| Page 4 of 4 < |
Shades of Nostalgia
Up All Year?
Jerry Thompson's 1938 Cape Cod in Vienna has sported a variety of stationary awnings over the years.
(By Ann Cameron Siegal For The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Many homeowners hire a company to take their awnings down in the fall and put them back up in the spring. Depending on the complexity of installation, that may add several hundred dollars to your annual maintenance costs. The trade-off is that the company will store the awnings for you, which can extend the life of the fabric.
Whether to leave awnings up in winter is part practicality and part personal preference. Leaving awnings up, thereby reducing the sun's warming, may actually increase your winter heating costs.
You also need to consider whether a specific awning is designed to withstand the snow load likely in your area. That depends on the strength of the frame and the slope of the awning. Welded frames are stronger than those with pieces that slip together. Traditional window awnings usually have a 45-degree angle, so snow and ice slide off.
Another consideration is mental health, Thomas said. Many folks need to have more light in the winter. However, while older awnings were opaque, now you can get fabrics that are translucent, providing filtered shade in the summer but letting some light through in the winter.
Other Considerations
There's a reason you don't see awnings in many newer communities locally, said John Weir of Carroll Awning Co. in Baltimore: homeowner association rules.
Many associations regulate exterior changes to a house, including color schemes and materials. Awnings may not be an option.
An industry-financed study last year by the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota hints that revisiting such limitations might be beneficial. It stated: "While awnings on individual homes can reduce air conditioning usage and costs, when a neighborhood collectively uses awnings, the entire community benefits. The collective reduction of energy usage reduces the overall demand on the energy infrastructure, subsequently preventing blackouts."
