Hopefully this will make our reviews and information much easier on the eye than the previous skin. We will also have the ability to add many more pictures with the new design making the whole blog a lot better for our readers.

If you have any feedback or requests to make the site better then please do not hesitate to get in touch either via email or using the comment form below!

The problem comes about when you do not have a flat wall to install your Sun Awning to. Fortunately there are several solutions that will allow you to install in these situations.

Bungalows are particularly awkward to install Sun Awnings to due to the lack of solid wall space. You should never install a Sun Awning on the top courses of bricks as the force will just pull the bricks away and end up causing damage to your property. Also there is the risk that the Sun Awning could collapse when this happens.

So what do you use if you are in this situation? Well, Sun Awning experts will use what is known as spreader plates. These are plates that attach to the Sun Awning at the top and then come down the wall, usually by between 50 to 75cm. Usually there are three fixing points spanning down the wall. This means that even though the Sun Awning is situated around the top courses of bricks, the fixings are much lower down. These have the strength of brickwork above meaning they will not pull away.

Another problem that often will affect bungalows is that even with spreader plates, the Sun Awning is just too low and unless it has hardly any pitch on it and extends completely flat, then you will restrict your view and potentially hit your head on the front plate when it is in use. Having a Sun Awning coming out flat is not a good thing as even with the slightest shower, rain water will pool on the fabric, very quickly causing extreme stresses on the Sun Awning possibly leading to damage.

The solution here is to use an S shaped bracket. Similar to the spreader plates these come down the wall around 75cm and have three to four fixing points. At the top the brackets steps out and upwards. This allows you to clear soffits and usually the Sun Awning sits just above the gutter line.

Any house that has the upper walls tile hung will also benefit from a smaller version of the S bracket. It simply doesn’t step out quite so far. As each bracket is usually custom made, they can apply to many situations.

Another common problem that crops up time and time again when installing a Sun Awning is that there is a pipe, maybe a drainpipe or soil pipe right there in the middle of the wall that you wanted to install your Sun Awning to. Pipe brackets are the solution here.

Pipe brackets are usually quite compact brackets. They usually consist of a plate that attaches to the wall of the house, an extension, usually box section, extends out horizontally to the desired distance to clear the obstruction. A second plate connects to this box section that allows you to fit the Sun Awning.

In some instances brickwork may be of such a poor standard that it will not take a Sun Awning.  It may be a timber framed building, or even a static caravan where you wish to utlise the Sun Awning. If this is the case then the only alternative is to make the Awning freestanding. This is easily achieved using support posts.

Support posts are generally made out of 8cm box section. They are sunk in the ground close to the building. As with all the brackets mentioned above, they are powder coated to blend in. The Sun Awning then mounts directly to the posts meaning that the fixings are totally independent to the building itself. Usually a hole is dug around 60cm deep and fast drying cement is used.

Taking all of the above methods into account there is rarely a time that a Sun Awning can not be fitted to a property. Some people are just not aware that these options exist. Sure, they may add a little extra expense, but the benefits of using a Sun Awning far outweigh this minor negative.

By using the correct shading systems you can enjoy outdoors and keep your home cool even on the hottest of days.

Awning for home

Awnings are a great type of shading system as they offer shade to sit under as well as room shade. They are easily extended or retracted at the push of a button and can be fully automated. A high quality Awning will offer excellent protection for the harmful UV rays of the sun and often extremely large outdoor areas can be protected.

Awnings will stay looking pristine as when not in use, they retrace back into an aluminium casing that protects the fabric and the mechanism for the harsher weather conditions.

Window Canopies.

These are similar to the Sun Awnings, however their primary aim is to stop the sun from getting into a window and are rarely suitable for sitting under outdoors. Sun Canopies are generally drop arm awnings or Dutch canopies and they cover usually around 50% of the window. This allows you to still see outdoors and enjoy the view whilst blocking the majority of the sun.

Again these retractable Sun Canopies can be fully automated to work when you are not at home, keeping your home cool and your furniture protected from the damaging rays of the Sun.

Sun Screens

These are a type of external roller blind. They cover the window completely and offer protection from the sun whilst not blocking the light. Often you are able to see right through the fabric so your view is not ruined. The special type of fabric reflects heat before it even hits the window glass thus keeping temperatures really low. Of course carpets and furnishings are protected as well.

Sun Screens can often withstand stronger winds that Sun Awnings or canopies. This makes them the ideal solution for full automation, keeping your home cool when you are not at home.

Zip Sun Screens offer the added benefit of zipping up at the sides. This allows you to bring the screen down, open the window or door and let a nice cool breeze come in, without the heat and without unwanted insects getting into your home as well!

