Finding the Right Awning Size For Your Home

If you want an awning for your deck, patio, porch, or some windows at your home or business, you’ve probably spent lots of time picking out just the right style, color, and design for your property. While all of this is certainly important, so too is making sure you get a retractable awning that is the proper size. To make sure you know what’s involved in measuring for an awning, we here at Rollac have all you need to know about awning size.  

What are Standard Awning Sizes?

One of the best things about choosing an awning for your home or business is that they are usually available in almost any size that will meet your needs. If you have a very large porch or patio that you want covered, you can get an awning featuring a maximum width of 40 feet and a maximum projection of almost 15 feet. One of the most popular awning sizes, you won’t have to worry about big gusts of wind wreaking havoc with your awning, since it has been tested and approved for its wind resistance capability.

Should you want a retractable awning featuring very large width but perhaps not quite so much projection, we can help with this as well. While you would still have the same 40 feet of width, your projection would go from 15 feet to 12 feet. This works well if you have a swimming pool near your patio or porch, or if you just want to have part of your porch, patio, or deck shaded.

For smaller outdoor spaces at homes or outdoor dining or seating areas at restaurants or other businesses, you may want to select an awning that has a maximum width of only 24 feet and a slightly smaller projection of 10 feet. Compact yet still very stylish, this can be a drop arm awning that will still look very stylish with your existing decor, yet will be compact enough to not feel too big for your space.  

Of course, awnings for your windows or doors will need to be much smaller. For a typical door or window, awnings can range in size from 40 inches to 80 inches or slightly bigger. Should you have a door, window, patio, or other area that has unusual measurements, remember that most awnings can always be customized to your specifications.  

How Do I Know What Size Awning I Need?

As you have figured out by now, picking out a certain color or style of awning may be easier than figuring out the correct size. However, it’s not as hard as you may think. In fact, once you keep a few tips in mind about measuring for your awning, you’ll know exactly what you need in no time.

First, we suggest you not only keep in mind the exact measurements of your windows, doors, patios, or other areas where you want your awning, but also add an extra three or four feet to the maximum width you’ll need for your awning. If you don’t, you may wind up with certain areas that may not get the amount of shade you desire.

Also take into consideration the direction which your home faces, since this impacts how much sunlight certain areas may receive each day. If your home faces east or west, we find awnings with 10-foot projections work fine. Should you want a patio or other area shaded that is a bit further away from your home, consider having an awning with a projection of 12-13 feet. For homes that face north or south, we feel getting an awning as wide as possible makes the most sense.

The pitch of your awning will also play a crucial role in how often you may find yourself in need of retractable awning fabric repair and replacement. If you have a pitched awning, rainwater and debris can slide off it more easily, decreasing the chances your awning will become damaged or have a bad case of mold and mildew. 

Finally, we also suggest you put in some thought as to where you want to mount your retractable awning. Typical places include exterior walls or the roof fascia, but this can vary depending on the design of your property. Yet wherever you choose to mount your awning, keep in mind that your awning measuring should have you mounting it at least eight feet off the ground. If you choose a very large awning for your property that also has a large projection area, you may need to mount it 10-12 feet off the ground.

How Do I Measure for Patio Awning?

Once you get ready to measure your patio for a retractable awning, keep in mind that clearance will be essential during installation. If you have your awning installed in a way that affords you not enough clearance, it will not only look less than spectacular, but also be much harder to clean and maintain than should be necessary.

To avoid this problem, you should find the spot on a wall where you want your retractable awning installed, then add about 10 additional inches over the opening. In fact, you may need to go up to 12 inches, since 10 inches is often the absolute minimum clearance needed for a retractable awning.  

When measuring the width, it’s actually very easy. All you need to do is measure your patio area you want your awning to cover, then add five inches to each side. By doing this, you will take into account the amount of sunlight that hits that part of your home, the natural shadows that fall in the awning’s coverage range, and other factors as well.

Rollac Can Help You Find the Right Awning

Now that you realize what is involved with awning measuring and how measuring correctly can help make caring for your awning so much easier, call us here at Rollac to find the perfect retractable awning for your home or business. In no time at all, you’ll have a patio that is shaded to perfection.