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The Best Garden Awnings
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Greenbay 3 x 2.5m DIY Patio Retractable Manual Awning
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Outsunny 4m x 3(m) Garden Patio Manual Awning
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Primrose 4.0m Manual Awning
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iropro DIY Patio Retractable Manual Awning
Garden Awning Reviews
- Open and close mechanism is smooth and very quiet
- Range of colours means its suitable for any style of garden
- Has enough flex to withstand light breezes
- Good resistance to rust over time
- Needs to be retracted on very breezy days
- No cover included for protecting retracted awning
- Design
- 5
- Ease of Use
- 4.5
- Safety
- 5
- Value for Money
- 5
The Greenbay 3 x 2.5m DIY Patio Retractable Manual Awning has a large canopy that opens and retracts smoothly, creating a perfectly sheltered area to relax in during summer.
This canopy has a practical and space-saving design that, when extended, transforms the patio into a great spot for entertaining, relaxing or eating family meals during summer. When retracted, it’s compact and unimposing.
The awning is constructed using a square steel torsion bar, adding structural stability, and then there’s an aluminium roller to extend the awning itself. The awning is extended by using a hooked rod, and winding it to push out the canopy. The winding mechanism is solid and smooth which makes it easy to open and close.
The polyester canopy fabric is PU coated, making it water resistant, and it has some UV resistance as well. It’s also available in a range of colours to suit your garden – whether you prefer something dark, light, striped or plain.
Overall, this is a fairly large awning, with a width of 3 m and a projection of 2.5 m from the wall. There are some smaller and some larger sizes available as well.
The angle of the awning can be adjusted for a steeper or shallower slope and, once installed, it provides plenty of shade over the patio. It will also keep your house cooler, if you have glass patio doors, even on hotter summer days.
The only slight difficulty comes with lifting and fitting the awning. It will take two people, with reasonable DIY skills, around an hour to fit.
Given its size, stability and design, this is one of the best garden awnings overall. There are plenty of colours to choose from, which will all create a different look for the garden, and it’s stable, protective and easy to use. A great option all round.
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- Design is versatile and simple, suits most gardens
- The angle can be adjusted up to 45°, more than others on the market
- Hand crank is positioned at a good height - easy to get a good grip
- Generally sturdy feel to frame
- Included bolts aren’t the best quality and many customers choose to buy stronger rawlbolts separately
- Needs to be wound in when wind picks up
- Design
- 5
- Ease of Use
- 5
- Safety
- 3.5
- Value for Money
- 5
The Outsunny 4m x 3(m) Garden Patio Manual Awning is a great value-for-money choice if you’re looking for a large awning that won’t break the bank.
Given the standard cost of 4-metre wide awnings, this particular model is very reasonably priced. There’s no choice of colours, but it comes in a simple, understated grey which will suit most outdoor areas. The canopy is made from 280 g/m² polyester, with a top protective coating to keep it water resistant.
With aluminium support brackets, the frame of this canopy is sturdy. It should, however, be wound in if the wind picks up.
One of the best things about this awning is its adjustability. Whilst other awnings featured here can only be adjusted to around 30°, this model can be adjusted anywhere between 5 and 45°, allowing you to customise the size of the shade depending on the sun’s position.
Like others I’ve recommended, this awning is easy to project and retract using a winding crank. Once installed, the hand crank is positioned at a good height (approx. 1m from the ground) which allows for good grip and leverage.
The only downside when it comes to safety of this awning is that some of the included bolts aren’t the best quality. For this reason, if you’re going to be installing the awning in a very exposed area, or drilling into brickwork and concrete, you may want to buy more secure bolts (such as rawlbolts) separately.
Bolts aside, this awning is still an excellent option to consider. It’s one of the best garden awnings to buy if you want value for money and to provide shade over a large area.. It’s stable and easy to use, with a crank system that’s simple to operate.
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- Very easy to wind in and out using the handle
- Can withstand a light breeze
- UPF 50+ rating - protects from 98% of sun’s UV rays
- Overall feel is strong and robust
- Small and discreet unit when retracted
- Two people required for installation
- Rain water can sit on awning after shower, needs to be pushed off to avoid sagging
- A 14 mm drill bit is needed, which many people are unlikely to have in a standard toolkit
- Design
- 5
- Ease of Use
- 5
- Safety
- 5
- Value for Money
- 4
The Primrose 4.0m Manual Awning is a large 4 m wide awning, with a projection of up to 3 m. It comes in eight different colours/patterns that are all reminiscent of different moods, including: a sleek, simple charcoal; a bold mediterranean terracotta, and seaside-worthy blue/white stripes.
Made from 300 g/m² polyester, this awning has a UPF rating of 50+. This means it blocks over 98% of the sun’s UV rays, so it’s highly protective – unlike some awnings which you can actually still get sunburnt under. You could even put the kid’s paddling pool under the shelter, in the knowledge that it’s providing reasonable sun protection.
The frame is sturdy and robust. The awning arms are manufactured using forged aluminium, and the angle of each can be adjusted by up to 35° depending how the sun hits your garden. All metal parts are powder coated for increased durability against environmental factors and frequent use.
Installation is relatively straight forward, although the screws require a 14 mm drill bit – bigger than your standard drill! This may require borrowing or renting a masonry drill, depending on what you already have in your toolbox. Two people are required for installation, simply due to the size and weight or the awning.
Once in place, it’s easy to both extend and retract the canopy (using a rod and winding system).
The included fixings are of reasonable quality, although some people choose to use additional components. Overall though, the awning is sturdy and is able to resist a light breeze. Like all awnings, it needs to be retracted if the wind picks up further.