Conservatory Roof Blinds

These are designed to block the heat before it even gets into your conservatory. Conservatory Roof Blinds use the same fabric as the Sun Screens and reflect heat but still allow in the light.

Often people who own conservatories have found that they simply could not go into their conservatory even on a mildly warm day as it was simply too hot. The Conservatory Roof Blind allows you to use your conservatory even on the hottest of days.

Again, Conservatory Roof Blinds can be fully automated using a sun and wind sensor to ensure that your room stays cool even when you are out.

Often these products can be expensive to buy, however the changes to your lifestyle can be well worth the investment and often these products will add significant value to your property if you decide to sell it.

As well as the practical use of the Veranda, the pleasing aesthetic benefits can be significant. This is especially so of the more tradition Victorian styled Verandas.

Victorian Verandas are usually manufactured to suit your requirements and they generally have a glass roof though some do choose to utlise polycarbonate sheets as an alternative. The frame is generally made from aluminium or steel though aluminium Verandas are the metal of choice due to the fact that it will not rust so remains looking good for many years.

The main distinguishing factor of the Victorian Verandas is the columns that support the lean to roof. Usually the columns are spaced approximately 3m apart and take the style of an old Victorian lamp post. At the top of the posts you will often fit quarter arches or lattice work that joins the post to the supporting eaves beam.

If you have an older property your new Victorian Veranda will look as though it has been part of your property for many years. It is also possible to have your Veranda powder coated in any given colour to ensure that it blends perfectly.

Creating an outdoor sheltered area can offer many benefits to your property. In 99% of cases planning permission will not be required and immediately you will have added significant value to your home. A little bit of rain will not stop you enjoying dining outdoors and with the addition of some of the more common Conservatory Roof blinds you can install to the roof, you can even remain cool when under your Veranda the intense heat of mid summer.

Victorian Verandas do vary a lot in price depending on the size of the structure and what is involved to achieve your requirements. The materials used also play a large part in the costs. If you are looking for a quality Victorian Veranda using glass for the roof and aluminium for the structure, companies will often visit your home to prove a free, no obligation quotation so you can have a true indication of how much it will cost.

Awnings for homes brings to you something special. It is almost like having another room on your house that is fully retractable when not in use. At the press of a button your sun awning will extend offering you shade from the sun as well as providing shelter when there is light rain. On top of this your home remains cool and your furnishings protected.

UV rays from the sun damage furniture and cause skin damage so it is very important to be protected if you intend to sit outdoors or you have a window that tends to get a lot of sun. With the use of sun and wind automation your awning can come extend and retract even whilst you are not at home. This ensures that you get home to a cool room and your furnishings are protected.

Many people are put off of the idea of getting a Sun Awning for their home because they believe there is not the possibility of achieving successful installation. Sun Awnings are were first designed for across Europe. Many of these buildings have no obstructions such as drain pipes and chimneys in the middle of the wall you would intend to fit to. Bungalows or houses with low soffits are also very uncommon. Here in the UK almost all walls have some kind of obstruction that would prevent a Sun Awning being installed in the ideal location.

Sun Awning specialists can overcome these obstacles with ease. Using specially designed brackets made out of steel and powder coated to remain aesthetically pleasing and resistant to rust, an awning can be mounted in almost any location.  Here are some of the main types of brackets you will find.

Pipe Brackets

Pipe brackets are specially designed to bring the awning away from the wall to miss obstacles mounted on the wall. Often gutter downpipes, soil pipes or even plants such as ivy will stop the awning being able to be installed flat on the wall. Using two or more pipe brackets you are able to bring the awning past the obstructions. Bear in mind that this will leave a gap behind the awning. This is usually no problem unless you are looking for rain shelter. The easiest method to overcome this is to fit some PVC soffit board to the back of the awning, filling the gap.

Gutter Brackets

Gutter brackets, often called S brackets because of their shape, are designed to bring the awning out then up. These are the ideal solutions for bungalows or where there are low soffits. Mounting an awning too low will reduce the view and potentially make it dangerous as people could hit their head on it. using gutter brackets you are able to bring the awning out from under the soffit and in line with, or slightly above the gutter line.

Spreader Plates

If you have a single storey extension or very few bricks above where the desired location for the awning then you may well need spreader plates. If you install an awning on the top few courses of bricks, especially when there is little weight above the awning you can often find the brickwork could pull away or crack leaving you with all sorts of issues down the line. Spreader plates are usually 500mm to 1m in length and they allow you install your awning in the desired location but bring the fixings further down the wall where they will be much stronger.

