Winter Patio Enclosures

Flexibility is the key to success in both the natural world and in business. In the winter when it’s cold, we put on a heavy coat. When the weather changes, we dress in layers to peel off or add on to adjust to the temperature. In business we plan a budget to accommodate to circumstances from one year to the next. The same concept can be applied with great success to our personal environments.

Santa Fe Awning constructs flexible additions to homes and businesses all over the Southwest and New Mexico in particular. Fabric and vinyl patio enclosures add usable space regardless of the weather. In warm months, a restaurant may seat 200 diners inside and in outdoor patio areas. When cold weather kicks in, that same business may lose a quarter or even half of it’s income generating real estate, because it’s too cold to sit outside. Our fabricated additions can solve that business problem by adding a roof over the patio seating, and enclosing the outdoors with fabric walls and plastic windows. Add a few heat lamps and customers will enjoy the same comfort as dining indoors. For a simpler application, we also construct additions at an entry made entirely of fabric or vinyl to use as a waiting area, to ensure that customers are comfortable until their table is ready.

At home, the side porch can be converted in the same fashion, creating a mudroom for kids boots, storing firewood, shovels, umbrellas and all of the bulky winter paraphernalia that would otherwise track in to the home. For larger areas, we can even build a roof, install doors and create an enclosed winter patio to house hardy plants, use as a play or project area and preserve that essential space year round.

And a fabric or vinyl patio enclosure can have the added advantage in winter by creating a bubble of warmer air between the indoors and the elements, thereby reducing heating costs to the interior.