Just Right Awnings

Setting up awning around the house and patio can cool the area affected by the awning up to 20 degrees. That is a great help with energy costs. Sometimes when you set up your

awning on a patio or in your back yard they can be around more sunlight or even barbeque’s which will raise the temperature pretty high. So how can you cool it a little further?

Patio Misting Systems can be a great way to cool your area down a little farther. Misting systems can cool down the ambient temperature up to another 20 degrees in conjunction with a awning that is a great deal cooler than direct sunlight when you a trying to relax with the family and friends on a hot summer day.  Misting systems use tiny nozzles that create high pressure and vaporize water in to the air and this cools down the air but keeps you dry at the same time. Misting systems hook up to your water hose or can be plumbed in to your water lines using PVC pipe tapped in to your water hose line or sprinkler system line whatever is convenient. Then add a PVC ball valve and you can turn your system on and off from there with ease.

There is a couple ways to get a misting system installed on your patio awning. The easiest and most cost effective way is to take a trip to your local hardware store and pick up a flexible line misting kit there. The flexible line systems come with rubber hose that can be affixed to your awning very easily in a variety of ways. It can follow any bends you may encounter without any trouble and is very install. These systems are expandable up to around a hundred twenty five to a hundred and fifty feet depending on the kit you get. These can accommodate a patio awning of almost any size. It takes very little work and little plumbing knowledge to install these so anyone can do it.

Another option is to install a hard line misting system which takes some plumbing experience and can be a little more costly but can last longer. Hard line systems use PVC pipe or metal line and are pretty versatile. These can be custom built to any shape or size to fit any awning. If you have some plumbing knowledge these can be installed pretty easily and save you some money for having a plumber come out and install them. These hard line systems can take more pressure and can be expanded to greater lengths if your situation requires that.

If you would like to bring the cooling mist with you there are some great misting fans on the market for you. You can hook them up to the hose plug in the power cord and you are all set. Turn them on and aim under any awning anywhere and you got instant cooling.

the sun goes down and its dark. Well, there are a couple good ways to light the way for your party to continue.

If you are under an umbrella awning there are some great LED Umbrella Awning Lights on the market that use only a few double A batteries and are easy to install.

They come in two halves and you slide a plastic cone shaped collar around the pole of the Umbrella Awning to stop the LED lights from sliding down the pole.

Then you clip the two halves of the LED light system around the pole and you have clean, bright, and efficient lighting for exceptionally low cost, around twenty dollars, and installed in minutes.

and hold the light strands up with ease. These kits start around twenty dollars and go up depending on style. There are many style available from globe style lighting

with clear globes for maximum lighting, opaque globes to minimize the glare and blinding effects of the clear globes, and colored globes for setting that party atmosphere.

There are also some stylish light strands available with all types of decorative lights to match your personality such a western themed lights, dice, pool balls, cartoon characters for the kids, or those who are still a kid at heart, and much, much more. These types of light kits are great for R.V Awnings as well.

LED Rope Lights are a great and clean way to light the bottom of any style of Awning. These lights are available in a wide variety of colors including the standard white

and come in long strands to cover large Awnings. These LED Light Ropes are normally able to be connected together in the same fashion as Christmas Lights, end to end

to achieve almost any length needed to cover the entire length of the awning.

For remote locations with no power readily available Tent Lights could work good for you. They are battery operated and available in three styles of bulb. Incandescent , Halogen , And LED.These style of lights typically affix to a tent by magnet. On the top side of the fabric you place the magnet and the light has a metal plate which joins to light on the bottom side of the fabric.

These are just a few ways to add some nice lighting to your Awning so you may continue to use it throughout the nighttime hours.

When choosing a freestanding awning, you generally have two mounting options, ground insert and deckmount plate. The deckmount plate option makes for an easier and quicker

installation of your new awning. However, when you are done installing your freestanding awning, you are left with two steel plates in sight at the base of your awning

so what do you do with them?

These deckmount plates can be a great place to utilize some of your gardening expertise. You can find flower pots with the same dimensions as the deckmount Plates

and add many different types of flowers. You can add flowers that match your existing garden or even start some new floral arrangement’s that compliments the colors of your new awnings fabric. This can also be a great place to add a couple of smaller plants from your vegetable garden, like hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, and some small spices like green onions or cilantro. Another good idea is to plant some Ivy at the base of each side. As the ivy grows, guide it in a spiral along each column, up to the cross support and have the branches cross each other and grow to the opposing side. This will offer a great, old style look to your awning, blending it in with the surrounding nature.

If you have young ones, and a little bit of creative building experience, this can also be a great place to build little wooden chairs and tables for the kids. This can be a great way to keep the kids close enough to keep an eye on them but keep them occupied so you can enjoy your company and entertain your guests. The base of the chair can be affixed to the deckmount Plate for stability, and then be built up the rest of the way from there. When you are done building your tables and chairs you can snap a picture of your new awning, take it to your local hardware store and have some paint color matched to the structure, allowing you to paint your tables and chairs to match the awning. It will look as though it was one piece and made that way. If you like the looks of the wood and want to either keep it looking original or stain it make sure you seal it with water seal to make it waterproof and weather resistant. You do not want all your hard work getting ruined because of the sun beating down on it or rain damage.

I hope this article has given you some good ideas on decorating your new freestanding awning and deckmount plates to blending it in with your existing decor.