Awnings

A folding arm awning is a fabric canopy on a roller fixed to the wall or under the eaves, pushed out by two or more spring-loaded arms. Wind it out and the fabric extends horizontally over the deck with no posts in the way. Wind it in and the arms fold flat and the fabric rolls up against the house. Projections of a few metres are normal, which is enough to shade a full outdoor dining area.

They come as an open roll, a semi-cassette that covers the top of the roll, or a full cassette that encloses the fabric and arms completely when retracted. The cassette protects the fabric from weather and grime when the awning is not in use, which matters on a north or west wall that gets sun and rain year round.

The arms do the work, so the fixing is the critical part. The brackets take a serious load when the awning is out, and they have to go into solid masonry, a steel beam or structural timber. That is why we measure and fit folding arm awnings rather than offering them DIY.

Retractable is the broader name for any awning that rolls away when it is not needed, and folding arm awnings are the most common type. The appeal is simple: shade on demand in summer, and the sun let through in winter when you want the warmth on the deck and through the glass.

Other retractable types include pivot arm awnings, where the fabric drops on arms hinged at the window frame and can be pushed out to let air through, and retractable straight drop awnings that roll down over a verandah opening. All of them keep the fabric rolled and protected for most of the year, which is why the fabric lasts longer than a fixed canopy.

A retractable awning should be wound in when the wind gets up or when it rains heavily. A wind sensor on a motorised awning does that automatically, and it is the feature we recommend on any exposed site.

A straight drop awning is a vertical fabric blind that hangs down over a window or a verandah opening from a roller at the top. It runs in side channels or on guide wires and can be stopped at any height. On a north or west-facing window it stops the sun before it touches the glass, which is far more effective than any blind on the inside. In sunscreen mesh it keeps the view out.

A fixed awning is a permanent canopy on a frame over a window or a door. There is nothing to wind or roll, so it needs almost no attention and it shades the window every day of the year. Fixed canopies suit hot windows on the side of the house you rarely look at, entry doors, and spots where a retractable mechanism would not be worth it.

Both types are also the answer for upper floor windows where a folding arm awning would have nowhere to project to.

On a deck or a patio with no roof, a folding arm awning gives you shade over the table without posts or a permanent structure, and folds away so the deck is open on a mild day. Size it to cover the area you actually sit in, and think about where the sun is at the time of day you use the space, because an awning projects straight out and does not follow the sun.

North-facing windows in Melbourne take sun most of the day in summer and still want it in winter. A straight drop awning in mesh, or a pivot arm awning, shades the glass in summer and rolls away for the cooler months. West-facing windows get the hard afternoon sun and are often the first place a homeowner asks about.

For a window, the awning cuts heat before it enters the room, so the inside stays cooler and the air conditioning works less. Curtains and blinds inside still have a job, but they are dealing with heat that has already arrived.

A manual folding arm awning winds out and in with a removable crank handle on a gearbox. It is reliable, simple and fine for an awning you use on weekends. A manual straight drop awning uses a crank or a spring.

A motorised awning runs on a tube motor with a remote, and the bigger and more often used the awning, the more a motor earns its keep. Motorised awnings can take a wind sensor that retracts them automatically when a gust arrives, and a sun sensor that extends them when the deck heats up. They can also join a smart hub for app control and schedules alongside motorised blinds inside the house.

Motorised blinds and controls

Solution-dyed acrylic canvas is the usual fabric for folding arm and fixed awnings. The colour runs right through the fibre, so it holds up to years of sun without fading the way a printed fabric would, it sheds water, and it breathes so the air under the awning does not get stale. It comes in plain colours and the classic stripes.

PVC coated fabrics are heavier and fully waterproof, so they suit fixed canopies and straight drop awnings that double as rain protection. Sunscreen mesh is the third option for straight drop awnings on windows, where you want to cut the glare and heat and still see out.

We bring fabric samples to the measure so you can hold the colours against the house in daylight, which is the only reliable way to choose.

The simple rule: an awning makes shade where there is no roof, an outdoor blind closes the side of an area that already has one. If you have a pergola, a verandah or a covered alfresco and the problem is sun or rain coming in from the side, outdoor blinds in mesh or PVC are the product. If the deck is open to the sky, you need an awning.

They also work together. A folding arm awning over the deck and zip screen blinds on the windy side of the alfresco next to it is a common combination on Melbourne homes. The straight drop awning sits between the two ideas: it is an awning by name and an outdoor blind by design, and on a verandah opening either term is correct.

Outdoor blinds in mesh and PVC

An extended folding arm awning is a sail. It is built to take a breeze, not a gale, and the rule is to wind it in when the wind gets up and before heavy rain, which can pool on the fabric and strain the arms. A motorised awning with a wind sensor takes the decision out of your hands.

Straight drop awnings in channels handle wind better because the fabric is held on the edges, and fixed awnings are built as permanent structures. On a very exposed site, on a coastal block or an upper floor, we will tell you at the measure which type suits the location and how far it can safely project.