Awnings
Retractable patio awnings
An awning turns a patio that bakes from noon onwards into somewhere you will actually sit. Ours are made to the width of your wall, in solution-dyed acrylic that holds its colour, with a folding-arm frame that retracts out of the weather when you are not using it. Manual crank or motorised with a wind sensor, and fitted by our own installer into fixings chosen for your brickwork.
- Price promise
- Same product, same service — find it cheaper and we'll match it.
- Measuring & fitting included
- Our own fitter measures and installs. No DIY, no surprise charges.
Start here
Four builds, and how they age
The difference between awnings is mostly what happens to the fabric and the arms when the awning is closed. That is what decides how it looks in year five.
Full cassette
Fabric, roller and folding arms all retract into a sealed aluminium case. Nothing is left in the weather between uses, which is why this is the version that survives a British winter without going green along the front edge.
Semi-cassette
A hood covers the rolled fabric while the arms sit below it. Cheaper than a full cassette and fine on a sheltered wall, but the arms will need a wipe down each spring.
Open folding-arm
The roller and arms are on show on a bar. The lightest and least expensive build, best suited to a covered patio, a courtyard or anywhere the awning comes down often.
Motorised
A tubular motor in the roller, driven by a handset or a wall switch, with a manual override crank for a power cut. Almost everything over four metres wide ends up motorised — a manual crank at that width is hard work.
Not sure which is right?
Get an advisor round with the full range in hand. Free, no obligation.
Why our awning service is right for you
Sized to the wall, not the patio
Width is limited by the brickwork you have, not by the paving. We check where the wall plate can land — above a door head, clear of a soil pipe, off a rendered panel — before we quote a size.
Fixed into something that will hold it
An extended awning is a large lever on a wall. We identify the substrate, whether that is solid brick, a cavity wall needing resin anchors or a rafter bracket for timber, and fix accordingly.
Fabric made for weather, not for looks
Solution-dyed acrylic keeps its colour because the pigment goes into the fibre rather than onto it. It sheds a shower, dries quickly and does not stripe out along the folds after two summers.
Wind sensor fitted if you want one
The one thing that destroys awnings is being left out in a gust. A vibration or wind sensor retracts it automatically, which matters most on the days nobody is home.
Finance options available. We offer flexible ways to pay so a whole-house refresh doesn't have to land in one go. Your advisor will talk you through what's available at your appointment.
Ask an advisorWorth knowing
What to think about before the appointment
Three things settle most of the specification, and none of them are the colour.
Projection and pitch
Projection is how far the awning comes out — usually between 2m and 4m. Set the pitch steeper and it sheds rain better but gives less headroom at the front. Flatter looks smarter and shades more of the paving, so we set it around what you actually use the space for.
Wind, rain and shade
A retractable awning is a shade product first. Light rain is fine on a pitched frame; sustained rain, and anything gusty, means bringing it in. Ask about wind class ratings at the appointment if the patio is exposed or high up.
Living with it
Let the fabric dry before rolling it away — putting a wet awning to bed for a week is what causes mildew, not the rain itself. Otherwise it is a brush down twice a year and a check of the arm fixings.
How our service works
Three steps, and we handle all of them
- 01
Book an appointment
Pick a day that suits you. It takes a minute, costs nothing, and there's never any pressure to buy.
- 02
We come to you
Your advisor brings the full range, helps you choose for each window, measures precisely and quotes on the spot.
- 03
We fit it for you
Once your order is made, our own fitter installs it, squares it up and takes the packaging away.
Have someone look at the wall
Awnings are quoted off the fixing, not off a catalogue size. An advisor measures the wall, checks the substrate and prices the job on the spot, at no cost to you.
Explore the range
Other ways to use the outside
An awning solves sun. If your problem is rain, wind or the temperature inside the glass, one of these is a better fit.
Awnings: your questions answered
Rain, wind, motors and how an awning is fixed to your wall.
Can an awning stay out in the rain?
A light shower on a properly pitched awning runs off the front edge and does no harm. Sustained or heavy rain, and anything gusty, means bringing it in — an awning is a shade product, not a roof. Let the fabric dry before you roll it away, because a wet awning left closed for a week is what causes mildew.
What happens to an awning in the wind?
Wind is the one thing that actually destroys awnings, because an extended frame is a large lever on your wall. We fit a wind or vibration sensor where you want one, so the awning retracts on its own when nobody is home. On an exposed or upper-floor patio, ask your advisor about wind class ratings at the appointment.
Manual crank or motorised awning?
A crank is fine up to about three metres wide. Beyond that most people regret it — the effort goes up with the size, and the awning ends up staying closed. Motorised versions have a handset or wall switch and a manual override for a power cut.
Pergola or awning — which should I get?
If your problem is sun, an awning is far less money and comes away out of the weather. If you want the patio usable in a shower, at night, or through the colder months, a louvred roof with lighting and side screens is the only one of the two that does it.
Do you do outdoor shading too?
Yes — retractable awnings and louvred pergolas, both fitted by our own teams. These are surveyed on site because the fixing into the wall or the ground is what dictates the specification.
What guarantee do I get?
A 1-year guarantee on every blind, shutter and motor we supply and fit. If something goes wrong inside that period, ring the office and we come back out.
More answers in our full FAQ, or book a free measure and ask an advisor.
Where to next
- PergolasA louvred roof for rain as well as sun.
- Garage doorsInsulated roller and sectional doors.
- Conservatory roof blindsThe same heat problem, from above.
- ShuttersCut the glare inside the glass.
- Full FAQAppointments, prices, fitting and guarantee.
- Book a free surveyWe quote off the wall, not a catalogue.
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