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Outdoor Shading Solutions
The sheer volume and choice of shading and weather protection for outdoor areas these days is overwhelming for sure, but the one thing you always have to bear in mind is the suitability and true ability of a particular product or system to stand up to the ever changing British weather. From small outdoor umbrellas through to large commercial structures with retractable roof systems built in Samson has product options for nearly all purposes, but we never compromise or overstate the true suitability of the various options. You really do not want to buy a system for your new restaurant or pub only to find it is falling apart after the first year or so and water leaks in heavy rainfall. The recent rise in demand for outdoor terrace cover systems is driven by many factors, technology is improving all the time, as well as materials and manufacturing processes, and this enables the production of far larger and more diverse retractable and fixed roof systems to provide shade and protection from rain and wind in commercial and domestic applications. These structures are often centre pieces in various outdoor areas in cafes, pubs and restaurants. Many more people are seeing what is more commonly available in Europe and other parts of the world where outdoor al fresco living is more normal, maybe with more stable weather and definite seasons to work and operate in as well. Many of the retractable roof systems we supply and install are manufactured in Germany or Northern Italy where the weather is very similar to our own, and a common factor to deal with is rain, and of course wind. We all want to control the weather a lot more than we actually can and in the UK has been a common joke for years about grinning and bearing many of the terrible days in our typical summer months, but how many times have we all planned outdoor events only for the whole event to be ruined by the heavens opening when it was perfectly sunny the day before? What we all seem to want more of is the outdoor living principal but without the risks, and more than just the odd barbecue or party. We love our gardens in the UK and want to be outside more and more it seems. Garden designs have got far more complex, and so many more products are available now for outdoor use, Samson Awnings give you products to enable you to use your patio, terrace or garden most of the year round, whatever the weather. Taking control of intense sunshine is relatively easy with so many different products, but taking control of the wind and rain requires far more thought, attention to detail and the specification of properly tried and tested systems. The systems must be 'fit for purpose'. We have seen far higher wind speeds in the UK over the last 10 years or so than ever before on a regular basis and also the destruction they can cause. A retractable fabric roof system needs careful thought and planning especially when it is going to be very large and relied upon for protecting paying customers. Most larger retractable roof systems use a much thicker and tougher PVC fabric, usually with additional aluminium support struts to give additional tension when the fabric is opened up and used in rainfall. What has to be avoided with fabrics in rainfall is pooling water, when a sufficiently heavy burst of rainfall may provide enough weight to cause the fabric to hold that water in a slightly stretched sunken area. What happens next is this area can increase in size very quickly and at some point of course the weight will be too much and the fabric may give way and tear or worse, the weight may pull down some or all of the structure. Most companies will recommend a 14 degree pitch in order to ensure water does not stay on the fabric cover but with enhanced, tougher fabrics with the built in support struts lower a lower pitch is possible.
