But does it have to fall on the weekend when you’ve got the big barbecue planned? Doesn’t it always seem to happen this way - Monday through Friday it’s blue skies and warm temperatures. But come the weekend, Mother Nature decides to pull a fast one. Pouring buckets, raining cats and dogs, its coming down in sheets, the heavens are opening up… whatever your rainy day analogy, it stinks. But you don’t have to sit inside and mope. Rain is just an opportunity to unfurl your deck awning!

The idea here is that you and your guests are still outside, you doing your barbecue thing and your guests doing their guest thing. You’re all mostly dry and fairly cozy and maybe occasionally being titillated by the errant spritz of windblown drizzle.

Awnings are a blessing when it’s not raining, as well. Maybe you haven’t really thought about it, but the summer sun does more than just drive you into the air-conditioned comfort of your living room, it fades your patio furniture and decking, too. And the sun may also drive up your cooling costs, especially if your deck takes a direct sun hit and reflects solar heat into the house.

Whether you decide on permanent or retractable awnings, made from aluminum or cloth, one thing is for sure, you’ll get a lot more use out of your deck than you’d have thought possible. If awnings and canopies aren’t your thing, you might want to plan ahead and get some shade trees planted - then say, in 15 or 20 years, you’ll have a natural canopy. If you can’t wait that long, consider the old stand-by: the umbrella. Hey, it works!