Why Fall Is the Best Time to Plan Your Awning for Next Spring
Cooler weather makes it easy to put patio projects off. But ordering your awning in fall gives you time to plan for spring—before seasonal demand and longer lead times get in the way.
When the evenings start cooling off and the leaves begin to change, an awning probably isn’t the first home improvement on your mind. You may be putting patio furniture away, spending less time outside, and thinking about everything that needs to happen before winter. Adding shade to the backyard can easily become something you’ll revisit when the weather warms up.
That makes sense—but if you want to enjoy your awning next spring, fall is an excellent time to get started.
The reason isn’t that manufacturers necessarily build awnings faster in the fall. It’s that ordering now gives you time to work through the project before you want to use it. Instead of spending the first beautiful days of spring getting estimates and waiting for your order, you can plan toward having your awning installed and ready when outdoor weather returns.
There’s a difference between ordering an awning when you need shade and ordering early enough to have shade when you need it. That’s the advantage we want homeowners to understand.
Why waiting for warm weather can mean a long wait for shade
Picture that first stretch of warm spring weather. You open the back door, bring your chairs outside, and start thinking about dinners on the patio again. Then the afternoon sun hits, and you remember exactly why you talked about getting an awning last summer.
That’s often the moment people decide to get a quote. There’s nothing wrong with ordering in spring, but it’s also when many other homeowners begin making the same decision. As demand builds, manufacturing lead times can stretch to 10 weeks or more, depending on the product, manufacturer, and volume of orders. Delivery and installation scheduling also have to fit into the plan.
A project that felt like a spring improvement can end up arriving well into the season you hoped to enjoy it.
There’s another part of the timing that’s easy to overlook here in Colorado: manufacturers don’t only serve homeowners who share our weather. While we’re still getting cold nights and watching for another snowstorm, people in warmer parts of the country may already be spending plenty of time outdoors. Their need for shade starts earlier, and their orders can begin filling production schedules before spring feels settled here.
Our first warm weekend isn’t necessarily the beginning of the manufacturer’s busy season.
Ordering in fall gives you more time ahead of that demand. It doesn’t guarantee a particular installation date or eliminate every possible delay, but it creates a longer planning window. If your goal is to have the project finished before spring use, starting months ahead puts you in a better position than starting when you already wish it were installed.
Plan around how you actually use your backyard
Fall is also a useful time to make decisions because the summer you just experienced is still fresh in your mind.
You probably remember which chair was too hot to sit in after lunch, whether the dining table needed more shade, and what time of day the sun made your deck uncomfortable. Those details are more helpful than simply deciding you want “an awning.” They tell us what you want the awning to accomplish.
For one home, the goal might be a shaded place for family dinners. For another, it might be making a seating area comfortable during the afternoon or reducing direct sunlight at the back of the house. The right size, projection, placement, and mounting arrangement depend on the space and the way you use it.
Starting the conversation now gives you time to consider those choices without feeling that every week spent deciding is another week of patio weather lost. We can look at the area, discuss the available awning options, and help you understand what fits your home. You can consider operation, fabric choices, and other features as part of a complete plan rather than making decisions simply to get an order moving.
It also gives us an opportunity to discuss current lead times and a realistic installation plan for the product you choose. That is more useful than assuming every awning has the same turnaround—or that an estimate given in one season will still apply several months later.
Think beyond the awning, too
The same approach makes sense if you’ve been considering a larger porch or patio project.
Maybe overhead sun isn’t your only concern. Perhaps wind makes your covered porch uncomfortable, you would like more privacy from a neighboring property, or you want to use the space during more of the year. Those goals deserve a conversation of their own, and fall is a good time to begin it.
Depending on your space and priorities, exterior shades or patio enclosure options may be worth exploring. But the starting point should be how you want the area to feel and function—not assuming that one product will solve every problem.
There’s an important distinction between making a porch more comfortable in a wider range of conditions and turning it into a true four-season room. Screens and shades are not the same as an insulated, conditioned enclosure. If year-round use is what you have in mind, we’ll talk through what that would require and which parts of the project need to be considered.
Beginning those discussions in fall gives you time to understand the scope before committing. It also lets you plan around product availability and installation needs rather than discovering those details after the weather has already turned nice.
At CS Custom Blinds, we want to help you enjoy the outdoor space you have—not spend the beginning of next season wishing you had started sooner. We’ll walk through the options with you, explain the current timing, and help you make a decision that fits your home without pressure.
If an awning or porch improvement has been on your list, cooler weather doesn’t mean you’ve missed your opportunity. It may be the right time to plan ahead.
Request a free in-home estimate, and let’s talk about getting your backyard ready for next spring.