Inspiration
We Have A Number Of Sources Of Solutions Thant Should Prove Inspirational For You.
High quality standard and bespoke outdoor living products designed to create additional beautiful outdoor space protected from the often great, but extremely variable British weather.
By Product Type
Get In Touch
With Us TodaySamson Awnings offer a vast range of fixed or Retractable Awnings, commercial Retractable Canopies, Glassrooms, Parasols, External Vertical Blinds and Freestanding Structures to protect from the UK weather and extend the use of your outdoor space all year round.
By Product Type
Get In Touch
With Us Today
CHOOSING THE PERFECT AWNING
Your Guide – How to Choose Your Perfect Awning Specification, Size, Style and Feature
Selecting the perfect new fabric awning for you and your home can seem daunting, with so many brands, models and prices out there.
- Looking for the full experience? From Planning to Installation – We have it covered
- Samson Awnings specialise in awnings for all budgets and sizes and below we show you some of the most popular features now available to enhance any high quality awning or maybe provide an odd or larger size
- We have over 40 different models to select from and over 500 superb high quality fabric colour options and designs.
- Most awnings are either manual or electric operation and most of our electric awnings are fitted with industry leading Somfy RTS or IO protocol electric motor drives as standard, with multiple control options ,from wall switch to smart app controls.
- Our awnings have a minimum five year guarantee on the electric motor drives.
- Everything from a basic, robust design awning to luxury electric awnings with built in LED lighting, infra red heaters, or drop down valances, with a wide range of control accessories – including smart home control integration.
What’s your type?
Popular and Practical Outdoor Shading
The folding arm awning is a very popular outdoor shading solution for so many UK gardens and patios, offering very sizable protection from the sun, whilst also defining an outdoor space. Samson Awnings have specialised in the supply and installation of awnings since 2007 and offer one of the widest ranges of high quality awnings for all budgets and requirements, both domestic and commercial.
Customisation Options to Suit Every Style
Over 40 folding arm awning models to select from, with over 500 exceptional high quality fabric options and designs and over 200 different cassette and framework colour finishes, to ensure the awning is perfect for your property.
Manual or Electric Operation with Smart Features
Most awnings are either manual or electric operation and most of our electric awnings are manufactured with industry leading Somfy RTS and IO motor drive options as standard. Smart app control is also becoming more popular and readily available
From a basic, robust, manual operated awning to a high specification, luxury electric awning, with built in LED lighting, infra red heaters, drop down valance and other desirable features and functions.
Designed, developed, tested and manufactured in Northern Europe, by long established, world leading specialist manufacturers.
Engineered for UK Weather Conditions
The operating mechanics, electronics and unique high quality fabrics will all deal with the very diverse and aggressive UK weather and have built in safety devices to retract in high winds.
We offer many other outdoor sun shading and rain/wind protection products if higher levels of weather protection are required.
Some awnings with specific features you might like…
Need help deciding on the right awning for your needs or require more information?
Choosing Your Perfect Awning
How many awnings have you purchased in your lifetime?
None—or very few—for most people.
So why not take a few minutes to read through our guide to choosing the right awning and what to look out for?
For many, this is a significant investment and a major feature in your home.
It’s a space where you’ll want to spend quality time, so getting it right from the start is important.
Awning Price Examples
See examples of prices for mid to high-end quality awnings, with different features and sizes to help you understand the likely costs involved.
Of course, if you have an idea of sizes already and want to discuss it directly,
then please email or call us.
We have nothing to hide and love to be as transparent as possible on our pricing.
There are a lot of variations in prices for the same size awning, but so often it isn’t obvious to see or understand the differences at first glance.
Awning Manufacturers
We go on and on about the importance of an established manufacturer
and particularly one which designs, tests and develops the awnings
in a Northern European climate.
Our UK climate has always been one of the most challenging for any outdoor products,
from intense sunshine to incredible rain
and damp, dark damaging conditions for several months of the year.
ALL our awnings are manufactured in Northern European countries,
so we know they are the best for our own UK climate—
especially when it comes to the fabrics used.
The main and largest part of the awning when in use.
Decide on the area you ideally want to shade and protect and then add extra sizing on top, simply because we have never, ever had anyone say their awning is too large, but we have had a few people wish they had gone larger on their size. The sun’s rays will slip underneath the awning in the mornings and late afternoon, so make sure if you want to cover say an area of 4m wide and 2.5m out from your home you go for 5m and 3m projection. The pitch in the awning will reduce the distance it projects out and the fabric on any awning is always smaller than the cassette size, simply because of the physics. Awning fabrics can be up to 300mm narrower than the cassette size, so always check if this is crucial to you.
