Most retractable awning ideas start and end with the deck or patio, but an awning can do a lot more around a home. Anywhere you have a solid wall to mount it on and a space beside it that gets too much sun or rain, a retractable awning can make that space more useful. Here are some creative ways Connecticut homeowners can put one to work.
Retractable Awning Ideas for Your Yard
Create a covered outdoor play area
Playing outside is good for children’s physical and mental health, but you do not want your kids out for hours in the blazing summer sun or in the rain. An awning that extends over the part of the yard next to the house gives them a shaded place for a sandbox, a water table or sidewalk chalk. They can play as long as they like, and you can roll the awning back when the weather is mild.
Cover a garden seating area
Your backyard or garden might have a fountain, another water feature, or just a bench where people like to sit and take in the view. Strong sun or a passing shower can cut that time short. An awning over the seating area lets family and guests stay comfortable for as long as they want.
Add shade and privacy near the pool
A dip in the pool cools you off quickly, but lounging on the pool patio in hot weather can be unbearable. With an awning covering part of the patio, you and your guests can swim, sit in the sun, and retreat into the shade whenever you choose. The cover overhead also gives the area a more private feel.
Uses Beyond Seating
Shade a greenhouse
If you grow your own vegetables in a greenhouse, you know the temperature inside has to be managed carefully. That is hard to do on hot, sunny days. A retractable awning can reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the greenhouse and help you maintain good growing conditions, then retract when the plants need full light.
Keep rooms cooler
An awning that shades a wall of windows or a sliding glass door also cuts down on the sunlight entering the house. For individual windows and entrances, smaller window awnings and door canopies do a similar job.
What to Think About Before You Choose a Spot
A retractable awning mounts to a structure, so the first question is whether there is a suitable wall next to the area you want to cover. Next, look at how the sun moves across that spot during the hours you use it, and measure the space so the awning can be sized to fit.
If the area you have in mind needs cover all the time instead of only when you want it, a fixed patio cover may be a better match. For a look at how other homeowners have used awnings, browse our gallery.
Tell Us What You Want to Cover
Awnings are more versatile than many people realize. The team at Aladdin can design and install a retractable awning sized for the area you want to cover, in a wide array of colors and patterns. Our retractable awnings come with a lifetime Sunesta warranty. Contact us or call (203) 776-9996 to describe your idea and get an estimate.