Made-to-measure awnings, fitted and set up by us

On a balcony of normal depth the choice is nearly always the drop-arm awning: it comes down vertically in front of the railing, does not steal floor space and stops the low sun of morning and evening, which is what reaches furthest in. If the balcony is wide, or it is a terrace with room for a table, the folding-arm awning makes sense, shading from above with no posts on the floor.

The measurement that decides is not the width, it is the projection: an awning that comes out too little leaves uncovered exactly the strip near the railing. If you are in a block of flats, read the building rules before choosing model and colour: nearly all of them require a single shade across the facade.

When the sun comes in low and from the side, that is, on east- and west-facing facades, and when you also want a bit of privacy. A folding-arm awning shades from above and against the seven o'clock evening sun it does practically nothing, while a drop-arm closes the vertical plane.

It has to be kept taut, otherwise it flaps and wears: you use steel cable guides or side arms that push it out by a few degrees. On the fabric you have two routes: more open technical meshes let you see out, solid fabrics give sharp shade and close the view.

There is no price per awning because there is no standard awning. You pay per square metre of fabric, that is, width by projection, and three items weigh on that number: the type (drop-arm, folding-arm, with or without cassette), the quality of the fabric and the motorisation with the wind sensor. The fixing is the fourth item, and it can only be priced after seeing the wall.

When you compare two quotes, check that they state the wind resistance class, the name of the fabric and the type of brackets. If one costs much less than the other, it is nearly always because one of those three lines is missing. We put the figure in writing after the site visit, and from there it does not move.

TEMPOTEST is the brand of awning fabrics we work with. The family most used outdoors is solution-dyed acrylic: the colour is not printed onto the yarn, it is inside the fibre, so the sun bleaches it far more slowly than a surface-dyed fabric.

Outdoor acrylic is also water-repellent and breathable, so no greenhouse effect builds up underneath and light rain runs off. It is not a roof, though: in a storm the awning has to be closed, and closed dry.

A standard-size awning costs less and on a small balcony it may be enough. The problems come on two fronts. The size, because a balcony almost never matches a catalogue size and you end up leaving a strip uncovered or giving up projection. And the fixing, which is the part nobody sells with the awning.

An open folding-arm awning pulls on the fixings like a lever: how much it holds depends on what is behind the plaster, and on external wall insulation you need a bracket that reaches the load-bearing masonry. The difference between the two routes shows there, not in the fabric.

Fabric open and dry, a soft brush to take away dust and deposits, then cold or lukewarm water and mild soap. Rinse well and leave it open until it is completely dry. No bleach, no solvents and above all no pressure washer: the jet opens the weave and takes the water-repellent treatment away.

The fabric does not go in the washing machine and is not ironed. One go at the start of the season and one at the end is enough. What does most damage is not dirt, it is closing the awning wet.

Black marks on acrylic are almost never mould in the fabric: the fibre is synthetic and does not feed it. It is mould grown on the organic dirt deposited on top, so it is attached to the layer of dirt, not to the yarn. Treat it with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, working patiently and rinsing well.

If it resists there are detergents made for outdoor acrylic fabrics. Avoid bleach: it strips the colour and ruins the water repellency. The real remedy is preventive, though: never close the fabric damp and remove leaves and dust before they turn to paste with the water.

Yes, and it is the normal way to do it: awning fully out, dry brushing, washing with water and mild soap using a long-handled brush, rinsing and air drying. Taking the fabric off is only needed for a deep wash or for a repair.

If the balcony is on the third floor the problem is not the washing, it is reaching it safely: you work from inside the balcony with the pole, without leaning out and without climbing on the railing. On awnings with a big projection or on tall facades it is a job to do with the right equipment, not balancing on a chair.

A small tear away from the edges can be stopped with a self-adhesive patch for outdoor fabrics, applied on both sides with the fabric clean and dry: it holds, but it shows. Unpicked seams are restitched with polyester thread, not ordinary sewing thread, which the sun destroys in one season.

When the tear starts from the edge, runs along a seam or the fabric has become brittle to the touch, it is better to replace the fabric: only that is changed and the structure, arms and motor stay where they are.

If the problem is heat, the awning wins hands down, because it works outside the glass. An internal venetian blind stops the light, but by the time the light reaches the slat the heat has already passed through the glass and is inside the room.

The venetian blind has other advantages: it doses the light slat by slat, it does not fear wind and it needs no seasonal maintenance. Many people have both, with the awning outside cutting the bulk of the sun and the blind inside regulating the light. External venetian blinds are something else again: they are shading in the full sense and behave like awnings.