.
However, you should only do this if you are physically fit and do not have any mobility issues. The reason for this is as follows; a lot of grip strength and arm strength is needed to retract and extend manually operated awnings. If you are quite weak or if you have a condition that affects your hands (such as arthritis) you may find it quite tiring and painful to open and close this type of awning.
In this situation, motorised options, such as Luxaflex awnings, would be a far better choice, as virtually no physical effort is required to operate these awnings. All you have to do when you want to retract or extend the awning is press a button.
Be careful about your choice of colour
It's important to be careful when choosing the colour of your new awning. For example, whilst dirt and stains will not be quite as noticeable on a dark-coloured awning, deeper colours tend to fade quite quickly when constantly exposed to UV rays. As such, it might be best to avoid hues such as black, navy or charcoal if you live in an area with a sunny climate.
Paler colours are ideal for use in sunny locations, as any fading will be virtually undetectable. However, any dirt or stains will be very noticeable on a light-coloured awning. Given this, if you choose a colour like white, cream or pastel blue, you need to be prepared to hand wash the awning on a regular basis in order to maintain its appearance.
Additionally, the colour that you choose should not clash with the rest of your property's exterior. For example, it would be best not to select an awning in a very bold hue if the exterior walls of your home are neutral coloured and your garden doesn't contain any brightly coloured flowers, as a vibrant awning would look completely out of place in this type of setting.
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