The history and repair of window awnings
New declaration: We all need aluminum awnings. The are wonderfully decorative. They are authentic retro. They will help your pinch pleats resist sun rot. And if you have any heat beating down on your house – they can cut your air conditioning costs dramatically – they’re green! I’ll be doing more research on this topic around where to get authentic midcentury style aluminum awnings today. Meanwhile, the National Park Service has a detailed Preservation Brief all about window awnings, including how to care for vintage ones still on your home. Its focus is principally on historic commercial structures, but it’s still quite useful and interesting. For example, here’s what they say about awnings in the 1950s:
Widely available by the 1950s, aluminum awnings were touted as longer-lasting and lower-maintenance than traditional awnings. Though used on small-scale commercial structures, they were especially popular with homeowners. Aluminum awnings were made with slats called “pans” arranged horizontally or vertically. For variety and to match the building to which they were applied, different colored slats could be arranged to create stripes or other decorative patterns. While aluminum awnings were usually fixed, in the 1960s several operable roller awnings were developed, including one with the trade name Flexalum Roll-Up.
Here’s the link to the NPS Brief. Meanwhile, stay tuned for research on where-to-buy. And of course, I’ll take any help you have to share!
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My family used to have a business doing fabric awnings back in the late 80’s to early 90’s in the Detroit, MI area, but we never did aluminum. But, helping to run that business for five years made me aware of all of the other awning companies in the area, so I can share what I know for the Detroit, MI area:
WayneCraft: http://thriftyaluminum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=27
Marygrove: http://www.marygrove.com/residential/aluminum.cfm
And this company appears to have multiple dealers around the country: http://www.craftbilt.com/aluminum/index.php
I had one aluminum awning at my old house – I think the previous owners had removed all of the others. I did love the sound when it rained.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for posting about awnings. I see them on older homes and always wonder about them. They usually look to be structurally ok, but they need paint. I always wonder about the energy saving they provide and whether they make the house too dark, especially in the winter.
I <3 awnings.
I would love to have aluminum awnings on my home! I’ve been trying to find them, but no dice so far.
someone is gonna shoot me for this but I had aluminum awnings on my windows when I moved in to my 70’s rancher. Well, it had green awnings I didn’t like them so down they came. After sitting behind the garage for a while I put them out on the front lawn with a F/S best offer sign. I think I sold them all for $20.00.
I wish I had them on my west facing windows. It would look so much better than the faux rattan blinds I have hanging off the facia boards.
My mother-in-laws house has them (on the west side only!) and they still look good 57 years later.
Trase – Thanks for all the links. On the Thrifty site, you can design your own awning – mix and match colors for main body / stripe / scallop. Lots o’ family fun!
http://thriftyaluminum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=57
mcmeg – here’s what one of the awnings sellers in the list that trase supplied says about winter:
“A properly sized aluminum awning can control the heat of the summer sun, yet let warm rays stream in during winter when the sun is positioned lower in the sky!”
In addition, there’s a design called Alum-a-roll that appears to be targeted at folks who want to roll the awning up in the winter…
Thanks Pam!
Love those, and could definitely use them on our Hacienda, thanks for the info!
I’ve been looking into these for a future date, too, and found this source in Santa Clara, CA:
http://www.koolmetal.com/
According to the website, they’ve a factory showroom in Sunnyvale, I need to get out there someday …!
Thanks for this information. I used to think awnings were for old ladies. I used to think if a woman was over age 50, she was an old lady. That logic qualifies me to now be an old lady, so now I am ready for some awnings!
(Since we can’t spring for awnings right now, we have morning glories growing up strands of twine in front of our west-facing windows. It creates great shade and a cottage-y effect, and the cats love to hide behind the leaves.)
Great info! I have one aluminum awning on my house, but it doesn’t resemble the ones in this post’s photograph. It flat and looks more like slats. The sides have beautiful filigree supports. I love it, I just wish I knew how to clean it!
LOL, guess I haven’t searched that well!
For those of us who live in Southwestern Michigan (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, New Buffalo, Benton Harbor, etc.) here’s a site I found:
http://www.muskegonawnings.com
They carry a wide assortment and they have the old time aluminum awnings with the scalloped edges and vertical stripes.
