Tips to Choose the Right Awning for Your Home's Improvement

An awning added to your home is a good way to increase your property's value and keep your home attractive looking, but will also make your outdoor space more comfortable. With the hot Australian sun, it can be common for exposed outdoor areas in your yard to become bleached and sun-baked, causing sun damage and making the space unbearably uncomfortable. Here are some tips to help you choose the right awning for your home and garden so you can improve the outdoor space and its use for you and your family.

Know Where You Need an Awning

There may be many places on your property where you need shade from awnings. The windows of your home that face south and west can be especially vulnerable to the sun's afternoon heat. Single window awnings that are installed over the window will block off sunlight during the hottest times of the year. Then, you can also look at adding an awning to your backyard or outdoor area that receives a heavy amount of sunlight. This is beneficial, especially when this area contains a fair amount of concrete, which can reflect the sunlight back up into your eyes and make the space quite hot. 

An awning is also a good option to protect your outdoor vehicles, recreational vehicles and other outdoor items that may be exposed to the sun. By adding on an awning to the side of your home, you can store your caravan and bicycles to protect them from the sun's damaging UV rays.

Choose the Awning Type

An awning can be a fixed structure or a retractable feature for your outdoor space. When you have a retractable awning, you can choose when you want protection from the sun's heat, but at other times of the year, you might want to enjoy some warm sunshine. And with a retractable awning, you can extend it over your outdoor area to keep the space clear of a rainstorm. 

A fixed awning can provide just as many benefits to your backyard, depending on your needs. With a fixed awning, you can install it as a permanent structure to the back patio and add additional features to your protected outdoor space. When you have placed your outdoor furniture and grill or smoker, you may want to install lighting under your awning to enjoy the space in the evening and at night. You can also add a ceiling fan to help keep the space cool during the extreme heat of summer.