There are a lot of awnings for sure to choose from, however most people will focus in on a cassette style, whether that is rounded or square in style and this narrows it down a lot and not all awning models will do every size either. Some awnings are only ‘end fixed’, with wall fixing bracket positions only at either end and no choice. Many awnings have brackets which can be positioned anywhere which is often a necessity to get to suitable fixing points on a wall. It is also worth noting that an open cassette and semi cassette awning are no less of an awning than a full cassette and often an open or semi cassette awning is better and stronger in overall specification and design. The full cassette is usually limited in fixing positions too.
You have an awning for protection from the sun and heat, but many people also want protection from light rainfall too. If you do want the awning for light rainfall protection then you are best with certain models which have stronger and larger arms to be more stable too. The biggest criteria however is the awning has at least 15 degrees of pitch on the fabric canopy when extended to make sure the rainwater flows freely and quickly off the cover.. You need an awning which can be adjusted to 15 degrees or more pitch and has the most stable arms and overall build. For sun shade protection then this depends on how much sun you want to block out. Obviously very dark fabrics will block out more light and UV rays generally and very light fabrics can actually act like a diffuser with sunlight to stop the glare but spread out the light better underneath. If you are south facing and don’t like the sun’s heat, UV and brightness then go darker on the fabrics, otherwise there is a massive choice generally of over 200 fabrics per brand we offer. Drop down valances at the front are an option to provide additional shade against low lying sun and also provide privacy and protection from cool breezes. LED lighting is readily available in various forms and positions on many of our awnings and allows you to go into the evenings with the awning. If you choose LED lighting on the cassette then the awning can double up as a large wall light even when not is use as an awning. Smart app controls are readily available now on most of our electric operated awnings with Somfy electric drive motors. These apps allow you to operate the awning from literally anywhere in the world to assist in keeping rooms cool. Make them operate themselves from sensors too and protect themselves in high winds or even rain, closing automatically if you are not around.
Your Guide to Choosing The Perfect Awning
Investing in a new awning is often part of a bigger plan to enhance your outdoor space for living, entertaining, or simply relaxing.
Spending more time outdoors has clear benefits for your health and well-being. But let’s face it—we live in the UK, where the weather can swing from blazing sun to unexpected rain, even in the same week!
Wind is a constant challenge too, and low-spec awnings often can’t cope.
That’s why it’s worth investing in a high-quality awning system – one that’s designed, tested, and built to handle the UK’s unpredictable climate.
First maybe ask yourself – Exactly what is the Awning for? We will need to know in order to recommend the best product…
- Purely for sun shade and protection from harmful UV rays when sitting outdoors
- Creating a larger focussed space outdoors for friends and family to use.
- Shading rooms and keeping them cooler and stopping solar gain through the glass
- Protection from rain showers in the warmer months of the year.
- Privacy when outside and more wind protection
- All of the above – an awning can do all the above if specified correctly.
OUR CHOICE OF AWNINGS
Nearly all our awnings are manufactured in Germany or Holland – Northern European countries with weather patterns very much like our own in the UK. The highest quality engineering and components are used for the greatest longevity and return on your investment. We also now offer several UK manufactured models with faster delivery times.
The many years of development have produced awnings which are built to withstand not only intense sunshine, but also rain and windier conditions we unfortunately have to endure here in the UK. Most are designed and suitable for domestic and commercial use.
If you want to invest in an awning, which is not only bespoke in size, colour and specification then you surely also want something which can be used as often as possible to provide the perfect outdoor living experience?
If at all possible try to get to see and try for yourself using one of the many high-quality awnings available in the UK. Go to a showroom and see for yourself the massive differences between a £300 awning and a £3,000 awning of the same size. The lower quality awnings might be hard to see anywhere as they are generally only sold online. It is harder to see the differences online to compare as modern CGI makes all products look good nowadays.
INVEST IN HIGH QUALITY
Investing in any awning for your home or business you need to be sure you are having the best in design, technology, high grade materials and the latest electric motor drives and control technology. An awning needs to be strong and durable for use in the UK climate, especially in the larger sizes. They need to withstand strong sunshine and heat, as well as cold, damp, wet and freezing temperatures, and all the issues this brings to products fitted outside.
