A garden awning can be a great solution to a problem with having a garden, which is the inability to enjoy the space available to you when the weather is causing an issue. There are lots of different solutions to this problem that homeowners may choose to pursue, and in a sense, a garden awning is just one of many. Despite this, there are plenty of people that choose to go with a garden awning as opposed to alternatives, such as a parasol installation or a conservatory build. This is because, for many people, a garden awning can strike the right balance for them when it pertains to sheltering them, while also being able to enjoy the niceties of being outside. Getting a garden awning is only the start, however, and there are a number of things that you can do to enhance its use and make a space that is uniquely suited to your personal enjoyment; a space that will strike the right balance for you, between the inside and the outside of your home.

When it comes to the cost of a garden awning, the first thing you’ll notice is that there is actually quite a variation in price. You might not expect this, as they all essentially function the same, however there are a lot of unseen features of different products that can have a massive impact on your experience with owning one, so you need to understand the full range of what’s available.

Firstly, you have a standard awning, which will cost you, at a minimum, roughly £100. From there, you should expect the price to increase due to a range of factors. Firstly, you have the materials used. Different fabrics are used in order to construct an awning, and depending on the type of material that you end up going with, you might have to do more or less maintenance in order to keep the fabric clean, the product itself might have a shorter lifespan, lasting just a few years before needing replacement of some of the parts, and it might be more or less durable in the face of more extreme weather like high wind speeds. Obviously, you can expect better performance with the more expensive products, and therefore get more out of your awning over time, but the upfront cost could reach as high as £300, in comparison to a £100 awning with all else being equal.

From there, you can also expect prices of your awning to increase due to two main factors: size and add-ons. Sometimes, people want to get an awning that will cover larger space, which will of course mean that its price will increase, both because the canopy will be larger, and also because sometimes additional support structures will be required so that weight is more effectively distributed. Additionally, people generally want to get awnings that have extra functionality, such as a retractable function, that allows users to open or close their awning as and when they want. There are, generally speaking, two varieties of retractable awnings, which are the manually operated variety, whereby users use a long tool in order to pull out the awning to its proper placement, sometimes with rotating a wheel to do so, or there is the electric operated retractable awning, where a click of a button can allow a user to put in place the awning or retract it. Generally speaking, electric awnings are a more expensive product, and they are more convenient, however some may be convinced to go with a manual option because it’s one less thing to break within the product.

Besides these main features, there are other ways to make the most out of your patio awning as well. Many people choose to integrate lighting systems with their patio awning, such as an LED system, that can provide lighting during the night time, extending the period that people can take advantage of the space that has been provided. Also, they may want to pave underneath the patio awning in order to construct a proper seating area, so that it can be enjoyed even more. Awnings without a paved area underneath it may also suffer from the increased amount of rain falling in the run-off zone of the patio awning, as this has been known to cause damage. It therefore may be something that you should consider regardless. While at this point, you should expect that a full installation of a high quality patio awning, along with the paving of a seating area underneath it, to cost roughly £750, at a minimum.