Spring is in the air! And summer isn’t far away!! Those lazy hazy days that all Canadians wish for all winter long are nearly here. With spring and summer come family get-togethers. Backyard barbeques, pool parties and eating dinner on the patio are just a few of the things we like to do in the spring and summer sun. All of these activities are made that much better when you have a home that is equipped with shade-making accessories such as awnings and patio or deck umbrellas.

But how do you decide which of these is best for your home? Umbrellas and awnings are suited to different situations. It depends on your needs and the design of your home and yard. Let’s take a look at the differences.

What Works Better For Patios?

Some homeowners may have a modest sized yard. Part of the yard could be landscaped to include a patio that is away from the home. Sometimes this patio area might have an open gazebo or just simply be decorated with some accent potted plants and include outdoor furniture with a seating area. In this situation, a patio umbrella would be a great solution to providing much needed shade. Not only does the umbrella provide shade, but it also helps to protect you and your family from the damaging rays of the sun. There is a wide selection of styles, colours and sizes to choose from.

How About Around the Pool?

Around the pool is another place where the patio umbrella would be best suited. If you use a smaller umbrella you can move it around and place it just where you need it. Larger umbrellas can be placed over tables with seating to provide shade to a group of people at the same time. If the umbrella isn’t required, it is easily cranked closed and secured, protecting it from wind.

What about My Deck?

If you have a large deck, some areas might have greater sun exposure than others. This is when the use of a deck umbrella is most effective. The deck umbrella can provide shade to areas that are not protected by an awning. It can also be adjusted and angled so that no matter what position the sun is at, you can provide shade to that area of the deck. Often a deck umbrella is used around a seating area such as a table with chairs. This offers the perfect setting for a summer evening family meal.

Where are the optimal spots for setting up an awning?

Awnings work best when used for decks and patios that are directly adjacent to your home. The awning is installed on the side of your home, covering your deck and provides optimum shade from the hot summer sun as well as protection from sudden rain showers. Awnings are available in a wide selection of styles, colours and sizes, just like patio and deck umbrellas. While awnings can be more expensive, they are a more permanent solution to providing shade to you and your family. An awning not only provides protection from the sun, it also provides curb appeal to your home. We recommend purchasing a retractable awning for your home. This gives you the convenience of being able to retract the awning when you don’t need it including during the winter. One advantage of awnings over patio umbrellas is that awnings not only provide protection from the sun outdoors but they also shade your home from the damaging rays of the sun.

As you can see, both umbrellas and awnings are a great addition to your home. Both provide protection from the sun and both enhance your enjoyment of your home and yard. Each has their own purpose and when used together can provide you and your family with optimum protection from the hot summer sun.

If you’re interested in giving your home shade this summer, Contact Jans Awnings to see what we can do for you.

Not too far into the future, the signs of Spring will be upon us once more with warmer days, longer hours of daylight and buds breaking through the ground to delight us with a multitude of floral scents. The beginnings of spring gives us many reasons to be joyous, but with all of the enthusiasm we experience for the warm days of spring and hot days of summer to follow come the pesky bugs to annoy us. As we get our homes and properties ready for outdoor living, so too do the bugs and birds get ready for nesting. Unfortunately, many homeowners discover that one of the prime locations that they love to invade is under your beautiful awning.

Here are some tips on how you can prevent these little critters from making their home beneath your awning so that your time outside is enjoyable without an invasions of pests.

Wasps, Hornets and Yellow Jackets

Many people try to get rid of these stinging pests to no avail and they can be tricky preventing them from nesting under an awning, your yard or around your home. The best approach is to start a treatment program once the nest appears so that small problems don’t turn into bigger ones. The first step in eliminating the bugs is to inspect your home, property and awning regularly for active nests. The 5 most common locations for nesting occur:

• Under roof awnings, retractable or stationary awnings
• Behind window shutters
• Hanging from tree branches
• Inside fence posts and play sets
• Inside hollow out tree trunks or stacked wood

Yellow jacket nests are particularly hard to find because they are well hidden, so you have to be a bit like a detective to spot them and track them down. They like to nest in the shade or in shaded areas, so check areas under trees or awnings.

Treating a wasp or hornet nest is not that difficult if you do it smartly and take precautions. If you are stung while attempting to get rid of them and experience severe symptoms, get medical attention ASAP!

You can use any good commercial product, like Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer for outdoor nests. After you have thoroughly saturated the nest, you can remove it after 24 hours. Treat the nest at dusk or dawn when flying insects are less likely to be active and remember to wear gloves and long sleeve clothing. Do not spray directly underneath the nest, but rather farther away and always spray with the wind.

The Buzzing Bee

Unlike wasps, hornets and yellow jackets, bees are typically pudgy, hairy and much more docile.  They are important pollinators and for the most part can be left alone, unless of course, they’ve decided to set up house under your awning. If you do discover a colony of bees have made a permanent residence beneath your awning, it is best to call a beekeeper to remove them safely and properly.

Birds

Birds can also be unwelcomed guest under patio awnings and these furry little creatures can be frustrating to relocate, but relocating they must. There are a variety of methods you can use to detract birds from nesting under your awning, like using bird netting. It will keep the birds away and in the event they do come to close to it, they will not become trapped in it. Another method is to destroy the nest before birds lay their eggs. If they have already laid eggs, wait until the offspring have taken flight then destroy the nest so it cannot be reused again next season. Lastly, create a sense of danger by spending time near your patio awning and creating noise and movement.

Here is a great YouTube video to watch for bird proofing a Patio Awning:

If you would like any more information on Awnings, Contact Jans Awnings and speak with a professional today.