Why Awnings

With an awning from Samson Awnings you can enjoy the outdoor, alfresco lifestyle all year round. Whether entertaining friends and family or just relaxing on your patio a correctly specified and installed awning will offer a totally different ambiance to your outdoor patio or garden area making the intense midday sun or the odd rainfall totally at your control.
How many times has a sudden short shower spoiled a barbeque or party? A Samson awning could protect you and your guests from the all too frequent and inconvenient rainfall in any of our unpredictable seasons. With options such as infra -red heaters, lighting or side screens you could easily extend the time spent outdoors even in the cooler weather.

The ultimate shade and protection.

Keeping out of the sun’s harmful rays in the summer is more important now than ever before and patio awnings offer the best in shading your outdoor area. The effects of harsh sunlight on fabrics and furnishings are also prevented with the shading provided by a suitable awning.

Samson Awnings have installed large awnings on many properties to give efficient shelter and shading. The Samson range of fixed sliding track conservatory blinds and awnings offer a solution to controlling the light and temperature in your conservatory too.

The Pergola system is the ultimate retractable terrace awning with each unit covering up to 33 square metres at one time, giving a very large covered area with fully waterproofed material cover for use in sun, wind and rain. Operation is by remote control and can be set at any stage of opening or closing.

Ease of use

Although Samson supply all awnings as manual or electric operation compared to an umbrella the operation is simple and there is never any need to dismantle the awning in winter as all our awnings are generally fully enclosed when not in use preventing the frost in winter and mouldy lines of algae seen on exposed lower quality awnings.

The awnings correctly installed and in a reasonably controlled environment are also tested to wind speeds of about 50 miles per hour unlike a simple umbrella which would have disappeared at lower wind speeds.

Quite simply a patio awning is the perfect way to add the benefits of extra living space without the hassle of planning or building work involved and at the same time you have control when you want to use it or not.

Choosing the Right Awning

With so many types, colours and sizes available Samson should have the right awning for you whatever the application. A full no obligation site survey is always required for our experienced consultant/surveyor to:

Evaluate your shading requirements
Inspect and evaluate fixing points on your building
Calculate best size and pitch of awning required
Demonstrate fabrics and cassette housings available
Discuss best method of operation and control

Once finished we can provide you with a no obligation quotation with options, if available, for you to choose from.

We are more than happy to discuss ideas and options over the telephone or by Email and where possible give you budget prices subject to survey. Please take a few minutes before calling us to decide the following:

What width and projection do I roughly need?
What do I expect from the system? Sun protection only? or a cover for when it rains as well
Do I have sufficient fixing points where I need it to be?

We can be contacted by telephone free on (01933) 44 88 44 Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or email at any time.
Email on enquiries@samsonawnings.co.uk

Our fax number if you have drawings, etc is (01933) 44 88 44

Some frequently asked questions

What size awning do I need?

Obviously it depends on the application and structure of the building but it should extend either side of the window by at least 210mm if possible but nearly all our awnings are made to measure so the best advice is to get as large as possible in width subject to restrictions on the building.

How can it fit if my guttering is in the way?

We have a very large range of special heavy duty steel brackets to offset all the awnings we supply and we also manufacture special brackets when required to put the awning exactly where it is required. They are colour matched to the awning or surrounding structure as required and in may cases have been used for attaching hanging baskets to.

Does the awning need to be at a particular height?

Not really but because we need to get a 10 degree pitch ideally for rainwater to run off then the front end is always lower than the wall fixing point so the higher the better in most cases for a good degree of pitch.

What do I do in the winter months?

Hopefully keep using the awning if it is warm enough for you outside!

The awnings we sell are nearly all fully cassetted meaning the fabric is enclosed in an aluminium housing and therefore during the winter months if not in use won’t be exposed to harsh weather and damaging frost. The front valance is easily removed if you are really concerned about bad weather conditions.

Should we have the motorised option?

The manual awning is easy to operate at any size but it is even easier to simply push a button especially as you can stop the awning at any point of opening or closing for ultimate control of light or shade all day long. The power requirements are very low and all the motors are completely concealed and very reliable. If you have power nearby definitely ask for the price option. Our commercial range of Patiolas and conservatory awnings are all remote control as standard.

What power supply do I need?

The power requirements for an electric awning are usually only 240 volts and about 3 amps – however on larger awnings with twin motors and as soon as you add lighting and heating the requirements can very soon begin to escalate. We can tell you the power requirements once the exact awning has been decided upon.

How long is the guarantee?

5 years on the fabric
5 years on the motors
5 years on the framework and cassette

Can I leave my awning out in the rain?

Yes but only in light rain unless we have specified an awning for heavier wet weather use which inevitably means windier conditions too which may well be the larger problem.
The rain will run off the front of the awning but in heavy rain it can sometimes pool if the pitch is not steep enough putting undue stress on the fixings and arms. If you retract the awning when wet it needs to come out to dry as soon as the rain has stopped.
For a better all year round solution look to our range of terrace cover roof systems such as the Markilux Pergola or Weinor Plaza.

What about the windloading?

Common sense is the best solution in windy conditions. Patio domestic awnings are generally for shade and light rain but tested up to quite high wind speeds in controlled environments. Gusting unpredictable winds are the most damaging as they are for other outdoor products and the larger the awning the greater the potential danger.

The commercial drop arm awnings, dutch canopies and Patiolas by their design are able to withstand much higher windloadings.

Can I fit the awning myself?

Yes of course but they are heavy and always require at least 2 people to manoeuvre and position on the building. Awnings also contain very powerful springs which can be dangerous if handled incorrectly. Appropriate tools and access equipment will be required especially if the awning is fitting high up.