Retractable Awning Installation in Vermont

Shade the patio, roll it away for winter

A fixed structure has to survive a Vermont winter. An awning that rolls into its housing does not, which is the practical case for retractable here. We measure the patio, size the awning to where you sit, and install it. We are based in Middlebury and put most of these up on lake decks around Charlotte, Shelburne and Lake Dunmore, and on patios across Addison and Rutland counties.

33+

Rated4.8

From 33 Google reviews

Which Retractable Awnings Suit The Room

Most of this comes down to the room, the light and what the window has to do. Here is how we talk it through at the estimate.

Get A Price On Retractable Awnings

We measure at your window and bring the samples to you. The estimate is free and there is no showroom to visit.

Why Retractable, In A State That Gets Snow

A fixed awning, a solid patio roof or a pergola has to survive a Vermont winter, and anything that has to survive a Vermont winter is engineered heavier and costs more. A retractable awning rolls into a housing on the wall instead. You extend it when the sun is on the patio and bring it in when it is not, and it spends November to March rolled away.

The other argument is heat. Shading glass from outside stops solar gain before it is in the building, which does more for a west-facing room than any interior covering, because the interior covering is already on the wrong side of the glass.

Retractable Awning Or A Fixed Roof

A fixed roof or a pergola gives you shade you never have to think about and shelter in rain. If you want an outdoor room you use in a downpour, that is the answer. It also costs more, needs footings and often a permit, and blocks light from the house all year including the months you want it.

A retractable awning gives you shade on demand, full sun and sky when you want them, and a patio that is open again in the fall. It does not do rain. Most people weighing the two want summer shade over a table, and for that the awning is the better buy by a wide margin.

How The Job Runs

We come out, look at the patio, and work out the projection against where you sit rather than where the wall is. That decides more than the width does. Then we look at what the awning will fix to, because a wall mount into studs, a roof mount and a soffit mount are three different jobs.

Then we measure, order and install it. The estimate is free. Our base is Middlebury, and we cover Addison and Rutland counties and the lake towns from Charlotte down to Lake Dunmore and Bomoseen.

What A Retractable Awning Costs, And What Moves The Number

We quote after we have seen the space. Width and projection set the base, and the rest is options. What moves the number:

• Width, and how far out it projects, usually eight to thirteen feet
• Manual crank or motorized
• Fabric, since solution-dyed acrylic costs more than a printed polyester and lasts far longer
• What the awning is fixing to, because wall, roof and soffit mounts are different work
• A wind sensor, remote or a protective hood for the rolled fabric

Awnings On A Vermont Patio

The lake houses are where most of these go. A deck facing west over water gets sun from early afternoon until it sets, and an awning is the only thing that makes the table usable at five o'clock in July. A wind sensor is worth having on that deck, because the breeze off the water comes up fast.

A twelve foot awning over a twelve foot patio sounds right, and by mid-afternoon the table is in the sun, because the shade moves with the sun. We size projection to the far edge of where you sit, and we say so at the estimate rather than after.

The Questions We Get Most

• How much does a retractable awning cost?

  Width and projection set the base cost and the mounting decides the rest, so we quote after seeing the patio. The number moves with size, manual against motorized, fabric, what it is fixing to, and options like a wind sensor. The estimate is free and we come to you.

• Do I have to take it down for winter?

  No. It rolls into its housing and stays there. Retract it when you are not using it and when heavy weather is coming, and there is nothing to dismantle or store.

• Manual or motorized?

  Manual is fine for a modest awning near the door. Motorized makes sense on wide spans and on any awning that would otherwise stay rolled up because using it is a nuisance. A motor also lets you add a wind sensor.

• How wide can a retractable awning go?

  Wider than most patios need, and projections of eight to thirteen feet are usual. Past about twelve feet of width we generally suggest a motor, because cranking that much fabric out gets old. We size it at the measure against the space you are shading.

• Can it stay out in the rain?

  Light rain, briefly, if the pitch is steep enough to shed it. Heavy rain, no, and never in wind. Water pooling on the fabric is how arms get bent. Roll it in when the weather turns and it will last for years.

• Retractable awning or a pergola?

  A pergola or fixed roof if you want an outdoor room you use in the rain, and you are prepared for footings and possibly a permit. A retractable awning if you want summer shade over a table and your patio back in the fall. For shade alone the awning is the better buy.

• How long does it take to get one installed?

  Most orders are measured, made and installed within a few weeks. Fabric choice and a motor can change that slightly. We give you the timing at the estimate, and the person who quotes it is the one who installs it.

• What is the fabric made of?

  Solution-dyed acrylic on the awnings we recommend. The color goes through the fiber rather than sitting on top, so it holds up through years of direct sun where a printed fabric fades pale in two or three.

• Will it work on a lakeside deck?

  Yes, and that is where most of ours go. A wind sensor is worth adding on an exposed deck, because a breeze off the water comes up fast and the sensor retracts the awning before you have noticed.

• Is the awning covered by the lifetime warranty?

  The lifetime warranty we quote covers the window coverings we sell: shades, blinds and shutters. Awnings carry their own manufacturer coverage, and we go through exactly what applies at the estimate.

What Customers Say

4.8 stars from 33 Google reviews