Posts

Sometimes your building will not have the strength to hold and awning full stop. This might be because the walls are made of weak brick or perhaps it is for a static home or even wooden summer house. Either way, your building will not hold the weight of an awning no matter what. Using 80 x80mm posts you can install them into the ground, usually 600mm deep or so and mount the awning to these posts. This makes a totally independent free standing structure so no weight or strain is put on your building at all. The posts can mount very close tot he building and be powder coated to blend in. You would hardly even notice that it was a free standing structure.

To summarise, there are very few situations where a sun awning for your home cannot be installed.  Of course you should seek the advice from an awning expert but you should be able to achieve the shade, shelter and protection for wherever you feel it would most benefit your property.

This often is a more than satisfactory solution for most people, however there are a lot of people that would like to save some money by surveying and installing a Sun Awning themselves. With the age of the internet it is easy to check out various model and styles and make a decision without the need of a sales representative.

The current Sun Awnings market in the UK is pretty divided at the moment. On one hand you have the home improvement companies who offer exceptionally high quality Sun Awning products but only as a whole package, and the other side is where you can only buy dirt cheap, low quality Sun Awnings that are designed on price and not quality.

Fortunately there are now companies emerging that cater for those who want to give self fitting  a Sun Awning a go yet do not want to be forced into buying substandard  inferior Awning products.

When you decide to buy a Sun Awning you will be presented with many different options from Awning style, frame colour fabric type, fabric colour as well as of course size.  Some companies will stock many different sizes with many different colour variations but unless they have a substantial Sun Awning warehouse this will still be extremely limiting simply due to the number of choices that are available to you.

Other companies offer a bespoke Sun Awning service where they will manufacture a high quality Sun Awning based on your requirements. This is by far the most ideal solution as you can tailor your Awning to blend perfectly with your property as well as provide the exact area of shelter that is required.

Try http://www.sun-awnings-direct.co.uk for a bespoke, supply only Sun Awning service

So what are Zip Screens? Well they are a type of exterior roller blind that consists of a special type of fabric that is specifically designed to reflect the heat from the sun before it even hits your window or door. As well as this the screens cut glare and prevent UV damage to furnishings within your property. All of this is achieved whist not blocking the light. Indeed, with many of the fabrics you can still see the outside world clearly through the material.

External sun blinds like this have been around for some time and have been found to be extremely effective at cutting heat and protecting furnishings. These sun screens had several negative points such as not being able to use them in strong winds as well as large visible gaps down either side.

The Zip Screen removes all negatives from the older styled sun screen.  As the name would suggest, the Zip Screen uses a zip device that, as the blind lowers, the fabric is zipped to the guide channel creating a strong seal. This allows the screen to be used in wind speeds up to beaufort 5 (wind class 3) and of course, there are no gaps to let in unwanted sunlight.

Zip Screens are extremely versatile as, not only can they be installed to windows and doors, they can also be used on the sides and fronts of outdoor structures such as Glass Verandas. The Zip Screens they offer heat protection, privacy, protection from the wind and an excellent block against unwanted insects disturbing your summertime outdoor meal!

Primarily Zip Screens are electric in operation. This means that you will be provided with a remote control and at the press of a button, your screen can be lowered or raised. You can keep your home cool and your furnishings protected when you are not at home by using a sun and wind sensor to operate the Zip Screen whilst you are out.

When not in use, Zip Screens retract back into a small cassette above your window or door. These are generally 10cm square or less so extremely unobtrusive. The frames can be made in any colour so it is easy to select something that will blend perfectly with your property or veranda.

Interested in Zip Screens? Visit http://www.nationwideltd.co.uk for a bespoke manufacturing and installation service  for the UK market.

It is uncommon to have such heat so early in the year but hopefully this is a sign that a good summer is at last on its way to us!

Sitting in the sun makes you realise its immense power and how important it should be to keep yourself and your children out of the sun for any length period of time. With the sun so high in the sky at this time of year it is often the case that dun damage can be caused right up to 8 in the evening! Something that doesn’t really happen towards the end of July to August when we usually see the hottest weather.

As you know, I am a strong believer in the use of Patio Awnings. Patio Awnings are a great way to instantly provide an area of shade that can used to sit under or allow children to play under. More important than shade is the fact that quality Patio Awnings will offer a high level of UV protection, cutting out the majority of the harmful rays of the sun.

Patio Awnings are really an ideal solution as, at the press of a button the Awning will extend. When it is no longer required, the retractable sun awning will close back into a neat and tidy cassette which you would hardly notice is there.

If your patio gets the sun for the majority of the day you can quickly find that your house heats up to uncomfortable levels. There are solutions to this problem such as the use of exterior sun screens, or the new zip screens. However, often just extending your Patio Awning will keep your room cool as well allow you to look outside without being blinded by the sun!

