How Much Does It Cost to Install a Metal Awning?

Retractable Awning

Metal awnings come in a variety of shapes, sizes, applications, and metals and are an excellent aesthetic addition to your home, with plenty of practicality as well. If you’re in the market for a metal awning, but don’t have the means of installing it yourself, you may be curious as to the cost of a professional installation.

Professional installation of a metal awning will generally run you anywhere between $200 and $1,000, with the average cost of installation hovering around $850. Of course, there is a large disparity between the cost of installing a metal awning over a window and the cost of installing one over an entire patio. 

The charges for installation services are applied by the square foot, which is $6 to $9, depending on the material and brand. The brand makes a difference because premium brands command a premium price.

Metal Awning Materials Cost

Most people assume that aluminum would be the only option, however, awnings also come in copper and steel. The steel will be galvanized or stainless, so you don’t have to worry too much about rust or a serious level of corrosion.

Aluminum is easily the least costly option, with steel close behind it, commanding a slightly higher price. Copper, on the other hand, is exorbitantly priced and the prices listed above can double or even triple if you are purchasing a very large copper awning.

  • Aluminum: $4 to $6 per square foot of awning
  • Steel: $8 to $15 per square foot of awning
  • Copper: $90 to $120 per square foot of awning

Aluminum Awnings

Just because aluminum awnings are the cheapest doesn’t mean that they aren’t aesthetically pleasing or useful. Aluminum awnings afford their owners longevity and durability, and they are designed to withstand high winds, oppressively hot summers, frigid winters, and heavy snow or rain.

The best part about them is that you get all of that at an exceptional price. Aluminum awnings are the most affordable to purchase and install of the three awning metal types. This is especially true if you are looking at smaller awnings that would cover porch stoops, doors, or windows.

Aluminum is very low maintenance because it doesn’t corrode and is incredibly lightweight, so the installation is a breeze, whether it is professionally done or a part of your DIY projects. Aluminum comes in a variety of colors as well and is incredibly flexible.

With aluminum, maintenance is really easy and not something that you have to do on a weekly basis. Aluminum needs to be sprayed down every now and then, just to remove dirt and debris, as they can cause mold and mildew to build up once they form a grimy surface on the aluminum.

Steel Awnings

Steel is a relatively cost-effective option although it is nowhere near as prevalent as aluminum awnings. Metal awnings are roughly double the cost of aluminum awnings at about $8 per square foot, although they can be more expensive.

Steel is even more durable than aluminum so it can withstand all of the above weather conditions and it can do so more capably than aluminum. However, it is much heavier than aluminum, even though it is cut thin and light, so installation is a little more difficult.

Like aluminum, galvanized and stainless steel awnings come with coatings of paint in a variety of colors and require very little maintenance outside of the occasional spray down to remove dirt and debris.

Copper Awnings

Copper awnings are easily the most expensive option on the list and it’s not even close. A single, square foot of copper awning material will cost you ten times the amount that steel will. However, besides the fact that copper is simply a rarer and more expensive metal, it also has a visually striking aesthetic.

This is especially true if you treat your copper awning with sealant and it has to be protected because unlike galvanized or stainless steel and aluminum, copper corrodes and looks horrific if left at the mercy of the elements.

Once treated, copper awnings require very little maintenance and are much like the steel and aluminum awnings listed above. There is little doubt that copper awnings add more style to your home than steel or aluminum and they are just as durable as either of them.

Copper awnings protect well from the sun, rain, snow, and high and low temperatures, and are able to withstand high winds.

Premade, Ready-to-Install Awnings

Much of the cost of installation comes from the hourly rate at which the contractors charge. The longer it takes them to complete the job, the more costly it will be to you. Premade awnings offset that cost a little.

In fact, seeing as the average cost of having an awning installed is around $850, paying for an installation of a premade awning will run you almost half of that. The only offset is that purchasing a fully assembled, the ready-to-install awning will cost you a little more than buying its disassembled version.

Small, premade awnings are relatively inexpensive and if you are interested in installing them yourself, they aren’t difficult to handle. However, purchasing a fully assembled, the large awning may present a challenge for contractors just to get the thing into your heart.

Of course, your decision should be predicated on your location and how accessible your yard is. If the only way to get a fully assembled awning into your yard would require a crane, you’re going to pay an exorbitant fee for it.

The general, per-hour labor costs for installing an awning are going to run between $40 and $60 per hour. So, the quicker that you can get the crew to install everything, the less it’s going to cost you.

Potential Extra Costs

This all boils down to where you live and some of the choices that you make in terms of the actual installation process. Obviously, it’s going to cost you a lot more to have a metal awning installed than it will if you do it yourself but not everyone has the ability or the time, which is completely understandable.

You may have to apply for a permit, depending on the size, where you’re located, and the extra construction requirements that you may have to conduct before installing the awning, such as building a deck or pouring concrete.

Your area may require a certain county or sales tax that will run the price up a little more. When you choose to have someone come out and install it can make a difference as well.

If you have them come out late in the day, you run the risk of the job being completed on the next day, which will include extra costs for breaking everything down at the end of the day and setting up the next.

Your awning’s capacity for holding a great deal of weight (in case your area catches a lot of snow throughout the winter) is also worth considering.

All Things Considered

The cost of having an awning installed is determined by a number of factors, however, the national average is around $850.

Superior Awning specializes in metal awning design, customization and fabrication. Our company has been assisting clients with their residential, commercial and industrial properties for already more than 30 years ago. We are a company that can provide custom awning solutions from the very design of your awning, to its manufacture and then installation. Each of the products we provide has been tested to be long term; we offer from water-resistant and durable fabrics, life-lasting threads, galvanized steels and a wide array of aluminum types. No matter the challenge our company can help you design and build the awning that your house, store or building needs.

Please call  (800) 780-0201 to schedule your 100% complimentary consultation.