Garden bar awnings and canopies: retractable, sail shades or fixed?

A canopy over the hatch is what lets you keep serving when a shower rolls in. A big retractable awning over the seating can double the space you use on a hot afternoon. The trick is choosing something that can cope with British wind and is fixed to something strong enough to hold it.

The three main types

Retractable awnings

Retractable awnings fold back against the wall when you do not need them.

• Manual or electric. Electric needs a supply, ideally fitted by a registered electrician; see power.
• They usually need a strong wall. A thin timber shed wall may not take one; ask the maker and a builder.
• Many have a wind sensor option that retracts them automatically.
• Most are for shade and light showers, not heavy rain or wind. Check the maker's wind rating and retract them when it blows.

Sail shades

Sail shades are fabric triangles or squares fixed at the corners.

• Fix to strong posts set in concrete or to solid walls. Weak fixings fail in wind.
• Angle them so rain runs off rather than pooling.
• Most are for shade only; some are waterproof.
• Take them down in strong wind and over winter.

Fixed canopies

A fixed canopy is a small roof, often polycarbonate or timber and felt, over the hatch or a seating area.

• Gives the best all-weather cover.
• Needs a gutter and a drip edge. See guttering and rainwater.
• Must be strong enough for snow and wind.
• Can change the planning picture if it is large or close to boundaries.

Our garden bar with roof and roof coverings guides cover materials.

Wind and fixings

Wind is the biggest risk. Awnings and sails act like a kite.

• Retract or take down in strong wind.
• Check the Met Office forecast before leaving them out.
• Use the maker's fixings and follow the installation guide.
• Do not fix to fence posts unless the maker says they are suitable.

Fixing to the building

• House wall: strongest, but check what is behind the render and avoid cables and pipes.
• Bar wall: check with the bar maker; many shed walls cannot take the load.
• Freestanding frames: need weights or concrete-set posts.

If you rent, do not fix anything without permission. See garden bars for renters.

Heat, fire and lighting

Fabric awnings, sails and parasols are not suitable over BBQs, pizza ovens, fire pits or patio heaters unless the makers of both say otherwise. Keep cooking in the open; see BBQ and pizza oven station and garden bar heating.

Polycarbonate canopies are not a free pass either. Heat from below can mark or distort some sheets, so check the canopy maker's guidance before putting any heater or cooker under one.

Lights under cover

Festoons under a canopy look great. Use outdoor-rated lights, keep cables off the fabric and keep heaters well away from it; see festoon lights and IP ratings. Clip the cable to the frame rather than letting it sag across the fabric, and make sure a retractable awning can close without trapping or crushing it. Any new outdoor socket for lights or a motor should be fitted by a registered electrician.

Planning check

Whether an awning or canopy needs permission depends on its size, where it goes and what kind of property you have. Large fixed canopies, structures close to boundaries, and anything on a listed building, in a conservation area or attached to a flat are the ones to check first. A canopy that grows walls on two or three sides starts to look like an outbuilding or an extension, and the rules for those apply. Check before you build. See our planning permission guide, and the Building Regulations guide if the canopy turns into a proper roofed structure.

Stand at the hatch at the time you use the bar most and look at where the sun and rain come from. Then decide whether you need shade, shelter or both.