A striking two-story home wrapped in a dramatic grid of black-framed glass from floor to ceiling makes an impression. It floods the interior with light and opens the back of the house onto a spacious deck below. However, it also can turn the deck, and the the rooms behind the glass into a greenhouse by mid-afternoon.
These homeowners needed a solution for the sun, so they turned to M.C. Weeks, an Aristocrat Awnings dealer based in Trappe, PA, to provide a solution. M.C. Weeks designed a beautiful custom retractable awning with a vario valance that solved the problem.
The Challenge: All That Glass Comes at a Cost
The deck itself is built for entertaining, with a hot tub, grill, and plenty of room to gather. But by early afternoon, the same sun that makes the windows so appealing turns the space into one that’s hard to enjoy: hot decking underfoot, glare across every surface, and no real shade until the sun finally sets.
Inside the home, the effect was just as noticeable. With that much unshaded glass, the home was absorbing solar heat all day long, which means the air conditioning has to work harder to keep up. The homeowner wanted shade, but didn’t want to give up the view or cover the windows permanently. They needed shade that could be there when they wanted it, and gone when they didn’t.
The Solution: A Retractable Awning with a Vario Valance
A retractable awning was the obvious fit: shade on demand, open sky when it’s not needed. But the real key to this project was the vario valance, the fabric that drops straight down from the awning’s front bar.
A vario valance does more than dress up the front of an awning. It also blocks the low, angled sun that can create glare by shining underneath the awning. It adds a layer of privacy along the open side of the deck and gives the whole structure a more finished, room-like look, almost like the front wall of an outdoor living space.
For the fabric, the homeowners chose a gray and white striped awning with a solid black vario valance, echoing the black window frames and black deck railing already on the house. The result completes the home and appears like it was part of the original design, not added as an after-thought.
Installation Day
Installing an awning of this size on a wall that’s mostly glass isn’t a straightforward job. The installation team arrives on-site fully equipped, working methodically to ensure the awning is mounted securely, aligned perfectly with the home’s architecture, and calibrated for smooth, effortless operation. From measuring and leveling to testing the full range of motion, every step is handled with an eye for detail, so homeowners can enjoy reliable shade and weather protection for years to come.
The Result: Shade for the Deck, Relief for the Windows
With the awning mounted just below the upper row of windows, it shades exactly where it needs to: the deck, the sliding glass door, and the windows at the lower level, while leaving the upper windows and their view untouched.
Extended, the retractable awning with a vario valance now blocks direct sun from reaching that lower-level glass during the hottest part of the day. That means less solar heat radiating into the house and less work for the air conditioning, a difference the homeowner will feel on their utility bill, as well as on their deck.
Outside, the deck stays usable and shaded through the afternoon instead of being avoided until the sun goes down. The hot tub cover, the grill, and the furniture are also better protected from constant UV exposure. And because the awning retracts, none of that comfort comes at the cost of the view. On a mild day or a cloudy morning, the homeowner can retract the awning and let the light in exactly as the architecture intended.
More Than Shade: A Design Upgrade
Beyond the temperature difference, the retractable awning with a vario valance changes the appearance of the entire back of the house. The black valance complements the black window frames and railing, and the horizontal sweep of the awning breaks up what was previously an unbroken two stories of glass. It doesn’t look like it was added on; It looks like it belongs.
That’s the kind of detail that separates a good awning installation from a great one: it solves a real, everyday comfort problem, and it makes the house look better while doing it.
Ready to Shade Your Own Wall of Windows?
If large windows or a sun-drenched deck are working against you instead of for you, a custom retractable awning with a vario valance can solve both problems at once. Contact your local Aristocrat Awnings dealer to talk through the best placement, fabric, and valance style for your home, and get a free estimate.
