In case of a small balcony or terrace, an awning might be the best solution. Depending on your needs, it may be folded or unfolded. An awning on the terrace has many advantages. Thanks to it we may get protection from disturbing sunlight, what we dream about during long and hot summer days. An awning protects as well against rain - after assembling, rain will not disturb you any more during meetings with friends or while reading your favourite book in the terrace. In order to use its advantages to the fullest, consider a few factors.

 The choice depends of your preferences

 At the very beginning think about a proper size. Some family members might prefer contact with sunlight after all, and others might prefer staying in the shade. If so, you should reach a compromise and expose only a part of the terrace to the sunshine. Also such issues as what plants we have on our terrace and which should be protected from direct sunlight might have an impact on our decision. Some of them might require long access to sunlight, while the others will wither away in such conditions. On the market there are available awnings of width from one to seven meters. Other parameters, such as height or length, might be adjusted on your own.

 Long summer evening 

Many of us enjoy waiting in the evening for the sunset sitting on the terrace. When the blazing sun dazzles us, some awnings might be adjusted in such a way as to protect us from sunrays. If you consider such solution, decide for a model equipped with an adjustable angle of inclination.

 For those preferring comfort

Depending on your preferences, you may choose one of three methods of folding/ unfolding the awning: manually using a strap, a crank or a remote control. The last option might be enriched with a device controlling weather changes. We'll never have to worry about, whether we unfolded the awning or not, as when it starts to rain, the awning will unfold automatically. Worth considering is as well its protection. There are models available with a cassette housing which accomodates all elements (fabric, arms, pipes). A semi-cassette protects only a part of the awning.

 Beauty and quality

 An awning should look great as well, shouldn't it? Remember about matching it to your garden, terrace and building arrangement. Another issue is fabric durbaility, which it was produced from. It should be airtight and waterproof. That is why, it's worth checking, if the fabric was impregnated, as otherwise after a heavy rain we might have not only a soaked awning, but a flooded terrace.