The Good Canopy Guide The Good Canopy Guide The Canopy Experts Guide to Choosing the Ideal Canopy 0800 389 9072 www.ablecanopies.co.uk
The Good Canopy Guide What Makes a Good Canopy? Choosing the correct canopy for you and your organisation can be a daunting prospect as there are so many different products to choose from and, when choosing a product, you may also find yourself faced with even more choices to make; for example, the design, size, and construction materials are all important factors to consider, along with the roof covering and colour of the canopy. There are also other important factors that you may need to take into consideration such as whether the canopy offers UV protection. That's why here at Able Canopies, we would like to make your life a little easier by giving you all the information you need in one simple booklet to help you to choose the right canopy for you. Here is our a step by step guide to help you choose the perfect shade structure. 1. Construction Canopies can be constructed from many different materials including steel, aluminium, timber and Glulam curved timber. Steel is the most popular construction for our canopies as it is strong, robust and can be galvanised for ultimate corrosion protection. Steel posts can also be powder coated to any RAL colour enabling the structure to fit in with your surroundings seamlessly. Aluminium is a construction we use for many of our free standing and wall mounted canopies, this construction offers a strong framework which is durable and made to last and can be finished in any RAL colour. Timber/Glulam curved timber is a great material to choose if you require your canopy to fit into a natural woodland area or would like to create a contemporary feel to your current setting. Glulam timber is light in weight and environmentally friendly. All timber supplied by Able Canopies is sourced from sustainable forests.
2. Roof Materials Choosing the ideal roof option is important as the covering of a canopy affects both the look of the canopy and the feel of the environment created underneath. The roof options currently offered by Able Canopies are: polycarbonate, glass, shade sail fabric and waterproof tensile fabric. The Welford Dome with 5mm Solid Polycarbonate Roof Panels Polycarbonate roof panels are the most popular choice for canopy roofing systems, as they offer a cost effective and high quality roofing solution. There are varying panel thicknesses to choose from; our Coniston wall mounted canopy features 35mm polycarbonate panels which have a high impact resistance whilst many of our free standing canopies offer a choice of 5mm solid or 10mm structured polycarbonate roof panels. 5mm solid polycarbonate is great if you would like to create a glass roof effect yet have a smaller budget. 10mm structured polycarbonate is perfect if you require a more opaque effect. Glass roof panels add a contemporary, high quality finish to your canopy and are ideal for both modern settings and traditional buildings. Our glass panels are made from 10.8mm toughened glass which is durable and has excellent acoustic properties - meaning that noise caused from heavy downpours will be dramatically reduced, avoiding disruption to those underneath. Bespoke Glass Wall Mounted Canopy Shade Sail Fabric is a great covering for a canopy if you would like a fabric roof yet do not have the budget for a waterproof fabric roof. Shade Sail fabric has an unmatched strength and offers high UV protection, blocking up to 96% of UV rays. Our Shade Sail fabric is available in 14 contemporary colours to fit in with your surroundings and comes with a full 10 year guarantee against UV degradation. Able Shade Sails Waterproof Tensile Fabric is a stylish roof covering which offers high UV protection, a waterproof shelter and has a modern, sleek look with a consistently smooth appearance. It is very durable and is supplied with a 5 year guarantee. Our Tensile fabric is available in 40 colours, including metallic finishes. The Codale Conic
3. Roof Pitch With a canopy you are spoilt for choice when it comes to the roof design. The roof pitch is a major feature in creating the look and feel for your canopy and there are designs which can be used to blend the canopy in with the existing building roof structures or create a stunning contrast. The design of your canopy roof will come down to personal preference and so this is something that needs to be discussed with all decision makers before looking for the ideal canopy. The main roof pitch designs for our steel and timber framed canopies are mono pitch, domed, curved, apex and pyramid. Mono-Pitch is an ideal choice if you are unsure what design to choose as this roof pitch is likely to fit in with any environment. This roof is the most popular design chosen by our customers as it offers clean, simple lines and is a very cost effective option. Domed roofs offer a modern feel to your environment and fit in with most settings. These are ideal in areas where other domed roofs are. They can also create an attractive contrast to areas where more traditional roof pitches are used. Curved & Wavy roof canopies look great adjacent to contemporary buildings as these create sloping and wave effects. These are modern, fun designs and are perfect for early years and primary settings, a really great striking addition to an environment. Apex roofs are very versatile and can fit in with all environments, however they are particularly suited to older, more traditionally designed buildings as these usually feature Apex roofs too so this allows the Apex canopy to blend in well, making it possible to believe the canopy was constructed as part of the original design. Pyramid roofs create stylish and modern roof designs and produce impressive structures which suit modern environments. Umbrellas We can offer large Tensile umbrellas which are waterproof and UV resistant- perfect for creating attractive outdoor seating areas. This roof style is ideal for more natural settings, as this roof shape blends well with trees and greener environments.
