The Good Canopy Guide | Able Canopies Ltd.

The Good Canopy Guide

0800 389 9072 www.ablecanopies.co.uk

The Good Canopy Guide What Makes a Good Canopy?

Choosing the correct canopy can be a daunting prospect as there are many different products and design options to choose from. Selecting a suitable canopy system is the first step, something that suits your needs, the intended use and the location. There will then be further choices to make about the fixing, roof covering, colour and any accessories.

To help you make those choices in an informed way, that ensures you get the outside weather protection you need, we have created this handy guide. It will explain the merits of the different options for materials and structure types and guide you through the key decisions to ensure you make the best choice for your site.

Here is our step by step guide to help you choose the perfect shade structure.

1. Frame Construction Our canopies are constructed from aluminum, steel or glulam timber.

Aluminum is the most popular material we use for our free standing and wall mounted canopies. This construction offers a strong framework which is durable, long lasting and can be finished in any RAL colour. Aluminium is also fully recyclable and cost effective.

Steel is also a popular material for our canopies as it is strong, robust and has an excellent architectural look and finish. Steel frames can be powder coated to any RAL colour enabling the structure to fit in with your surroundings seamlessly.

Glulaminated Timber is increasingly popular with our customers as it provides good looks, strong structures and cost effective coverage of large spaces. It is made from sustainable sources. It can be curved or straight and wall mounted or free standing, depending on your needs.

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2. Roof Materials Choosing the correct roof option is as important as the frame, because the covering affects both the look of the canopy and the feel of the area around it.

Our current roof panel options are: polycarbonate, glass, shade sail fabric and waterproof tensile fabric.

Polycarbonate roof panels are the most popular choice for canopy roofing systems, as they offer a cost effective and high-quality roofing solution. There are varying panel thicknesses to choose from; for example, our Coniston wall mounted canopy features 35mm polycarbonate panels which have a high impact resistance.

Glass roof panels add a contemporary, high quality finish to your canopy and are ideal for both modern settings and traditional buildings.

Our panels are made from toughened glass which is durable and has excellent acoustic properties - meaning that noise caused from heavy downpours will be dramatically reduced, avoiding disruption to those underneath.

Shade Sail Fabric is a great covering for a canopy. Our Shade Sail fabric has an unmatched strength and offers high UV protection, blocking up to 96% of UV rays. It is available in numerous contemporary colours to fit in with your surroundings and comes with a full 10-year guarantee against UV degradation.

Waterproof Tensile Fabric is a stylish roof covering which offers high UV protection, a waterproof shelter and has a modern, sleek look with a consistently smooth appearance. It is very durable and is supplied with a 5-year guarantee. Our tensile fabric is available in a wide variety of colours, including metallic finishes.

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3. Roof Pitch With a canopy you are spoilt for choice when it comes to the roof design. The roof pitch is a major feature in creating the look and feel for your canopy and there are designs which can be used to blend the canopy in with the existing building roof structures or create a stunning contrast. The design of your canopy roof will come down to personal preference and so this is something that needs to be discussed with all decision makers before making the final choice. It also has an important practical application to ensure water runs off efficiently.

The main roof pitch designs for our steel and timber framed canopies are mono pitch, domed, curved, apex, cantilevered and umbrella.

Mono-Pitch is an ideal choice if you are unsure what design to choose as this roof pitch is likely to fit in with any environment. This roof is the most popular design chosen by our customers as it offers clean, simple lines and is a very cost-effective option.

Domed roofs offer a modern feel to your environment and fit in with most settings. These are ideal in areas which have other domed roofs, to ensure a neat fit. They can also create an attractive contrast to areas where more traditional roof pitches are used.

Curved roof canopies look great adjacent to contemporary buildings as they create sloping effects. They are modern designs and are perfect for early years and primary settings, making a striking addition to any environment.

Apex roofs are very versatile and can fit in with all environments, however they are particularly suited to older, more traditionally designed buildings as they usually feature apex roofs too.

Cantilevered roofs have a modern appearance yet, as they have no front posts they tend to have small projections and are ideal for covering small areas such as entrances.

Umbrellas are ideal for more natural settings, as the roof shape blends well with trees and greener environments. We can offer large tensile umbrellas which are waterproof and UV resistantperfect for creating attractive outdoor seating areas.

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4. Size Choosing the size of the canopy depends on the size of the area that you wish to cover.

Some canopy designs are limited to certain sizes, others are more suited to large spans so researching the possible sizes for each design is important. You will also need to take in to consideration what you plan to use the canopy for, as certain purposes may require a larger canopy.

5. Colours and Finishes The finish you choose for your canopy can affect both its look and its life expectancy. At Able Canopies we offer three finish options for most of our canopies: galvanised, powder coated or galvanised and powder coated.

Galvanising your canopy provides the best corrosion protection and leaves your canopy with a dull silver finish. This finish works well in modern settings as it creates an industrial feel to the canopy.

