caliking said:

Thinking of having one put in (18') to get more shade for the patio by the pool. Sunsetter is the only brand I know of, but am open to other brands. 

Thoughts?

Friend put one up a few yrs ago and loves it.  I know they aren’t cheap, but he tells me it was money well spent.  Increased the usability of his patio a ton he says. 

https://youtu.be/yHfvnZKAYhQ

We are on our second Sunsetter. For us it was a game changer and allows us to enjoy our deck. Highly recommend. 

Motorized or hand crank?

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I just got a quote for a solid roof to cover my patio and it was about twice what I had hoped. Quote came in at $23,000.  It did include all the electrical for two fans and can lights and I had to have an engineered beam to span the patio. It’s a 20x28 space to cover it all so I did expect a big number but not quite that big. Needless to say I’m investigating motorized retractable awnings now too. 

I would get another quote!

alaskanassasin said:

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I just got a quote for a solid roof to cover my patio and it was about twice what I had hoped. Quote came in at $23,000.  It did include all the electrical for two fans and can lights and I had to have an engineered beam to span the patio. It’s a 20x28 space to cover it all so I did expect a big number but not quite that big. Needless to say I’m investigating motorized retractable awnings now too. 

I would get another quote!

The economy is booming right now just like it was pre 08. I’ve been getting stupidly ridiculous pricing on quotes for work
around the house just like back then. Seems like every contractor wants to be a millionaire. Makes me somewhat nervous about the economy. 

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I will but they have to tie into roof line on all three sides and it is a significant amount of work. 

Maybe this product would be beneficial
in your application 

https://skylifthardware.com/

DoubleEgger said:

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I will but they have to tie into roof line on all three sides and it is a significant amount of work. 

Maybe this product would be beneficial
in your application 

https://skylifthardware.com/

Yeah we looked into that too when someone posted about it a couple weeks ago. I was trying to avoid going through the roof if we can help it. That looks like a solid product but it makes me nervous about leaks and structural integrity especially since I live in a hurricane zone. 

DoubleEgger said:

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I will but they have to tie into roof line on all three sides and it is a significant amount of work. 

Maybe this product would be beneficial
in your application 

https://skylifthardware.com/

caliking said:

Tspud1 said:

Motorized or hand crank?

 I'm leaning more towards the manual/hand crank version, since I figure the motor will fail as soon as it's out of warranty. 

Costco sells Sunsetter stuff, but without installation currently. They sell another brand too (Brasilia) which seems good, but also  without installation, and I'm not sure if it could be installed on the soffit. 

I have a Somfy dealer coming to give me an estimate this week, so let's see. 

@MeTed I'll see if  Marygrove awnings are available here.

If it’s Costco and the motor fails in 7 years...

We bought a Sunsetter 15 years ago for our uncovered deck.  About 5 years later my wife wanted it screened so we had the roof extended, singled, electrical for fan/light and screened.  Built out a new open deck for furniture and BGE/grills setup.  I took the Sunsetter and put it over a walkout single garage on the back of the house where I keep my lawn tractor, golf cart and tools.  It's been there for over 10 years.

I installed the awning at both locations myself needing a second person only to help me lift it into the brackets.  A strong recommendation would be to spend the extra for the motorized model.  I can't imagine having to hand crank it in and out every time.  I've had no problems with the motor, but confident I could get a replacement from Sunsetter if I need it.        

Photo Egg said:

caliking said:

Tspud1 said:

Motorized or hand crank?

 I'm leaning more towards the manual/hand crank version, since I figure the motor will fail as soon as it's out of warranty. 

Costco sells Sunsetter stuff, but without installation currently. They sell another brand too (Brasilia) which seems good, but also  without installation, and I'm not sure if it could be installed on the soffit. 

I have a Somfy dealer coming to give me an estimate this week, so let's see. 

@MeTed I'll see if  Marygrove awnings are available here.

What ever you decide, if it attaches to your house, make sure it does not void your Texas Wind Storm Insurance. Anything that is directly connected to your house could throw them into a frenzy. They had me fuming a few years ago.
Mine is through USAA and USAA has handled all of our issues like complete idiots. 

This. @Caliking, let us know what you find out. We've been talking about either a retractable awning or a pergola. But we're not attaching anything to the house because insurance will have a fit. 

caliking said:

@Cjtamu & @Photo Egg I just checked with GEICO, and confirmed that installing a retractable awning does not impact the policy itself. If installed, I have the option of increasing the replacement value (of the house) by $9K. But premiums, etc would not be affected. 

For us, it was not our standard home insurance policy that was in jeopardy, it was just the Wind Storm Policy.

Eoin said:

DoubleEgger said:

alaskanassasin said:

Lowcountrygamecock said:

I just got a quote for a solid roof to cover my patio and it was about twice what I had hoped. Quote came in at $23,000.  It did include all the electrical for two fans and can lights and I had to have an engineered beam to span the patio. It’s a 20x28 space to cover it all so I did expect a big number but not quite that big. Needless to say I’m investigating motorized retractable awnings now too. 

I would get another quote!

The economy is booming right now just like it was pre 08. I’ve been getting stupidly ridiculous pricing on quotes for work
around the house just like back then. Seems like every contractor wants to be a millionaire. Makes me somewhat nervous about the economy. 

I'd be nervous too. Lots of money sloshing around after those tax cuts in the US, running a big deficit is just pumping cash into the economy. We were heading the same way, but the Brexit vote has slowed things down considerably now.

We’ve been running huge deficits for a long time. Nothing new around here.