Some tell tale signs for higher quality awnings:
- Drop Forged knuckle joints in the folding arms
- High quality fabrics – the one thing which gets the battering when in use
- Double chain or kevlar jointed folding arm jointed sections for stability
- Various fixing bracket choices to suit site conditions and not just generic
- High quality paint finishing to maintain looks after many years of being outside
- The use of Somfy or Becker electric motors and not just cheap alternatives.
- 5 year warranty minimum
It is fast becoming commonplace to control electric awnings and blinds via home automation apps, on your smartphone, tablet and PC. The right smart app also enables you to include light control, cameras and many other convenience, safety and security products.
You can programme an electric awning to pretty much control itself if required.
A high quality, electric operated awning will provide many years of use, where a cheap, off the shelf awning will not withstand much more than a light breeze, and if used a lot in anything more than just calm sunny weather, will soon deteriorate, fail, break and need replacing.
SAMSON AWNINGS – MODELS AND SIZES
Investing in any awning for your home or business you need to be sure you We offer over 60 high quality awning models of varying shapes, mechanism and sizes, suitable for different buildings, applications or specific sizes. World leading brands and our own brands.
Larger size folding arm awnings, up to 14 metres wide and a maximum projection of 4 metres, Pergola awnings up to 7 metres projection with almost any size in-between, providing cover for very large outdoor areas, retracting fully away when not in use, with the fabric cover protected by the cassette housing. Drop arm awnings for shading rooms primarily.
Awnings specifically for fixing underneath balconies, awnings for flat vertical walls, free standing awnings when fixing is impossible, awnings providing electric drop down front valances, awnings with LED lighting built in, and so on.
The aluminium cassettes, the drop forged knuckle joints and the various chain or kevlar belt systems used, offer a smooth, quiet operation and many years of trouble free operation.
An unrivalled choice of finished colours for the framework and cassette are another sign of quality, with many awnings finished with a textured and even metallic finish paintwork, offering a tougher finish for a longer lasting and more scratch resistant exterior surface.
SUN PROTECTION
Most awnings are for some form of sun, light glare and heat protection. The hottest midday sunshine in the summer or the lower sun in the Autumn months. The high quality fabrics used in our awnings will provide excellent UV protection with graded UV protection, depending on the choice of fabric.
With our summers getting hotter each year, sun and UV protection is vital for you, your family, and your friends, whilst relaxing or enjoying the health benefits of being outdoors at the same time. With adjustable pitch in the folding arm awning when installing and easily adjustable projection anytime, you can ensure the best protection throughout the daytime as the sun moves across the sky. Our conservatory awnings offer great protection and solar heat gain prevention when fitted outside the glass roof of the conservatory.
Many newer models of awning now have the option of a manual or electric drop down front valance to provide full protection from the lower sunlight and glare, particularly if your garden faces West or South West.
These valances will drop down to over 2m length from the front profile of the awning. These also protect from cool breezes and provide more privacy to your outdoor space.
We also offer other sun shade and wind protection products, such as the side mounted, pull out blind to help provide protection from low sun and wind.
RAIN PROTECTION
Using a self supported, folding arm fabric awning for rain protection does require a lot more care and attention in the specification and positioning. The awning cover has to be at least 15-20 degrees in the extended pitch to allow rainwater to drain off fast enough and never cause a problem with water ‘pooling’. This ultimately would damage the cover and the awning mechanism. We offer various models which are stronger in their overall construction, providing a more taut fabric cover to withstand higher wind speeds and the rainfall too.
We recommend any awning for rain protection is always electric operated as control and safety management is far easier and automated using optional sensors.
We are frequently asked if waterproof fabrics are available and yes, they are, however as the rain is not supposed to ever sit on the fabric, then the standard polyester and acrylic fabrics are generally fine for domestic use and they are all water resistant as standard.
Most domestic folding arm awnings will be used infrequently in the rain and probably only in the summer and autumn months as well. For our commercial customers we know the sizes are generally a lot bigger and the use far more frequent.
Better Solutions.
Ideally for intended rain protection we have specific ‘Pergola Awnings’ and other fabric canopy solutions designed for higher wind rating and specifically for rain protection as well as sun.
Type Of Awnings
FOLDING ARM AWNINGS
The folding arm awning is a very popular choice and offers great sun shading and UV protection for small to very large sizes with the advantage of closing away completely when not in use.
Open, semi and full cassette models with a wide variation of cassette styles to suit modern, period and contemporary home styles. Samson are specialists in folding arm awnings….
