Awnings are an opportunity for a unique benefit in a desert community like ours. Beyond being decorative, awnings can bring practical benefits to your home as well. Whether in Las Vegas or Henderson, awnings can be a cool investment for your home.
In Las Vegas, if you have any kind of outdoor space, the chances are good that it’s the perfect place to hang out in only limited windows throughout the year. After all, nobody likes to hang out with an August blasting down on them. Even though you may have imagined something like a backyard oasis when you chose your home.
However, there’s a solution for this very problem. It’s a simple fix that can help transform that hot, bright patio or deck. Then renovate it into a truly flexible outdoor haven. That’s right, it’s time to consider adding some awnings to your home.
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What Are Awnings?
Awnings were very popular features of homes prior to widespread air conditioning systems. Then, they even persisted after central air
was common to help shade windows and porches. For instance, have you ever noticed how the stucco wall that receives the afternoon sun is still warm later into the evening? Thus, awnings are beginning to come back as important parts of a home’s exterior.
These large shades, made of materials like durable cloth or aluminum. Awnings are simple to install, relatively inexpensive, and create pools of shade immediately. Unlike trying to grow trees for shade, which can take years and years. Also unlike installing temporary shades like sail shades, awnings are fast and permanent solutions to your heat puddle woes.
What About Value?
My family used to buy apartment complexes in Phoenix. The least expensive way to get more rents was to install awnings. Why? Because by shielding the sun from hitting the window, it was easier to stay cool inside. Cooling bills dropped. And thus, we raised rents (and our investment value) for a cost that was a fraction of our return.
Now, in the past, awnings only came as fixed units. Thus, once installed, they were where they were. Even if you needed there to be more sunlight in the shaded space at certain times of the year. Today, however, you can choose between fixed awnings and retractable awnings. Now you even awnings that have remote controls. These help you open and close them whenever you feel like it. In fact now, you can have smart awnings that can be programmed with your smart devices.
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Retractable Versus Fixed
Because there are so many awning types available today, it can be hard to decide which one is ideal for your situation. Therefore,
perhaps the most important question you need to ask yourself is if you’d be better off with a retractable awning or a fixed awning. Both have their pros and cons.
Fixed awnings are generally very sturdy, and can be less expensive because of the lack of additional mechanisms required to make them open and close. They don’t need a lot of maintenance. After all, they have no moving parts and besides the occasional wash, they mostly just hang around. Fixed awnings are great for patios that you’d like to shade year-round, or for places like above windows or doors that let far too much sun into your home.
Retractable awnings, on the other hand, can be an important part of your home’s climate management. Because they can retract, you can close these awnings when the weather starts to cool off to allow the sun to help warm your home through passive solar heating. And of course, using smart awnings, you can control them remotely. Even if you don’t need the thermal help, they can be closed before bad storms or heavy snows. And thus, you have one less thing to worry about.
Freestanding Awnings Offer Flexible Solutions
If you’re not quite sure where you want your awning installed, or that you want it installed on your home at all, a freestanding awning may be the right solution for you. After all, they’re great for backyards and pool areas. And they create a lot of shade exactly where you need it, without being dependent on the location of a nearby wall.
Like building-mounted awnings, freestanding awnings come in a variety of materials, designs, and with retractable or fixed options. The only difference is that instead of being mounted on a building, they’re mounted on top of legs, much like a pop-up canopy. There is some risk with this design of wind damage, so if you’re in a windy area, make sure to choose one rated for high wind speeds and mount it securely to the ground.
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