Due to its size, this is one of the best garden awnings if you have a large patio or space to cover. It is strong and sturdy, with the added reassurance of its UPF 50+ rating to protect from the sun.
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- Simple, plain colours will complement most gardens
- Frill around edge of canopy can be removed to create a more minimalist look
- Overall sturdy construction for standard summer use
- Quite a lot of up-down movement in wind - should be retracted in these conditions
- 16 mm drill bit is needed which many people won’t have
- Possible to over-extend canopy, so care must be taken when winding it out
- Design
- 4
- Ease of Use
- 4
- Safety
- 4
- Value for Money
- 5
The iropro DIY Patio Retractable Manual Awning has a classy look, whilst also being a good budget option. It’s available in three basic colours, which add a minimalistic, modern touch to the patio: wine red, green and grey. There’s an undulating frill around the edge of the canopy, but this can be removed if you prefer a more understated look..
It’s available in two different sizes: 2.5 x 2 m, and 3 x 2.5 m, both of which are generally suitable for small/medium patios. The frame is made from aluminium alloy with a powder-coated surface, and then the canopy itself is polyester with a water resistant coating. Although suitable for light showers, in heavier rain the canopy isn’t completely waterproof.
Thanks to the 1.2 m hand crank, it’s not necessary to reach or get into awkward positions in order to extend or retract the canopy. The crank hangs at a comfortable standing height. The awning can be adjusted to a suitable projection length, and the angle can be altered anywhere between 5 and 35° – creating smaller or larger areas of shade according to the position of the sun.
Overall stability is good, although it should be wound in when it’s windy. It’s also slightly less stable when extended to its full projection.
There can be some problems when it comes to assembly, mostly because the instructions aren’t very clear, but for those with experience in DIY there shouldn’t be too many problems.
Overall, this is one of the best garden awnings if you’re on a budget and have a smaller outdoor space. It’s a basic awning that offers reasonable quality and protection from the sun without an astronomical price tag.
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Clive's Smart Buying Tips
How to Choose The Best Garden Awning
Awning Size
Considering that the majority of awnings will attach to the side of your house, the width of the awning you buy may depend on the space you have available.
From the products I reviewed, the widest awning was the WALTONS EST. 1878 Manual Awning at 3.5 m, and the least wide was the Primrose 2m Manual Awning at 2 m.
Of course, when you’re trying to buy the best garden awning, you’re going to want to try to get the most shade possible from it. So, the best thing to do is measure the space you have available and work out how big an awning you can attach. That said, you will want to leave some clearance on either side, so leave space between the awning and the corner of the house/light fittings/windows etc.
Similarly, the projection of the awning – how much it extends outwards – will dictate how much shade is available to sit under. Depending on the direction of your garden, and how the sun crosses it, you may be able have a smaller awning or you might want a larger one.
Equally, if you’ve got a smaller patio, you may which to choose a smaller awning just so that the space isn’t overpowered by it. Bear in mind though, you don’t have to fully extend your awning every time you use it.
READ NEXT: Best Sun Shade Sails
Awning Strength and Durability
We know that the conditions in the great outdoors can be a little wearing, so an awning needs to be strong and durable.
Awnings with a torsion bar, like the Greenbay DIY Patio Retractable Manual Awning and the WALTONS EST. 1878 Manual Awning are going to be stronger than those without. This bar becomes the backbone of the awning and absorbs movement and tension.
If your awning has a full cassette, meaning it is completely covered when it is retracted, it is going to be better protected from the elements when not in use. A half cassette will protect the awning from dust and light rain, but you will want to take it down when the weather turns because it won’t be very well protected.
You can also help improve the durability of your awning by retracting it when the weather gets too windy. If a newspaper cannot be left on the table unweighted, it is generally considered too windy to have the awning out. If you leave the awning out in windy weather, it’s unlikely to last as long.
A final point to improve the durability of your awning: retract your awning when no-one is under it. You may think that it will be fine left up for a couple of hours unattended, but if the wind suddenly picks up and it is not taken in, you’re asking for damage which could have been avoided.
READ NEXT: Best Pop Up Gazebos
UV and Rain Protection
Awnings are primarily for providing shade. As a result, you want to look for one which provides UV protection. A UPF rating of 50+ will mean that your awning will be able to block around 98% of the sun’s UV rays.
If your awning doesn’t have UV protection, you might be surprised to find that you can get burnt through the canopy fabric, despite thinking you’re in the shade. Ideally you should look for UPF 50+ and then you will have peace of mind.
Try to look for an awning with waterproof canopy fabric. Although awnings shouldn’t be used in really heavy showers (large puddles forming on the awning will likely damage it), they can generally protect you from some rain. Knowing our UK summers, it’s always a good idea to have this protection so that you don’t worry about it; buy an awning which states it is waterproof.
Having the awning at a 14-degree angle will help water run off the canopy and avoid puddles forming. This is good to bear in mind if it does start to rain.
Garden Awning FAQs
Yes, but keep a few things in mind – a retractable awning will protect against light rain. However, due to its retractable nature, the structure isn’t quite as strong as a static awning. As a result, you should avoid allowing rain (or even snow!) to pool on top of the awning. It will weigh down the canopy and put too much pressure on the awning’s arms.
Patio awnings should be at least 230 cm from the ground. This is a good height to allow headroom under the canopy.
If you want to use your awning with a more severely angled valance, you may which to position the awning higher on the wall. This is to ensure that the extended edge of the canopy is still high enough to allow people to walk under it.
You should get help fitting a garden awning and need at least two people. Firstly, the structure is heavy to manage alone, secondly, it’s impossible to fit it to the wall with one person.
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