- Made to measure as standard up to 14 metres wide
- Over 40 different models with varying styles and specifications
- Manual or Electric operation
- Fixed or variable fixing bracket positions to suit varying site conditions
- Developed, designed, manufactured and tested in Northern European climates
PERGOLA AWNINGS
The Pergola Awning is a high specification product which has evolved for many years now to be a definitive solution for larger outdoor areas, specifically for the greater projection from the wall mounting. It is a fabric awning system which extends and rolls out from a cassette housing, but also runs in guide channels either side, with supporting posts at the front.
There are no folding arms used at all so a totally clean view underneath of the fabric canopy.
The tension on the fabric cover is far greater than a folding arm awning and this means higher wind ratings and the best solution for use in the rain.
Open, semi and full cassette models with a wide variation of cassette styles to suit modern, period and contemporary home styles. Samson are specialists in folding arm awnings….
- Projections up to 7m from the wall mounting
- Widths up to 7m with coupling for unlimited widths
- Electric operated fabric canopy for total control of cover
- Higher tension fabric with tension applied on all 4 sides of fabric
- Natural light through fabric canopy – no blackout like a louvre roof
- Made to measure as standard
- High wind rating and perfect for rain protection
- LED light options to various parts of the structure
- Over 70 framework colours and over 300 fabric selections
DROP ARM AWNINGS
This type of awning is what you will see in abundance in major cities, especially London in commercial use. The drop arm awning uses side brackets and solid straight arms either side which pull the fabric out from a rolling barrel at the top and then form a 45 degree fabric canopy when extended. This type of awning is used far more in domestic applications for the provision of sun shade over doors and windows to keep the rooms inside cooler.
- Better in windy conditions than folding arm awnings
- Ideal for providing shade in rooms
- Lower pricing than other awning types for doors or windows
- Simple mechanism
- Better for rainfall as they are always at a 45 degree angle minimum
- Some models extend to almost 180 degrees acting like a blind
CONSERVATORY AWNINGS
The conservatory awning provides sun shade protection for a massive reduction in solar heat gain in conservatories and other buildings with open, glass, or polycarbonate roof panels.
Fabric extends out from a protective cassette and runs along in side channels which also have the fabric zipped in many cases for the best canopy tension when in use.
Solar heat gain is a massive issue on South and West facing conservatories and the external or internal conservatory awning is a great solution which also provides additional benefits too.
Our conservatory awnings are made to measure and are available with multi point fixings, spreading the weight and forces from the wind across the entire roof and also onto the wall structure when required. ALL the awnings are electrically operated as standard with multiple control methods available, including weather and temperature sensors.
- Made to measure for a perfect fit to any conservatory or other roof type
- Electric operation as standard for total control with the sun movement
- Same choice of high quality fabrics as our other awning ranges
Zipped fabric cover for maximum tension to deal with rain and wind.
WIND AND PRIVACY AWNINGS
Side screen awnings, high tension fabric pulling out from a high quality aluminium cassette and locking onto a vertical post, which is variable in its positioning and fixing methods.
So often customers have various sun shade products from us and then find with the extra time outdoors they have an annoying prevailing wind which cools everything down too early, or maybe their privacy isn’t good when sitting outside?
The protection from wind and privacy is offered by any one of our various pull out vertical awnings. Various standard sizes, hundreds of fabric choices and the option to have shaped fabric to follow a pitch of a roof or similar.
GLASS AWNINGS
We often hear customers ask for ‘glass awnings’ which are more commonly referred to as glass verandas in the UK. The principal of this type of outdoor weather protection is absolutely perfect for our very aggressive British climate and for many the perfect choice for serious outdoor weather protection.
- 100% waterproof roof all year round
- Natural light always flooding through the roof
- No worries about windy conditions at all for the structure
- A built in sun awning for the roof provides perfect sun shading when required
- Can be fitted with various side and front fixed or retractable products for further weather protection and to create more of the ‘outdoor room’
If you have any doubt at all about the performance of a folding arm awning or even a retractable pergola, then take time to review a glass veranda and all it has to offer for you and your outdoor space.
What Our Customers Say
Awning Fabrics
The fabric on your awning can be the biggest single factor when you choose and your choice with Samson is unrivalled and the highest quality fabric guaranteed. Only fabrics from the world’s leading manufacturers.
– Over 600 unique high quality fabrics across multiple ranges and brands
– Plains, Striped, Designer, 3D patterns, Bespoke Printed
– Award winning recycled plastic fabrics from Weinor
– Markilux fabrics – the very best from Germany
– Water resistant, rot resistant, 100% waterproof and fire retardant options
Match your home and match your own colour schemes, whether that is your window frame colours, or your outdoor furniture.
