This company's representative promptly showed up after I called, and gave me a quote on the spot…read morefor awnings over my front door and a window on the front of my house. I've never priced awnings before, but I feel that the price I paid for these awnings was very reasonable. My house faces directly west into the sun, and the front of my house gets horribly hot in the summer. The front door gets so hot that it is painful to touch.
When I asked how long it would take for them to have me on their schedule to come out and install them, he told me approximately two weeks.
After a little more than two weeks I did call and ask about how much longer they thought it would be, and was told that they were ready.
I asked if I had to wait two more weeks to be put on their schedule, and they said no, they were going to call me soon.
A couple days later I got a phone call that they were installed.
I didn't even know they were coming to install them that day. But, that's ok, I was excited to have them!
After I got home from work, I will tell you that when I pulled in the driveway, I really liked the way they looked.
The material seems to be heavy and well-made. The one over my window goes about halfway down the window, and when I walked inside my living room and looked out the window, I realized that I could see all the "metal bars" on the under side of the awning.
To be honest, it looked just horrible! They are silver bars that support the awning which has a black fabric on it.
I called and spoke with joy, and she informed me that indeed they have the metal bars. I told her that it looked horrible, and she said that "I would get used to it over time and not even notice them anymore". (? Really?) .
Just to be clear, it's not a matter of whether I noticed them anymore or not, it also is a matter of resale value as well as them looking nice in general.
When I voiced that to Joy, she said that if people ask before installation about what the underside looks like, she will let them know that they can paint them to match the fabric.
I asked her why they didn't offer that to me, because how was I to know I should ask? She then informed me that I could just take some black paint and paint them myself. Goodness...yes paint my brand new awnings MYSELF!
(What choice did I have?)
So, I did paint them, and they do look so much better, but why should I have had to do that?
I do have another post for airflow awnings, who is the "sister" company to Strauss awnings, and it describes the lack of communication from this company.
Overall, I am pleased with the way they block the sun and the heat from the front of my house. The people that I spoke with on the phone we're always nice, the material seems to be thick and well-made. They seem to be installed firmly to the house. (I hope so!)
Just as with airflow awnings, I would probably call around to other companies, even if I have to go further out into other areas, before I would automatically use this company again. I didn't feel so strongly about this for just the awnings on the front of my house, but then, with the horrible communication problems I had with the awning on the back of my house with airflow awnings, I definitely have been left with a bad taste in my mouth from a customer perspective with the lack of communication and the lack of concern for the lack of communication.
The products from both these companies does seem to be well made, so if you decide to use them, just be sure to ask about what the underside of the awnings look like, be sure to get everything specifically and in writing for colors and what they tell you they're going to do and when. (Get comparison quotes from other providers?)
Just as with airflow awnings, there was no desire on their part to make amends for my dissatisfaction with the way the underside looked and the lack of communication regarding it.
