The price drivers
Fitted domestic awnings run from £1,400 to around £3,500, and six things decide where in that band yours lands: the size, the cassette type, the motor and controls, any sensors, the fabric and the wall you are fixing to. A compact semi-cassette above a set of patio doors sits near the bottom. A wide full cassette with wind and sun sensors and an app hub sits near the top. Pergola systems are priced separately because they are structural.
Size
Awnings are priced by width and projection together, because both add fabric, arm length and tube strength. Moving from 3m to 4m wide is a modest step; moving from 2.5m to 3.5m projection is a bigger one, since longer arms need heavier springs and a stronger tube. A wide, deep awning can cost half as much again as a compact one in the same range.
Cassette type
An open or hooded awning is the cheapest way to get the fabric and arms. A semi-cassette adds a housing over the top and front of the roll. A full cassette seals everything inside a box. Each step adds aluminium and engineering, and the full cassette is typically the dearest, but it is also the one whose fabric still looks fresh after ten Cheshire winters. If the awning faces the weather rather than sitting under an overhang, the full cassette is usually the better spend.
Motor and controls
Somfy motorisation and a handheld remote are included in what we fit, so there is no manual-versus-motor saving to be had. Where controls add cost is in the upgrades: a wall switch, a multi-channel remote if you have blinds or a second awning on the same system, and a hub that brings it onto a phone app.
Sensors
Sensors are optional and each adds to the total; together they are the most worthwhile upgrade on the list.
- Wind sensor: retracts the awning automatically in a gust, protecting the arms. On an exposed site we would not fit without one.
- Sun sensor: extends the awning when the light reaches a set level and retracts it when the sun goes in.
- Rain sensor: less common, retracts in rain to stop water pooling in the fabric.
- Combined sun and wind units cost less than buying both separately.
Fabric
Solution-dyed acrylic is the standard and the price assumes it. Moving up the fabric book to heavier weights, special coatings or particular designer patterns adds a little. A valance adds a small amount. Fabric is rarely the reason one quote is far above another; size and cassette are.
The wall and the fixing
Solid brick with straightforward access is the baseline. Cavity walls need resin anchors. Rendered or externally insulated walls need spacer brackets that reach through to structure. Fixing to a soffit or under a balcony needs ceiling brackets. Very high fixings need a tower rather than ladders. Each is manageable and each appears as a line on the quote, which is why two identical awnings on two different houses are never quite the same price.
Awning cost questions
Why is one quote £1,500 and another £3,000 for the same size?
Almost always cassette type and sensors, and sometimes the fixing. Ask each quote to state the cassette type, whether a wind sensor is included and how the brackets will be fixed to your wall.
Does the price include the motor?
In our quotes, yes. Somfy motor and remote are standard. Check any other quote for a manual crank listed as standard with the motor as an extra.
Is a pergola much more than an awning?
Yes. A pergola is a freestanding or wall-leant aluminium structure with posts and a sliding fabric roof, so it is a larger job in materials and fitting. It is quoted after survey rather than from a band.
Are there running costs?
Negligible. The motor draws power only while moving. The fabric benefits from a brush-down and occasional wash, and the arms from a check each spring.
Is it cheaper to buy the awning online and have it fitted?
Rarely, once you add delivery of a 4m box, the right fixings for your wall and a fitter willing to take on a product they did not supply. Supplied and fitted means one point of responsibility if anything is wrong.