Your fabric choice should also depend on whether you like the sunlight or not and what kind of ambience you wish to create underneath the awning cover.
For South and West facing gardens you need something with mid to darker ends of the spectrum shades and for North facing keep it lighter, all based of course on controlling the sunlight and UV. If you love the bright light and sunshine then go for the lighter colours of course every time.
The fabrics used on awnings are manufactured to the very highest standards with Markilux for example having one of the largest weaving mills in Europe manufacturing genuine high quality fabrics with modern technology and eco friendly processes. Rest assured any of the fabrics on our awnings will be of the highest standards and simply need some sensible and easy cleaning if they do get dirty from bird droppings, tree residue or other airborne contaminants.
All the fabrics are water resistant and you can also select 100% waterproof fabrics as well, but with more limited colour choices for when a high usage in rain will be required.
Fire retardant materials are available for commercial applications, where this is now a sensitive subject, being technically part of the outside cladding on a building or apartment block.
Using any high quality fabric awning for weather protection has another great advantage in that you can change the fabric in the future, if you change your colour scheme or just fancy a style change?
Kept clean, the highest quality fabrics will last a very long time compared to cheap awning covers, but you do have the comfort of knowing you can change the covers readily if you want.
AWNING FIXINGS AND BRACKETS
Most self supporting folding arm awnings are fixed to the vertical face of a building and the bracket position is often critical and affects awning model selection. It is also possible to fix from above in the case of a balcony and very rarely fix from underneath, when fixing on top of a roof for example.
You will see many full cassette ‘end fixed’ awnings on the UK market. These are awnings which can only be fixed at either end of the awning and usually with just 2 brackets. Semi cassette and open cassette awnings will mostly have the ability to use brackets wherever required, but with fixing points on or near where the arms are fitted. A ‘torque bar’ or ‘carry bar’ awning is often a better choice for overall strength and flexibility with installation.
SPECIALIST BRACKET AND FITTING SOLUTIONS
A very high percentage of customers have single storey extensions or a bungalow and in nearly all cases there is not enough space or structural integrity in the small space above the sliding or folding doors to fit an awning. You also often need more height for the awning to enable a pitch on the cover without being too intrusive.
In this scenario we look towards ‘gutter brackets’ or spreader brackets’ and these are designed to fit to multiple brick courses and then provide a bespoke higher position for the awning to fit to and not any part of the building above or around the doors or windows.
Other specialist brackets are available to cover almost any obstacle or height issue on a building as well as offering stand alone framework systems where it simply is not possible to fix to the building where shading is required.
- Signpost brackets to position an awning into a space where there is no ability for any fixings or fresh air.
- Pipe brackets to avoid downpipes and air vents
- Spreader Plate brackets to spread fixings across multiple points when the wall is weak
- Goal post frameworks which concrete or bolt to the ground so the awning isn’t fitted to the building.
- Cranked Gutter brackets to position awnings higher up and provide the strength for the awning by spreading the forces down the wall
The brackets are probably the most important part of any folding arm awning installation, especially when more and more super lightweight building materials are being used with no ability to take the pressures and forces of an extended awning.
Care for Your Awning
Any of the awnings we offer will be fitted outside, exposed to the intense UV rays of the summer, the constant damp of the winter months and for many models, exposed to rainwater and gusting wind forces. The external awning takes a beating in our UK climate.
We recommend the fabric is kept clean as much as possible. Brush away bird poo when it has dried, clean the fabric gently with warm water and appropriate cleanser when you can. Whenever the fabric gets wet then make sure it is opened to dry at the first chance possible.
Clean the cassette and arms every so often to maintain paint finish quality.
The fabrics are of the highest quality and they also have varying protective coatings but keeping them clean will always ensure greater longevity.
Many of the larger awnings and particularly pergola awnings, with tensioned belt systems inside will require professional maintenance to keep everything perfect and maintain canopy tension.
Samson Awnings can offer all the servicing required. Some products require a minimum yearly service to maintain the manufacturers warranty.
The awnings are of the very highest quality and use components not seen in cheaper products but they still require care and maintenance for their continued operation.
Still not sure? We over 30 years of experience our team can help you find the perfect product for your home. Simply get in touch with our team today on 01933 448 844.
Get In Touch
If you have any query at all, we would be delighted to hear from you. Simply contact us by telephone, email, or fill out the form below.
