Porch Awnings in Summer and Winter

This porch, which is a sun-trap in winter, is converted simply to a shaded breezeway for summer.
The porch is an upstairs outdoor room, open on three sides, at the west end of my house. With a Tallowwood deck and steel balustrade, it could be called a verandah or a balcony. I like to call it a talar, although it is not as grand as the talar of the Ali Qapu Palace, Isfahan.
For the colder part of the year, from March to October, the talar awnings are arranged as in the right photo. I fasten down the canvas awning on the south side to stop drafts, and I roll up the awning on the west side so I can enjoy the views. On sunny winter afternoons it is pleasant to have a late lunch there, with temperatures in the high twenties, several degrees warmer than the maximum in the thermometer screen.
For the warmer part of the year, from November to February, the awnings are arranged as in the left photo. The awning on the west side is fastened down against the intolerable heat of the afternoon sun. That also keeps the heat off the west wall of the house. The south awning is raised, to allow air to flow through, from south to north. When there is a breeze, it can be comfortable to sit on this porch even on very hot days.
By the use of cheap canvas awnings, this porch can make outdoor living pleasant in months when the climate here is too cold or too hot for it.