They also offer free on-site measuring to our communities.
I haven’t searched the South Bend/Northern Indiana area yet but will.
Wow! We’ve always noticed houses with cool awnings, but I never thought they would still be available! They would have looked so precious on our modest early-50’s brick rambler… However, now we live in a split-level, which is mostly covered in siding. Did split-levels have awnings or were they considered passe by the late 50’s?
Sumac Sue – Ha, ha! Too funny! I remember when I thought 30 was old… Now that I’m 36, I try to tell myself that “I’m ONLY in my 30’s”. I guess it happens to us all – if we are lucky enough to live a long life. =)
Oh, my gosh, I love awnings! I’ve been admiring the aluminum ones for years, but I get strange looks from people that don’t understand. These are great resources. Thanks for all the links!
Wait! I have an aluminum patio cover (that’s probably original). I never thought of it as an awning, but I guess it is. On a sunny day, as it heats and cools, it sounds like raindrops are hitting it.
I know for a fact that the midwest “box store” chain Men@rds still has the aluminum awnings available, in different colors of course, and they may even be operable. I’ll have to report back on what I find the next time I’m in there. -Cory
My grandmother’s home use to have awnings and to this day I still look at home with awnings and get the sensation that I’m seeing eyelashes on houses. I think they are charming and add a lot of character.
This post speaks to my heart! I’ve always loved our awnings, and now I know I’m not alone. We have the Alum-a-roll style awnings on 4 of our windows, and they work WONDERS at helping keep our 40’s half-cod (I think our house qualifies as a Cape Cod, even though it is only 1 floor with a large attic) cool in the summer. Unfortunately they no longer roll up the way they were designed to; however, they’re pretty easy to simply remove, manually roll up, and store in the garage for the winter. We’d love to have them repaired so that the rolling mechanisms work again. If anyone discovers a place/person to repair them, please share! We live in Columbus, Ohio.
I had aluminum awnings on my 1950’s ranch and loved them. Sure, they needed to be repainted but still looked good. I believe they helped keep the house cool in the summer and let plenty of light in during the winter when the sun was lower in the sky. When I sold the house, the new owner requested that I remove them. They were on the west facing side of the house and I’m sure that his electric bill went up at least 50 bucks a month once they were gone.
Sorry to buck the crowd, but nothing beats the look and beauty of fabric awnings on a house. Yes, they are not as permanent as aluminum, but they soften the architecture and provide texture to the exterior. The new acrylic fabrics don’t need to be taken down for the winter, and they save energy on air conditioned houses. Sadly, all awnings are expensive now because of their limited use on new houses.
YES! Now I need to know how to go about replacing vintage case molding around windows and the whole window issue will be done.
Richard – my family had an awning company from 1988-1994 and we did fabric awnings – not aluminum. Sadly, people were not willing to pay the price required to produce a quality product, not only from an appearance, but also from a structural quality standpoint, in order for us to stay in business. We had very low costs in terms of production, because it was a “daughter” business to another (automotive and marine upholstery). There were many times when we would provide a quote and get underbid by someone making their frames out of plumbing materials (ours were rigid custom welded steel frames) or the customer would choose aluminum due to cost differential.
Personally, I like both aluminum and fabric awnings, it simply depends upon the home and application. But it should be noted that *quality* fabric awnings should have a price that reflects the custom work which is involved. If they don’t, the framework should be questioned – because it may just fall apart in the first strong gust of wind!
Hi all, I was looking for information about our awning. We are looking to sell the aluminum awning that was over the front door of our home build in 1948. I have never seen one of these that was of this size, and it is white with two dark green slats/stripes. I have not cleaned it or painted it for fear of messing it up. What is the best way to clean it? Also, what is the best way to sell it (craigslist/ebay)??
Does anyone have Bahama shutters, or have any feedback on their use on ranch homes? They seem like an acceptable solution for hurricane protection, heat and light control, and adding a touch of “Florida vernacular” to a rancher. Is there any other solution for us Florida dwellers?