Awnings for windows
 

Sunroom is actually enclosed deck that previous owner did. 3 windows close together on South and same on West. I want to add awnings to these two sides. About 11-12 foot span on each side. I don't think I want retractable, the room isn't used a whole lot. Don't know if I should look at metal, cloth or wood. Advice or experience is appreciated.

If I were doing awnings, I'd choose metal, for it's durability and lasting properties. Cloth awnings are expensive, and don't last, and wood is to heavy looking.

With metal you could paint it to look like fabric, you know, with stripes or a colourful pattern, so IMO metal is the best of all 3 worlds.

Metal would be my choice. I love the look of them and they protect the window frames, keep the house cooler. A very good investment imho.

We have cloth awnings on the windows on the south and west sides of our house. I didn't want to spend the money for retractables because they never would have been retracted but we do need to be able to take them down in case of a hurricane. Before Ike I kept telling my husband to take the one down off the upstairs deck but he never did and, sure enough, when the hurricane blew thru, it ripped the metal framework off the house and damaged the siding. We've had good luck with the cloth ones, but they do need replacement every so often.

I had the cloth ones one the west side of my home and had good luck with them. I did take them down every fall and put them back up in the spring. I am in Wisconsin and I didn't want the weight of snow & ice on them, even when they were pulled up. I did pull them up when storms with high winds were coming through, easy enough. They pulled up like a blind.

Our dining/living area has a window wall on the east and south sides--the deck is on the south and we never used it cause just too hot in the summer and the summer sun kept the south windows pouring in heat too, even with darker curtains(which I hate having to use cause we live in the country and I love being able to look at the horses, etc). Last year we added a Sunsetter awning (14'x14') that is a retractable one. I was reluctant to get the automatic retractable due to price, but my husband insisted cause that way we could add the wind sensor--and we LOVE it. We get lots of wind and would have lost the awning without that sensor and auto retraction. DEFINITELY recommend it if you live anywhere there is wind. Plus our A/C bill has sure benefited!

My mother had aluminum and painted the underside a sky blue to prevent wasps from building nest and the top silver to reflect the heat.

We get hail storms around here. I don't know about your area, but for here I think an open wood structure with dense vines on it would have the best staying power and would look good. The trouble with most vines is they tend to be invasive or they grow slowly and may die off in winter. I can't find a picture exactly like what I have in mind, but sort of like these (not intending to promote this site): https://www.hayneedle.com/product/ba...yABEgL6mfD_BwE

We have Cloth Awnings on our West Windows, and love them. Some company in a neighboring town came and gave a bid and we thought it was reasonable and well worth the money!
Mariah

We have canvas awnings on our southern and western windows, which are put up in the spring, taken down in the fall. Just this year we have started hiring someone to put up and take down the upper level windows. The house had awnings when we bought it 35 years ago, and we fell in love with them. The fabric does need replacement after a while, but the newer ones are made of the Sundowner fabric, which is a polyester and they are holding up really well, not fading like the others. And they last better if they are stored where there are no mice to chew holes in them. Ask me how I know!