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Decks with Western Exposure: Drop Screen is Necessary
Many customers wonder whether or not they should add the optional drop screen to their retractable awning. The drop screen is a see-through mesh that drops vertically from the front bar of the awning. Depending on the model, the drop screen drops anywhere from 3-feet to almost 5-feet. The drop screen definitely adds cost to the awning, but if your deck or patio faces West, then you should seriously consider adding the drop screen. The following photos illustrate why we recommend this.
As you can see, there is only a few feet of shade under the awning without the drop screen. The angle of the western Sun brings the hot rays right under the awning. As the drop screen is extended, the shade increases. You can see with the drop screen fully extended, the awning provides ample protection from the hot sun when the deck faces West.
And you can also see that the drop screen looks good. You can retract it when not needed, and just drop it down when it is. You can see out and fully enjoy your deck or patio.
Penthouse Installation on Tall Brooklyn Building
In this installation, we used a crane to haul the awning up to the penthouse of this 6-story Brooklyn building. The awning was too big to bring up through the building, and this particular awning model cannot be transported in pieces and assembled at the site. As you can see, Breslow was able to get this super heavy duty awning to this difficult to reach location and install it using extremely strong Double Action anchors.
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.jpg "Installing Retractable Awning Into Brick Brooklyn Building")
Huge Oversized Eclipse Retractable Awning Installation
This was a fantastic and fun retractable awning installation to do. The retractable awning was a huge Total Eclipse awning measuring 20 feet wide with a 16 feet 6 inch projection. This awning is so big and so strong that it requires special brackets and a ledger board in order to properly mount it onto the surface. The ledger board in this particular case was wrapped in aluminum cladding. The brackets were attached to the ledger board with special hardware. The ledger board is then mounted on the house into the studs. We also created a little warmth under the awning by adding space heaters made especially for an awning. Picture perfect installation for a picture perfect awning. 
Mounting a G250 Awning on the Roof
Our customer had a very low roof line and needed a strong awning that could hold up to wind inherent with the ocean front location. We decided to use the NuImage g250 Retractable Awning for its strong construction and it's sleek profile design with no valance. Mounting the retractable awning on the roof gave us plenty of head room, so they can entertain and enjoy their deck without worrying about the awning height. We added a wind sensor for extra protection (the customer was cautioned and well informed about wind sensor limitations -ask your Breslow salesperson). The roof is a great place to mount an awning if you want to create a little more height from the roof of the awning. This roof mount came out beautiful.
Choosing Retractable Awning Colors
Our favorite awning, without question, is the NuImage g250 Retractable Awning. In most cases people choose rather conservative colors. But this customer chose a bright Sunbrella Sunbrella Awning Fabric 4609 Orange color and it looks absolutely fantastic. They loved the modern lines on the partially cassetted g250 retractable awning. The modern look of the awning matched the more modern look of the material. The sunbrella orange color helped make a statement and it worked very well.
If you'd like help choosing the best color for your retractable awning for your deck or patio, give Breslow a call!
Installing Awning Over Vinyl Siding
Installing a retractable awning over vinyl siding requires extra care in order to do a proper job. Once you find the studs, it would be easy to just place the bracket directly over the siding, and then drill right in. However, vinyl siding is soft and affixing the brackets over the vinyl will crush the vinyl and create a warped look. Breslow Home Design Center takes the extra care and time to ensure the awning are not only installed properly and safely, but also so it looks great, too. Our technique for installing over vinyl siding involves cutting away the vinyl in the shape of the bracket, and using special spacers to bring bracket forward. Then we caulk around the brackets to create a water tight seal. Installing the awning brackets in this manner keeps the vinyl flat around the brackets when pressure is applied. Every installation is different, but this example illustrates how we take the unique characteristics of every surface into consideration when installing an awning to ensure the longest lasting and most beautiful result possible.
Retractable Awning on the North Shore Long Island Bay
On this job we installed a 24 foot wide k300 fully cassette awning on a gorgeous patio on the bay in the north shore of long island.
The customer wanted the very best awning available (no kidding - check out this house!) and the K300 featured unmatched strength and quality with its drop forged construction shoulders and sleek design. The customer's home had three very large doors that slid open onto a poolside deck. Installing an awning over this opening offered an extension of this room to the outside. He also wanted protection from sun coming towards the front of the awning, so we added a black drop screen to the front bar which can be raised or lowered to block the sun as needed. The bay side location is an extremely windy area, so we added a Somfy wind sensor which would automatically start retracting the awing if wind became too strong. Our customer was thrilled with the results, although I would love to spend a day on their patio doing some quality control :).
Serving New Jersey, New York (including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island), Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia with Window Treatments, Retractable Deck and Patio Awnings, Benjamin Moore Paints & Stains, Color Consulting, Anycolor® Paint Samples and Jealous Neighbors™. Showrooms in Chester, NJ and Livingston, NJ.