You can find an awnings supplier perfectly matched to your project. It’s entirely possible you don’t have something specific in mind, other than knowing you want to add one or several awnings to your home, business or you are looking for an awning company to partner with. No worries, that’s not unusual. You’re wise to think about finding an awnings supplier now, because they can guide you toward decisions that will give you the perfect awning.
Before you interview awnings suppliers, you should identify your basic needs – things like where your awning(s) will be located and what you want them to do. Here are some questions to ask yourself.
What is your project like?
You want an awnings supplier who is fully conversant with your project type.
- Will your awnings be for a business or residence?
- New construction, remodel or addition?
- Movie set?
- Single storefront business, entire commercial building, mall or multiple-building campus?
- Are you a franchisee or franchise corporate representative?
- Are you an architect, contractor or developer looking for a parnter?
What role do you want awnings to fulfill?
Awnings are amazingly versatile. Knowing how you want yours to perform will help you find the right awnings supplier and help them advise you properly.
- Strictly decorative.
- Business identification.
- Business marketing.
- Seasonal shade.
- Year round weather protection.
- Coverage for a walkway, patio or deck, outdoor bar or restaurant, entertainment venue, parking area, loading dock, portico for hotel or hospital entrance.
Now you’re ready to pick an awnings supplier who can meet all your needs – perfectly.
What should you look for?
- Reputation. Ask for references and talk to them. The best references will be projects similar to yours and at least some that have been in place a while. Longevity and lack of hassle are as important as looking good on day one.
- Relevant experience. You don’t want to become an awnings supplier’s guinea pig as they venture into uncharted territory (for them). You want someone with solid experience working with clients like you and projects like yours. Ask to see photos or on-the-street examples that back up their claims.
- Well-established. Your awning will last for many years, so you want an awnings supplier who will be there for you in the future, if you ever need them. Look for a company that has been around a long time, right here in the NYC area, because a company from somewhere else is not going to understand the challenges we face when it comes to extreme weather and so on. (A local firm also knows that the rules can change area-to-area around NYC, so you won’t get tripped up by misunderstanding NYC building codes or other regulations.)
- One-stop shop. It’s particularly important to choose an awnings supplier that can handle your entire project in-house. Having a single point of contact ensures simplicity and consistency as you move through the design and fabrication stages. A full-service awnings supplier can help you with everything from exploring your options to structural engineering and graphic design as well as production and professional installation. If you need help with specs, autoCAD drawings, etc., they can do that, too.
- Friendly and attentive. Do they act like they really care about your project? You want an awnings supplier who will go out of their way on your behalf, not just plug you into their schedule.
- Adherence to budget and scheduling. Under normal circumstances, it doesn’t take that long to design and manufacture custom awnings. But sometimes customers are in a hurry, for any number of reasons. Not all awnings suppliers can handle that. There is no reason you can’t have the prefect awning — on time and on budget. Or quick turnaround on a quote, if that’s all you need.
No missteps, no disappointments, just the perfect awning, because you took the time to find the perfect awnings supplier.
