The right custom awning adds a lot of outdoor living space that might have otherwise been unusable – especially in hot, sunny areas where you don’t want to be outside of the shade for very long.
At the same time, finding a quality custom awning that isn’t going to break your bank account can feel a little bit like an uphill battle.
Sure, there are a number of companies in the industry making top-quality options. But not all of them are as affordable or as reliable as you’d like them to be for your money.
That’s why we put together this detailed guide!
“With the inside information below you’ll learn more about the three best custom awning companies around, companies that make top-quality products that will last and last all without you having to take out a second mortgage just to get custom awnings built.“
Let’s dig right in!
SunSetter Awnings
SunSetter Awnings (out of Malden, Massachusetts) is America’s largest awning manufacturer as well as one of its most trusted.
Responsible for a little more than 33% of all awnings sold in the country, you know you’re getting a quality piece of hardware when you decide to go with a SunSetter awning or sunshade.
With plenty of “off the rack” options to pick and choose from, SunSetter also provides a whole host of custom awning options as well.
This company has one of the widest selections of fabrics and materials available in the business, provides between 5 and 10 year warranties for all of the products that they make. They even have custom awnings that are specifically designed with DIY installation (or freestanding set up) in mind!
Two different series of custom awnings are available, the SunSetter Series and the Platinum Series with customers being able to configure most every aspect of these awnings, too.
Widths are available from between 18 feet to 24 feet wide and the awnings can extend from between 7 feet to nearly 12 feet out. They are plenty big enough to provide a bunch of extra living space outdoors, that’s for sure.
SunSetter Series
SunSetter Series options are available in a couple of different configurations, with two fabric material choices available – waterproof laminated fabrics or water repellent acrylic materials. Laminated fabrics begin at $600 and acrylic fabrics start at almost $1900.
Manually operated SunSetter Series awnings are going to go for between $1600 and $2300 or so, with motorized versions starting at about $1900 and going up to nearly $4000.
Extra-large custom awnings begin at $3000 and up.
Platinum Series
All Platinum Series awnings are going to feature proprietary Sunbrella acrylic materials that are both water repellent as well as capable of resisting mold and mildew. These materials are also color protected so that they won’t fade in the sun, which is a nice bonus.
“A 10 year limited warranty is included standard with all Platinum Series choices, showing just how much SunSetter stands behind these top-quality awning and sunshade units.“
Entry-level Platinum series awnings are going to start at about $2900, though with different fabric choices, colors, and patterns (as well as sizes) they can start to shoot up to $5200.
Platinum Manual operated awnings begin at $2700, with motorized versions beginning at $3000. Platinum Pro and Platinum Pro Plus add a lot of extra features and amenities, but both push the entry-level price up to $4200 and $4500 respectively.
Finally, you can get extra-large custom awnings at the Platinum level from SunSetter, though these awnings have price tags that begin at $4100.
Rollup Awnings
Another of the more popular awning companies in the United States, Rollup Awnings are based out of Long Island and New York City and have been making top-quality products since 1979.
Some of the most technologically advanced awnings money can buy, a lot of these custom awning options have been engineered to operate off of remote control, timers that you set, or even the amount of wind that they detect.
You definitely get a lot of value for your money here!
Almost Unlimited Canvas Choices
Rollup Awnings are made out of canvas, a special waterproof and treated canvas, and are available in an almost unlimited amount of colors, styles, and patterns.
Canvas costs for a custom awning from this company can set you back anywhere between $250 and $700 for the canvas alone. Standard, simpler colors and patterns are going to be significantly less expensive than bolder, more colorful, and more complex patterns for sure.
Thanks to the special treatment that each of these canvas awnings get from Rollup you can expect them to last at least 10 years without degrading. The colors should still look bright and vibrant, too!
Manual vs Motorized Retraction
Manually retractable awnings are always going to be less expensive than motorized awnings.
Manually powered awnings from Rollup will set you back anywhere between $450 and $1300 or so (sometimes a little more than that), and some of that is dependent on the size of the custom awning that you are going with, too.
Awnings that have powered retracting systems (including motorized, remote control, and timer based retracting systems) are going to be a little more expensive.
It’s not at all uncommon for these Rollup Awning options to start at about $1500, running all the way up to $3500 or more (sometimes much more) depending on size and canvas choice.
Sunesta Awnings
Sunesta, not only well known for the awnings that they make but their windows, doors, and deck solutions as well, have been in business since 1981 and probably proclaim that they offer the most fabric choices for awnings and have the nation’s leading warranty on these products, too.
And while there are companies that make similar promises (including the two options we highlighted above), these awnings are still some of the best investments you can make – particularly when you’re looking for longevity out of your new custom awning purchase.
Three Different Options to Customize
There are three different Sunesta custom awning options for you to pick and choose from:
- Sunesta
- Sunstyle and
- Sunlight
“All three of these Sunesta awning levels are available as “off-the-shelf” awning choices with standard sizes and traditional color/pattern options to pick from, though all three can also be completely customized from top to bottom, too.“
Let’s focus on those custom options.
Sunesta
The “flagship level” custom awning available from this company, you’ll be able to pick and choose options that go as wide as 40 feet with the ability to project out 14’8” as well.
You’re able to choose from four different frame colors as well (white, beige, clay, and brown) and have the opportunity to further customize your awning with 134 different fabric colors and patterns, too.
Expect to spend at least $1100 or so on Sunesta level awnings that are custom-built for your outdoor space, and sometimes as much as $3500 (or more). The final price will depend on the size, fabric and frame choices you make moving forward.
Sunstyle
Ranking just beneath the Sunesta level is the Sunstyle awning, giving you up to 40 feet wide in outdoor awning space to work with but only projecting out to 11’6”. That’s a little bit smaller than the Sunesta, but it’s also going to help you save a little bit of money, too.
You’ll still be able to choose from the four different frame colors we highlighted above with this option, and dozens of different fabric colors and pattern choices can be picked from when you’re creating a custom awning at this level.
Sunstyle custom awnings have prices that start at about $900, depending on the choices you’ve made as far as size, fabric, and frame decisions are concerned.
Sunlight
The smallest of the custom awning options from Sunesta, these awnings can go as long as 24 feet wide but only extend out 10 feet. You can change the width of these awnings by single inch increments, but the projection length is limited to the 10 foot option or 8’3” and 6’8”.
The Sunlight level of custom awnings from Sunesta can have three different frame colors (white, beige, and clay) with the full range of fabric and pattern varieties to pick and choose from, too.
These are the least expensive of the awnings you can go with from this company, with custom options starting at $700.
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, the three companies we highlighted above are where you’re going to want to spend your money when you decide to move forward with a custom awning purchase.
These companies have top-quality products, fantastic customer service departments, and world-class reputations for making products that last and last – without a lot of headache, without a lot of hassle, and without a lot of necessary maintenance.
Best of all, you can get completely free estimates for totally custom work from each of these three companies by either calling them directly or visiting their website.
This will give you a much more accurate picture of exactly how much your new custom awning might cost from either of these companies. Run a free estimate from all three of these competitors to find the best option (and value) for your hard-earned money!
Alright, that’s it for this article guys, if you found it useful then a share on social media or your website would be cool!
All the best
Steve
ps here’s a few articles related to this one you might find interesting:
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