There are many varieties of Patio Awnings out the market at the moment. Some are really cheap but do not expect these cheap models to last long and be very careful as lower quality fabrics may offer shade but sometimes do not offer very good UV resistance so the chances of getting burnt are still likely!

As the weather is now meant to get cooler for the coming days we should all keep our fingers crossed that this mini heat wave is a sign that summer is going to be good this year!

My experience with Web on High was very poor indeed. To their advantage their customer service team is  friendly and eager to please. However if you are looking for results then my advice would be to stay well clear of Web on High.

The site that Web On High worked on was in a competitive marketplace. It was agreed that we would pay a substantial monthly charge for their services. I was happy to do so as I was confident in the promises that Web On high had made to me. The site required strong backlinks to be obtained to maintain the prominence in the search engine. Web On High initially tweaked the design of the site over the first month of using them.  They did a good job of this however from this moment on Web On High began to fail.

After a month or so activity and communication from Web On High seemed to cease altogether. I expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of communication regarding the work that was supposedly being carried out. It is clear that results cannot be achieved overnight with SEO however I expressed that I wanted to be kept in the loop to be sure that things were happening in an acceptable manner rather than wait for 12 months to realise the job was not being done or being done to a substandard level. Rather than the results improving, the site started to drop down the rankings for important keywords.

A meeting was arranged to discuss what had been going on.

At the meeting I requested to know what link building had already taken place. Initially I was shocked at Web On High’s policy to not reveal where they obtain their links. This was crazy to me as I wanted to be able to easily monitor the performance I could only assume they did not want to reveal where they obtained their links because they did not want to reveal unethical or black hat practices. Perhaps now I look back it might have been because of how few links they would attempt to achieve It was agreed that an exception would be made and Web On High would indeed divulge a monthly report of what links were obtained.  At the meeting the sales manager from Web On High agreed that the current work was not good enough and things would be stepped up to ensure results did not slip. I agreed to continue with Web On High with the assurances things would improve.

A lot of time was taken to make clear the keywords we wanted to rank for- our primary product range. Initially Web On High had come up with a list of around 20 primary phrases and 20 secondary phrases. It was clear from the work they were doing Web On High would never be able to focus on a list this long so it was refined down to 5 or 6 keyphrases.

After the meeting I received an email from Web on High with a list of links that were currently being sought after. The list contained around 20 sites and the majority looked like they could well provide a high quality link.

Three months later results were still slipping. I received a report showing a bunch of irrelevant phrases that had moved in the search engines. My list of primary phrases seemed to have been disregarded. After several requests for the list of links achieved by Web On High I was presented with  a small handful of links that had been achieved within three months.   One was placed on a site that Web on High owns – so not much work to get this. Another was placed clearly on a page that offered a reciprocal link service – something that Google and other search engines frown upon. Not only would it carry no value but it could also ultimately have a negative affect on our campaign. The other links were made up by them rewriting three old articles.

I one again expressed dissatisfaction as the promises that had been made three months ago clearly had not been forthcoming. I was contacted by the managing director of Web On High, Alan Eager who expressed his concerns and promised to look into things but he could not do so immediately. I accepted this though did ask for someone to get back to me to update me as to what work was going to happen to repair the damage the innactivity had caused.

After hearing nothing from anyone else at Web on High I wrote again to the managing director of Web On High. He had not realised I wanted a response back from someone else, perhaps a misunderstanding, fair enough but this was now two weeks later, two more weeks of inactivity, two more weeks of paying a high premium to not receive any service. He again acknowledged that work had been not up to scratch and referred to it a being a “blip” he offered one months fee refunded. I was not prepared to accept this as the work had clearly been substandard for some months.

Mr Eager then got very defensive. He seemed most upset by the fact that I had started my email to him with just “Good morning”.  His previous acknowledgments that the service provided by Web On High was not good enough seemed to vanish and he seemed very upset that I even wanted to question the work that Web On High was not doing.  Realising now that Web On High were never going to achieve any results using their methods and realising that the fee they were charging was extortionate for the actual working time they were putting in I terminated the contract.

To summarise Web On High have friendly staff and are capable of on site optimistation. Web On high unfortunately however seem to have no care or clue in off site optimisation at all which is really what the majority of ranking in the search engines is all about. Web On High also makes promises that they do not keep and the managing director of Web on High perceives a customer wanting to be updated about work that they are paying for but not receiving as  just an inconvenience.

Since terminating with Web on High the site is recovering nicely. Work has been taken on for a fraction of Web On High’s charges and regular updates are provided to justify the work that is being paid for.