Free Standing Patio Covers

What better addition to your home than one or more free standing patio covers? Not only are they cheap and efficient, they are also multifunctional. A patio cover can come in all kinds of sizes, materials, and configurations to match any set up that you might have. Wood deck, concrete slab, bare ground, all of these are perfectly suitable for freestanding patio covers. Location is no issue either, as these kinds of patio covers can be situated on any side of your home be it the front, rear or either of the sides. Free standing structures are not only limited to patio covers, they also have applications as carports, boat covers, outbuildings and more. Your particular needs for a cover will likely determine what specific kind that you get.

Benefits
The benefits of free standing patio covers are numerous. For patios, decks, porches and any other kind of outdoor area they provide cool, comfortable shade during the summer months – temperatures in the shade of an awning or patio cover can be as much as twenty degrees cooler. And with one hundred percent total coverage, this means that they are also perfect for rainy days and have the ability to greatly increase the overall usability of your backyard or deck. If your patio cover is adjacent to your house, you also get the double advantage of shading your house as well and perhaps significantly reducing your energy costs for cooling your home. That alone is good enough reason to invest in awnings and patio covers.

Functionality
Since free standing patio covers come in such a wide range of varieties and setups there is undoubtedly something suitable for everybody! If you don’t plan on using your patio cover year round then you might want to consider looking at the retractable models. These include an extendable canvas or other fabric material which is generally extended on both sides of a central, freestanding support. These types of retractable free standing patio covers can be either manually controlled or motorized, in which case they operate via remote control or some other kind of simple engagement mechanism. Some varieties include awnings which can be titled to accommodate the direction from which the sun is shining at any given time to ensure consistent and complete coverage.
If your use for your free standing patio covers is intended to be somewhat more permanent then you’ll no doubt be looking more at the metal or vinyl varieties. A typical metal free standing patio cover is going to constructed from extruded aluminum with a baked enamel finish, which is extremely durable, resistant to weathering and virtually maintenance free.

Considerations
Erecting free standing patio covers does require a bit of forethought. It’s important to carefully consider the location and conditions in which it will be applied. For example, do you have a prepared concrete slab for this purpose, or will the cover be situated on bare earth? In both cases it is necessary to consider your options for anchoring and stabilizing the structure. (Both bare earth and concrete pose no problem for this.) Cost is also a factor, since a permanent structure is going to run you more than a lightweight portable one. If you live in an area governed by a neighborhood association then it’s important to run things by them as well.

With the proper consideration, planning and research, the purchase of free standing patio covers is guaranteed to be a smooth and exciting undertaking. Take the time to carefully evaluate all sides of your investment to ensure you get the product that is perfect for you and will add value to your home and enrich your life.