Awnings in Kissimmee, FL

Awnings in Kissimmee have to earn their keep in two seasons at once: the long, bright stretch when a west-facing patio is too hot to sit on, and the stormy months when wind can cross Lake Tohopekaliga with nothing to slow it down. The city sits on the lake's northwest shore, and Lake Toho spreads over about 22,700 acres, so homes near the water feel more open-water wind than a lot tucked deep inside a subdivision. We size, mount and recommend every awning here with both seasons in mind.

Kissimmee remembers Charley

On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley crossed Kissimmee with winds above 100 miles per hour. It damaged homes, brought down trees and knocked out power across the city, and full service did not come back until August 28. Frances and Jeanne followed within weeks. Anyone who lived through that summer knows how quickly a patio attachment turns into a liability. That history shapes how we talk about awnings with Kissimmee owners: what stays up, what comes down, and who will be there to retract it if a storm arrives while the house is empty.

Retract it, or build it to stay

A retractable awning is a great fit for a patio you use every evening, but it is not a storm shutter. When the Florida Building Commission reviewed a 2010 petition about retractable awnings (DCA10-DEC-182), it concluded that fabric-structure design criteria apply to the awning in both the extended and the retracted position, and declined to treat an owner's manual as part of the code. So we lay out three paths and explain the trade-offs of each:

• Motorized retractable with a wind sensor for lanais and patios where you want open sky in the morning and shade by mid-afternoon
• Fixed aluminum awnings or patio covers for spots where nobody will be around to roll anything in, such as a short-term rental or a seasonal home
• Window and door awnings on the sunniest walls, fastened into framing or block rather than into stucco alone

A city of renters and owners

Census estimates put Kissimmee's owner-occupied rate at 46.3%, so more than half the homes in the city are rented. If you own a rental, durability matters more than convenience: a cover a tenant cannot leave extended in a squall, fabric that holds up between turnovers, and hardware a property manager can inspect in a minute. If you rent, talk to your landlord before anything is attached to the house. We can hand them a written scope with the product, size and mounting method so they can approve it.

Downtown storefronts and the historic district

The Kissimmee Historic District, placed on the National Register on January 4, 1994, takes in 189 historic buildings bounded by Aultman Street, Monument Avenue, Penfield Street and Randolph Avenue. Downtown, centered where U.S. 17/92 meets U.S. 192, is made up mostly of two- and three-story buildings with restaurants and shops at street level. For a business there, a commercial awning does real work: it shades display glass, keeps customers dry while they wait for a table and puts the name in front of passing traffic. We measure the facade, check the frontage and sign rules that apply to that address, and choose a frame and fabric that suit an older building.

Inside city limits, or Osceola County?

A Kissimmee mailing address does not always mean the City of Kissimmee. Unincorporated areas along the U.S. 192 corridor, north toward Hunters Creek and south toward Poinciana, fall under Osceola County instead. Which office reviews an attached awning or patio cover depends on where your parcel actually sits, so we confirm jurisdiction for each address before we quote the permit side of the job.

Getting a quote

Call (689) 229-2337 or send a few photos of the wall or patio and tell us which way it faces. We visit, measure, ask how you use the space and leave a written estimate that spells out the fabric, frame, mounting method and any permit work involved.

Get a Free Estimate