Oxford dictionary defines an awning as “a sheet of canvas or other material stretched on a frame and used to keep the sun or rain off a shop window, doorway, or ship’s deck.” For many years, awnings have become a core part of house construction, become inculcated into the basic and first design of the home. So, are they really a necessity, and can’t they just be ignored and the extra expenses be saved or redirected? Today, let us examine awns and see whether they are a necessity or whether they can be overlooked in the home construction if there is a budget overflows.
Before we start analyzing, let us have a look at the functionality of awnings. Awnings are primarily constructed to prevent sun or rain from getting into the window, or door of a construction site. With improvements in construction and design, however, windows and doors are nowadays designed to prevent any rain or too much sunshine from getting into an apartment. This has rendered the awning quite null and void, but we are still seeing them constructed, especially by high-end homes, or even by apartments and houses in areas that are prone to heavy rainfall, snow, or even high amounts of sunshine.
So, are awnings still relevant to this day?
- There are places where the weather still requires awning
As stated earlier, there are regions with high rainfall and extreme weather that expose windows to damage by these extreme temperatures and rainfall. So, this has made awning become extra helpful in these regions. Though the houses might be designed with these temperatures in mind, it is important to note that the extra reinforcement in weather-damage regulation by awnings is invaluable.
- Awnings increase the lifeline of windows
Besides extreme weather and temperatures, awnings also help to protect from unprecedented occurrences such as vandalism and accident that may occur. So, even as the awnings may have reduced relevance due to improvements in home construction, they still assist in managing aspects such as vandalism and unknown accidents. Therefore, this has maintained its relevance in construction.
That being said, awnings have been used in the recent past as well, for more than a necessary structure on a building. Awnings have become decorative making people spend a lot of money to add the structure just for the decorative purpose. So, why have awnings been used in the recent past by so many people despite them having other weather handling mechanisms?
- Aesthetic value
Awnings add so much beauty to the house. It is more than just a structure for keeping the windows and doors safe, it adds so much aesthetic value. And that is why designs of awnings improve every single day with adjustments and iteration that make it more modern and aesthetic-based. Even during construction, awnings are fitted sometimes without functionality, with the sole intention of making the house more presentable. Some awnings are paper-thin making them be just as prone to destruction by weather as those without awnings. These kinds are the ones purely for beautification.
- Awning retractable designs
There exist many modern-day awning designs that are retractable. This means they can be rolled out when necessary such as during events and retracted when the events are over. This helps in lengthening the life of the awning. This is because they are only rolled out when needed and pushed back when not needed.
That being said, awnings are an adorable addition to your house, both for functionality purposes and for aesthetic value. So, if you feel the need to add both beauty and to keep your windows and doors safe, then you definitely need awnings installed.