Guide
Measuring for a retractable awning
Two measurements decide whether a retractable awning fits your wall: the width you want covered, and the height you can mount at. Here is how to take them, and the two clearances that catch people out.
Why we measure again anyway
Nothing on this page replaces the in-person measurement. Every product we sell is made to order, and the price you see on this site stays an estimate until someone from our team has stood at your wall. What these steps give you is a realistic number to configure with, and an early answer to the question that sinks the most projects: is there enough height?
The clearance that catches people out
SunPro's measuring guide sets a minimum mounting height of 7 ft 6 in for a retractable awning, and asks for an extra 10 in of clearance when the awning mounts above a door wall or a window. The awning's own installation manual recommends about 9 ft where the wall allows it — higher mounting buys you more usable shade at the same projection, because the fabric is pitched down and away.
The 7'-6" minimum, the 10" door/window clearance and the 9 ft recommendation are SunPro's published figures, from their Motorized Awnings Measuring Guide and their Awning Installation Manual (rev. 6.21.21).
Power
Motorized awnings need power. SunPro's installation manual notes a 16 ft cord to reach a GFI outlet, so the practical question at measuring time is where the nearest suitable outlet is. If it is further than that, an electrician becomes part of the job, and it is far better to know that before you order than on installation day.
Step by step
You will need: Tape measure, Step ladder, Pencil and paper, Phone camera
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Decide what you want covered
Stand back and pick the span you actually want shaded — the seating area, the door wall, the full patio. Awnings are made to order, so the width follows your space rather than a stock size.
Shade lands short of the awning's full projection when the sun is high. Cover a little wider than the furniture, not exactly to it.
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Measure the width along the wall
Run your tape horizontally along the exterior wall across the area you want covered, and write the measurement down. SunPro's worksheet calls this line B. Measure the wall, not the patio — the awning mounts to the wall.
Note anything in the way along that line: downspouts, lights, hose bibs, shutters, vents. Each one is a real obstruction the installer has to work around.
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Measure the available mounting height
Measure vertically from the ground or deck surface up to the highest point on the wall where a mounting bracket could go — under the soffit, below the gutter, above the door head. SunPro's worksheet calls this line A.
Take this in two or three places if the deck slopes. The lowest one governs.
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Check the 7 ft 6 in minimum
Compare your height to SunPro's published 7 ft 6 in minimum mounting height. If you have less than that, the wall as measured will not carry a standard retractable awning and the design needs to change — a different mounting surface, or a different product.
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Add 10 in above a door or window
If the awning will mount above a door wall or a window, SunPro's guide asks for 10 in of clearance above the opening for the housing and brackets. Check that the clear band of wall above the head is actually there and is solid.
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Find the nearest outlet
Locate the closest exterior GFI outlet and measure to it. SunPro's manual references a 16 ft cord; anything beyond comfortable reach means an electrical run should be planned into the job.
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Photograph the wall
Take a straight-on photo of the whole wall and a close-up of the area above the opening, including the soffit and gutter line. Send them with your inquiry — most of the questions we would otherwise have to ask are answerable from those two pictures.
Where this comes from
SunPro Motorized Awnings Measuring Guide; SunPro Awning Installation Manual (rev. 6.21.21); SunPro Retractable Awnings Manual Order Worksheet
Published by SunPro Motorized Awnings & Screens.
Mounting heights, clearances and the cord length are SunPro's published figures for their products, reproduced here with attribution. They are not ACM specifications and they do not form part of any ACM warranty.
Products this applies to
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Every project starts with a real measurement and a real conversation. Nothing gets built off a web page.
Call (571) 366-7862