Considerations for awning fitting

To avoid a costly, time consuming and difficult installation of your awning, you must consider these points below:

• Look carefully at the wall and the whole area to be shaded by the awning. Look for any washing lines, trees/shrubs, sheds, building extensions and especially gas flues/vents.

• The wall which the awning will be mounted to, will require attention as it must be of a sound construction and the intended location of the awning is at least 2.3m-3m above the ground.

• Our awnings are designed for sun protection and light rain and shouldn’t be used in heavy rain or snow. This is because the awning is designed to support itself, not a huge amount of water/snow.

• Measure the wall, door or window to see how wide your awning needs to be. For example, if your door opening is 4m wide, we would recommend purchasing an awning at least 0.5m-1m wider than your door opening/window if you are looking to shade.

• Our awnings weigh between 16kg to 92kg depending on the awning size and model you are looking to purchase, so you will need to ensure the wall or surface you are fitting the awning to, is strong enough to support the weight of the awning and cope with any resistance to the wind.

If any of the items listed below, present problems at your location. Specialist awning brackets may be required and are available to overcome most situations (more information on these below).

• The area should be free of waste pipe and boiler flues etc (boiler flues can collect dangerous gases under the projected awning, which can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and can cause death). If you do have a gas flue, the cheapest solution is to contact your local gas safe register improved installer who can adapt the outlet from a horizontal position to a vertical position.

• Allow for any doors and windows to open without obstructing the awning. The angle of the opened awning will slope down approx. 15-20 degrees depending on the model and location.

• The awning should be fixed at least 36cm (or 4 bricks) above any door opening or window frame. There should be at least 7 rows of brick above the awning fixing point to anchor the weight. So, you should have a minimum of 11 rows of bricks above your doors/windows.

If you have less than 11 bricks above your door opening or window, then you may need to use a lighter awning or use additional awning spreader brackets to spread the weight of the awning down the wall.

Solutions

Pipe Bracket

The Pipe brackets are used to mount the awning away from the wall, so that it can sit in-front of any down pipes or obstructions that are in the way. Depending on your awning size and model, will depend on how many fixing points are on the awning and how many additional brackets are required.

Gutter Bracket

Gutter brackets are used when there is limited space between the top of your doors/windows and your fascia & gutter. The brackets are fabricated to step around the fascia board and gutter, so the awning sits in line with your guttering. This enables the awning to clear any outward opening doors and have an acceptable pitch. Depending on your awning size & model, will depend on how many gutter brackets you will require.

Spreader Plate

Spreader brackets will be used to spread the weight of the awning down the wall (either side of the doors/windows), when there is not enough rows of bricks above your doors/windows to support the weight of the awning and anchor the fixings. Our awnings exert a considerable upward force on the brickwork when extended. If there are not enough bricks above the doors/windows and the awning is installed directly onto the wall without spreading the weight down the wall. It can cause the bricks/roof to lift, making the installation of the awning unsafe, including damage the brickwork or falling off the wall completely potentially causing injury or death.

Goal Posts

A goalpost frame is a steel 3-piece frame used to span large areas when there is no other alternative for any central bracket. The down posts can be secured to the wall either side of the door, window & shop-front. This can be concreted into the ground, so the goalpost frame is completely free-standing. Goalpost frames are typically more expensive compared to the other bracket options above, due to its size, time to fabricate and delivery.

Who can I speak to regarding additional brackets for my awning? We don’t sell these specialist brackets on our website, but we do recommend our customers to contact our third-party awning company called Saffron Shutters & Awnings, who will be able to assist with all your enquiries.

Please contact them by emailing installawnings@gmail.com. In your email, please include:

• A photograph of the location where you wish the awning to be installed
• Measurements of the door/window to be shaded
• Also, the awning size & model you are looking at.
• Postcode
• A contact numbers

Do you have a fitting service who could install my awning for me? If you are looking for an awning installation service, we do have a network of Primrose approved installers across the UK who will be able to arrange the awning installation. Please click here to our third party awning installation page on our website, where you can see the prices for the installation fee.