Enhancing a Relaxing Water Spot With Retractable Awnings

Water features like pools, Jacuzzi®, hot tubs are a daily vacation, a way to relax with friends and family or have a few moments of healing tranquility. These areas beg for features which provide cooling shade, privacy, and intimacy – all possible through the protection of retractable awnings. That’s why one of the most common uses for retractable awnings is shading a pool or hot tub. As finishing touches to existing pools or as part of plans for a new one, incorporate retractable awnings into the landscaping design to expand the usability and comfort of the outdoor escape.

Benefits of Hydration

Cool, clear blue water, breaking into little crystalline reflections. Frothy hot bubbles. Smooth tile. Just thinking of a pool or hot tub can unwind stress-tightened muscles. Pools and hot tubs are installed for just that sensation of peace and tranquility.

Although they target health in slight different ways, on the one hand emphasizing smooth-moving exercise and the other warmth and relief, pools and hot tubs accomplish the same beneficial effects: physical and mental health. There are a number of different ways that pools and hot tubs help improve overall lifestyle:

·        Stress relief, easing the effects of tension, headaches, even insomnia

·        Low-impact exercise

·        Pain relief for muscles, joints, bones, and injuries

Pools and hot tubs are even social features, providing a meeting point for friends and family and giving an emotional and relationship boost.

Whatever the reasons for installing a pool or hot tub, assessing how it will be used makes it clear how a retractable awning can help. For a pool that you’ll use on sunny afternoons, use a retractable awning to create a cooling, shady area to sit or play; for evening swims, a retractable awning at the west end of the pool can cut the glare of the sun. With hot tubs, drop screens can provide privacy, while lateral arm awnings provide additional sun, glare, heat, and UV protection.

Planning the Atmosphere

Aptly-located retractable awnings give harmony and balance to the design of the water feature – and only a few minutes into a pool project will show there is more to a pool or hot tub than setting in a unit.

Pools and hot tubs set a mood, and that atmosphere is maintained by the elements around the pool: plants, seating, lighting, and accessories like toys and towels. Retractable awnings play a role, too, by bringing adjustable shade elements that can protect plants, cut both UV rays and glare, control temperatures, and provide privacy.

One great asset of retractable awnings is controlling sunlight. Temperatures under awnings can be 20 degrees cooler than exposed areas, giving welcome respite from hot summer sunshine. Blocking UV rays is good for the skin, and Sunbrella® solution-dyed acrylic, a popular retractable awning fabric, is actually endorsed by the American Skin Cancer Association. Using a retractable awning to shade west- and southern-facing areas mitigates the worst of the sunlight.

The retractable awning fabric can even be a design feature. The sunlight beaming through the woven solution-dyed acrylic gives a diffuse glow of color, so peppy hues like yellows, pinks, reds, and oranges will naturally make the area look happy and festive, while cool tones like greens, lilacs, and turquoises will make a tranquil, seaside atmosphere.

The most traditional style of retractable awning is a lateral arm, which is a simple, flat stretch of fabric held taut by two or more arms. These can be quite large, large enough to fully cover a patio. Lateral arm retractable awnings are ideal for shade and temperature control, so they’re perfect to protect seating near a pool, cover a hot tub, or shade shallow areas in a pool for lounging. Retractable awnings are good for the plants landscaped around the water feature by preventing the sun from burning them at the height of the day.

Vertical drop awning systems are another common type of awning, which hang and retract vertically. These are perfect for added privacy, as well as blocking bugs, dust, and pollen, and are popular for hot tubs.

Living the Good Life

Using retractable awnings around your pool or hot tub can be easy. Motors move awnings at the touch of a button or remote control. Light sensors can lower drop screen awnings at night for intimacy and privacy or to position lateral arm awnings to best prevent sunburns. Incorporate retractable awnings into parties – string Christmas lights or very lightweight paper lanterns across lateral arm awnings for a festive look, or use a drop screen as a makeshift movie screen. Retractable awnings are a lovely home feature in and of themselves, and incorporating them into the daily use of pool and hot tub features enhances the peaceful, spa-like atmosphere of your own backyard.