Pittsburgh is a VERY traditional town, and many traditional homes in our area have awnings that cover their patios.
The previous owners told us that the frame would need a new awning cover, so we priced them out with a few local companies.
What's that you say? Three THOUSAND dollars for an awning? And we have to pay every spring to have it hung up? And pay every autumn to have it removed?
No, thank you!
We lived with the frame in place, just to see if the awning was an absolute necessity. Maybe, just maybe, if we lived in Tucson, we would need that shade for the few hours in the late afternoon. But most of the day, the patio was nicely shaded by large evergreens.
I also had a suspicion that an awning would make my kitchen really really dark.
I don't like dark kitchens!
So we did the sensible thing. We posted the awning frame on Craigslist, and a nice Pittsburgher couple paid us for the privilege of unscrewing and removing the aluminum awning frame!
I almost felt guilty taking their money!
When it was down, I could not believe the difference! That frame had made us feel so claustrophobic and closed in on the patio. And now?
Ahhh! That's MUCH better!
The money from the sale of the awning frame nearly paid for this lovely azure-colored umbrella from Smith and Hawken!
The umbrella provided plenty of shade for those few hours in the late afternoon sun.
And the best part? The azure blue umbrella gives the appearance of blue skies every day!
Removing the awning frame actually updated the look and feel of this patio, giving it a definite contemporary elegance.
A simple fix that cost very little money but made a BIG impact on our outdoor living space!
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