7 Awning Safety (Pro) Tips for Condo or Business

7 Awning Safety (Pro) Tips for Condo or Business. You install an awning for your apartment or retail space with a specific function. More than the beauty, adornment, and shed it brings to your place, shelters must be stable and well-protected. Your roof must also be protected so it will not cause you unnecessary expenses and troubles with your space in the future.

A good awning must be attractive, aesthetic, durable, and safe for usage. Read on to learn more!

7 Awning Safety (Pro) Tips for Condo or Business

1. Take Preventive Measures from Damages

When wind pressures or heavy rains can easily blow your awning, some hazardous parts of its framing and awning material may hit adjacent objects and your windows and doors. Prevent this circumstance by:

• They use suitable and appropriate awning accessories. Ensure sufficient areas of the corners and edges of your awning material are completely and securely fastened and attached to the framing.
• Choosing a suitable, durable awning material that is resistant to stretching and tearing is wise, as it can stay fixed and unmovable even if a strong wind or pressure hits your overall structure.

2. Obstruct the base of your Pole or Column

You can obstruct an impediment to block the view of your awning from the side of your house, construct a fence, or, most significantly, plant a bush or place a potted plant.

This will help make it more stable during severe winds and also give natural defense against gusts from a specific direction. With this awning safety tip, you can have a roof garden by your condo’s balcony or terrace or a very welcoming entrance by your business store’s entryway.

3. Define a Substantial Support System

Your awning must have an adequate support system by having sufficient framing elements, such as

• Fascia
• Trusses
• Girders and rafters
• And if you have an awning dimension that goes beyond 3 meters wide, you must add poles or columns on two equal opposite sides opposing the two sides attached to your property’s walls.

You can design a column design from aluminum or steel poles or a fabricated web truss column. Make sure it can carry the weight of the lateral trusses used as framing for the shed element where the awning material is laid and attached.

Furthermore, ensure these vertical supports are connected to a foundation embedded at least 12 inches below the ground. For condominiums, make sure it is secured to a bolted plate of not less than half an inch.

4. Clean your Awning from time to time

Your awning may accumulate, which needs to be visible from where you stand. So, you should regularly check the top of your roof to see if some loads can add to the weight of the shed and may cause breakage or damage that can harm people living under it. You can sweep the top of your awning, rinse with water, and sweep the corners where the awning material and framing attach.

5. Do not Over-decorate your Awning

Hanging plants or pots from awning fascia or girder framing can add weight to the structure beyond what is necessary. Keep your awning clear of anything that will add weight to prevent it from unintentionally falling or dropping. Keep the length of your over-spanning awning material hanging beyond your framing between 2 to 4 inches.

6. Check the structures’ conditions from time to time

This is a safety tip you can do outside the construction and design of your awning. Here are the points which you need to check on your awning’s conditions:

• Examine the Fabric or Awning materials’ surface
• Check for rust and have it coated or replaced
• Replace dilapidated parts of the truss, framing, and column if there are any
• Tighten loosened screws and bolts, and work on weak welded areas

7. Retractable Awnings

Opting for a retractable awning is a wise and safer idea. As roofs are there to protect a resident or customer from sun or rain, if these natural elements don’t exist, it is better to keep your ceilings closed.

7 Awning Safety (Pro) Tips for Condo or Business – Conclusion

Furthermore, the maintenance and safety tips depend on the existing surroundings where the awning is installed. The height of the top from the ground or floor base is also what you should consider for the awning’s design to quickly maintain and check on the element’s condition. The roof is similar to all other parts of the house that dilapidates in time. So it is best to take care of it beyond choosing the best kind of materials for it.