Canopy or awning?

April 17, 2010 11:36 AM

Pop-up canopy/gazebo or crank- out awning (like Sunsetter)?

I'm not trying to cover the whole deck. We need some shade. 12x12 canopy is maybe $300, awning is much more, maybe $750.

posted by fixedgear to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Why do you need a pop up thingy? Any reason you need to take it down? What about one of those trellis deals over some timber framework and then grow a vine or similar on it to fill the gaps? It's a much cheaper solution and (to my mind) looks much better than a pop up canopy. Less likely to blow away, too.

Something like this maybe? (Smaller and more suited, maybe. Or this?
posted by Brockles at 12:26 PM on April 17, 2010

Response by poster: We'd like to remove it in the winter.
posted by fixedgear at 12:29 PM on April 17, 2010

Best answer: The first time you try to disassemble a pop-up canopy that's been up all summer long (and gotten filthy, and covered in bugs, and bird droppings, and stiff from the sun) you will regret not having spent the extra money on a crank-out awning.
posted by ErikaB at 5:11 PM on April 17, 2010

Best answer: Get the awning. It will last many more years than a pop-up canopy, and is a lot easier to deal with. We've had a SunSetter awning on the south side of the house for nearly 15 years. I don't think we'd be able to find a canopy frame that would last that long, much less the canopy itself. If you get any kind of wind with your summer storms, you really want the awning. It takes far less time to retract than it would to disassemble a pop-up canopy when a summer storm comes up. (IIRC, the Sunsetter tube can be removed from the side of the house if desired -- we leave ours up, but it's tucked up under the eaves and doesn't get much weather exposure in the winter.)
posted by jlkr at 5:51 PM on April 17, 2010

Best answer: Sunsetter also uses a couple kinds of multiple layer fabric layup that resists sun damage, mildew, and other types of rot a lot better than most seasonal retractable canopies do. And if you live in a place where winds get frightening, a Sunsetter securely attached to your house, and rolled and rigged for weather, will be a lot better comfort to your mind than an umbrella you hope you have time to get into the garage/basement/out building before it becomes a lethal wind whipped missile in your environs.
posted by paulsc at 10:50 PM on April 17, 2010