If this is not ideal for your environment, you may wish to powder coat the framework instead; or alternatively you can galvanise and then powder coat it.

Choosing the colour of the canopy is not the most important factor, yet if a range of colours are offered to you it is a great advantage as you can choose to colour your canopy enabling it to fit in with your current surroundings. Or, if you prefer, you could make a striking feature of your canopy by choosing a contrasting colour to your current aesthetics.

6. Quality It is important that you choose a canopy company that offers quality and long-life expectancies with all their products to give you value for money and peace of mind. Here at Able Canopies, all our canopies can have a life expectancy of 25 years and we make sure we always use the highest quality materials possible to ensure that your canopy is durable and meets all your shade and shelter needs. Many of our systems come with 10-year guarantees, and all are made with CE marked materials.

7. UV Protection It is advisable to choose a canopy which offers high UV protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, especially for educational settings. Most of our canopies offer up to 98% UV protection from the sun making it easy to protect those underneath allowing them to play, sit or eat safely in sunny weather.

8. Bespoke canopies If you are unable the find a design that you require or need a canopy constructed from a specific material, we offer a Design & Build service to allow you to create a canopy tailor made to your requirements. Bespoke canopies can be almost any shape or size, as long as it is structurally viable. Contact us on 0800 389 9072 for more details.

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What to do Next Once you have an idea about your canopy design and materials, follow these 10 simple steps to help your canopy installation run as smoothly as possible.

1. Organise a Survey It is wise to arrange a site survey to ensure your chosen canopy is right for your site. At Able Canopies we offer a free site survey to qualifying customers so call us on 0800 389 9072 to find out if you qualify. Alternatively, we can supply an estimate based on asking you a few questions over the telephone and assessing photographs.

2. Planning Permission Check with your local council about planning permission for your canopy. Be sure to check if there are any special conditions regarding the size, height or the materials you would like the canopy to be constructed from. Here at Able Canopies we offer free planning advice to guide you through the whole application process.

3. Quotation Next, request a quotation based on the criteria discussed during your site survey. At Able Canopies we can supply a visualisation of your canopy in situ to allow all decision makers to see the impact the structure will have to your surroundings to ensure you chose the right canopy for your site.

4. Insist on Quality It is important to ensure you choose a company who uses the best quality materials and has all the required Health and Safety credentials. Able Canopies use top quality materials for all structures, this is proven by our ability to use the CE mark of quality on our materials. Your canopy, whatever the design and shape is fully certified to withstand wind and snow loadings specific to your area. Able Canopies are also fully certified to ISO 9001 for quality, ISO14001 for the environment and OHSAS18001 for health and safety.

5. Ordering Once you are happy with the price and are assured about the quality it is time to order!

With Able Canopies this is a very simple process, all you need to do is call or email us and we will send over an order form. Once the form has been completed we will take care of everything else. We assign a dedicated Project Manager to oversee your installation from start to finish and we will keep you informed about its progress at every step of the way.

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6. The Next Steps When you order with Able Canopies, your Project Manager will arrange a pre–commencement site meeting with you to double check all elements of your canopy, confirm the installation date and review all health and safety aspects of the installation.

7. Keeping you Informed As your order progresses we will email you to let you know about each milestone reached to ensure you are fully informed about the progress of you order.

8. Installation Our DBS checked professional trained installers will arrive on site on the pre-booked installation date and install your structure with minimum disruption to you and your site, while making sure they follow our strict Health and Safety guidelines.

9. After the Installation Once installed, we will clean the canopy and ensure the surrounding area is tidy, perform a water test on any gutters and downpipes, and perform our 10 Step Checking Procedure. We will then ask you to complete our satisfaction survey to check that you are happy with the structure and service received.

10. Our After Sales Service Following the installation, our Technical Sales team will be in touch to make sure that you are happy with your Able Canopies structure and they will also deliver your customised After Sales Pack which includes information about how to care for your canopy to help you enjoy your canopy and its benefits for many years to come.

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Able Canopies are the canopy experts. We provide safe and stylish weather protection that transforms outside spaces. Our high-quality structures create new areas for learning, dining and social activities.

Our commitment to quality materials and working practices is demonstrated by our ISO certification, Constructionline Gold status, membership of CHAS and the use of CE marked materials.

For more information about our canopies, accessories and service please call one of our friendly canopy experts on 0800 389 9072 or email on: sales@ablecanopies.co.uk Alternatively you can find out more about our canopies, view installations and read customer feedback on our website: www.ablecanopies.co.uk

Able Canopies Head Office 9 - 11 Faraday Close Gorse Lane Ind. Estate Clacton on Sea Essex, CO15 4TR Tel: 0800 389 9072

Web: www.ablecanopies.co.uk | Email: sales@ablecanopies.co.uk | Freephone: 0800 389 9072