4. Size Choosing the size of the canopy depends on the size of the area that you wish to cover. Some canopy designs are limited to certain sizes, others are more suited to large spans so researching the possible sizes for each design is worth looking into. You will also need to take in to consideration what you plan to use the canopy for, as certain purposes may require a larger canopy. 5. Colours and Finishes The finish you choose for your canopy can affect both its look and its life expectancy. At Able Canopies we offer three finish options to the majority of our canopies: galvanised, powder coated or galvanised and powder coated. Galvanising your canopy provides the best corrosion protection and leaves your canopy with a dull silver finish. This finish works well in modern settings as it creates an industrial feel to the canopy. If this is not correct for your environment you may wish to powder coat the framework instead; or alternatively you can galvanise and then powder coat it. Choosing the colour of the canopy is not the most important factor, yet if a range of colours are offered to you it is a great advantage as you can choose to colour your canopy so that it fits in with your current surroundings. Or, if you prefer, you could make a striking feature of your canopy by choosing a contrasting colour to your current aesthetics. 6. Quality It is important that you choose a canopy company that offers quality and long life expectancies with all their products to give you value for money and peace of mind. Here at Able Canopies, all of our canopies can have a life expectancy of 25 years and we make sure we always use the highest quality materials possible to ensure that your canopy is durable and meets all of your shade and shelter needs. 7. UV Protection It is advisable to choose a canopy which offers high UV protection from the sun s harmful UV rays, especially for early years settings. Most of our canopies offer up to 99% UV protection from the sun making it easy to protect those underneath allowing them to play, sit or eat safely in sunny weather. 8. Bespoke canopies If you are unable the find a design that you require or need a canopy constructed from a specific material, we offer a Design & Build service to allow you to create a canopy tailor made to your requirements. Bespoke canopies can be almost any shape or size as long as it is structurally viable. Contact us on 0800 389 9072 for more details. Bespoke Canopies from Able Canopies
What to do Next... What to do Next... Once you have an idea about your canopy design and materials, follow these 10 simple steps to help your canopy installation run as smoothly as possible. 1. Organise a Survey It is wise to receive a site survey to ensure your chosen canopy is right for your site. At Able Canopies we offer a free site survey to qualifying customers so call us on 0800 389 9072 to find out if you qualify. Alternatively we can supply an estimate based on asking you a few questions over the telephone. 2. Planning Permission Check with your local council about planning permission for your canopy. Be sure to check if there are any special conditions regarding the size, height or the materials you would like the canopy to be constructed with. Here at Able Canopies we offer free Planning advice to guide you through the whole application process. 3. Quotation Next request a quotation based on the criteria discussed during your site survey. At Able Canopies we can supply a visualisation of your canopy in situ to allow all decision makers to see the impact the structure will have to your surroundings to ensure you chose the right canopy for your site. 4. Insist on Quality You may like to request quotes from more than one company to compare prices and benefits. It is important to ensure you chose a company who uses the best quality materials and has all the required Health and Safety credentials. Able Canopies use top quality materials for all structures and ensure that your structure, whatever the design and shape is fully certified to withstand wind and snow loadings specific to your area. Able Canopies are also fully certified to ISO 9001 for quality, ISO14001 for the environment and OHSAS18001 for health and safety. 5. Ordering Once you are happy with the price and reassured about the quality it is time to order! With Able Canopies this is a very simple process, all you need to do is call, email or fax us and we will send over an order form. Once the form been completed we will take care of everything else! We assign a dedicated Project Manager to oversee your installation from start to finish and we will keep you informed about its progress every step of the way. Turn the page for steps 6-10...
...What to do Next...What to do Next 6. The Next Steps If you order with Able Canopies, your Project Manager will arrange a pre commencement site meeting with you to double check all elements of your canopy, confirm the installation date and review all health and safety aspects of the installation. 7. Keeping you informed As your order progresses we will email you to let you know about each milestone reached to ensure you are fully informed about your order's progress. 8. Installation Our CRB checked professional trained installers will arrive on site on the prebooked installation date and install your structure with minimum disruption to you and your site, whilst making sure they follow our strict Health and Safety guidelines. 9. After the installation Once installed, we will clean the canopy and ensure the surrounding area is tidy, perform a water test on any gutters and downpipes, and perform our 10 Step Checking Procedure. We will then ask you to complete our satisfaction survey to check that you are happy with the structure and service received. 10. Our After Sales Service Following the installation our Technical Sales Member will revisit the site at a time convenient to you to make sure that you are happy with your Able Canopies structure and he/she will also deliver your customised After Sales pack which includes information about how to care for your canopy to help you enjoy your canopy and its benefits for many years to come.
Thanks for reading The Good Canopy Guide If you would like to share this guide with others or download further free copies please go to: www.ablecanopies.co.uk/canopyguide To view the canopies within our extensive range go to www.ablecanopies.co.uk For further information about any of our products or services please call us on 0800 389 9072 or email sales@ablecanopies.co.uk