Designedfor your home.Installed with care.
We survey, supply and install awnings, pergolas, screens, garage doors and shutters — then look after them for as long as you own them.
- Awnings
- Pergolas
- Zip screens
- Garage doors
- Shutters
What we install
Made to measure, installed by our own team.
Everything we fit is surveyed on site and made to the sizes we take, rather than trimmed to fit on the day. Our range grows as we take on new products, so if you are after something you do not see here, it is worth asking.
Folding-arm, semi-cassette and full-cassette awnings sized to the wall you have. We also refabric and service awnings we did not originally fit.
View awningsAluminium louvred-roof and fixed-roof pergolas, freestanding or wall-mounted, with optional screens, lighting and heating built in.
View pergolasTensioned screens that hold in high wind. They cut glare, wind and insects without walling the space in or blocking the view.
View screensInsulated sectional, roller and side-hinged doors, motorised as standard, fitted into your existing opening.
View garage doorsMade-to-measure interior shutters in hardwood, ABS and painted MDF, including bays, shaped heads and full-height openings.
View shutters
Our main line of work
Awnings are what we do most, and what we know best.
Most of our week is spent on awnings: surveying walls, checking what the fixings are actually going into, and getting a unit on that is the right projection for how the sun moves across the space. A well-specified awning is the difference between a terrace you use in July and one you look at through the glass.
- New installationsManual and motorised, with wind sensors, integrated LED lighting and remote or app control.
- Replacement awning fabricsFaded, torn or tired covers replaced on your existing frame, in acrylic or PVC.
- Servicing and maintenanceMotors, gearboxes, arm tension, brackets and winter checks — including awnings we did not fit.
Clearance & ex-stock
Brand-new awnings that are already made.
We are holding a number of brand-new awnings that were manufactured to order but could not be installed for the customer they were built for. They are unused, complete and in full working order — at well below the cost of ordering the same unit new.
Sizes, projections, frame colours and fabrics are already fixed, so it comes down to whether one of them suits your wall. Stock moves, and when a unit is gone it is gone.
Ask what is on the floor
We do not list clearance stock online because it changes too quickly to keep honest. Tell us the width you need and roughly how far out you want it to come, and we will tell you what we have that fits.
No deposit is taken until you have seen the specification and we have confirmed it will go on your wall.
One team, start to finish
Your job stays with the same team from the first call through to handover. Whoever surveys it records the detail the installers need, and they work alongside each other, so nothing is lost between measuring up and fitting.
Surveyed before it is ordered
Nothing gets ordered off a photo or a tape measure over the phone. We come out, check the substrate and the fixings, and confirm sizes before anything is made.
Looked after afterwards
We service and repair what we install, and a good deal that we did not. Motors, fabrics, arms, brackets and controls.
Tell us what you are trying to shade.
Send a few details and a photo or two. We will come back with realistic options and a price range, then arrange a survey by phone once we both know it is worth the visit.
Home/Awnings
Awnings
Folding-arm, semi-cassette and full-cassette awnings, plus replacement fabrics and servicing for awnings we did not originally install.
The right projection matters more than the brand on the box.
An awning that is too shallow shades the wall instead of the seating, and one that is too wide for its fixings will pull away from the render sooner or later. So we start with how the sun actually crosses your terrace, where you sit, and what the wall is built from — not with a catalogue.
We fit manual and motorised units from established European manufacturers, in widths from a single door up to spans that need multiple units to work as one line. Frame colours are matched to your windows or doors, and fabrics come in plain, striped and textured acrylics with the fade resistance to justify them.
- Full-cassette awnings, where the fabric and arms close into a sealed box
- Semi-cassette and open folding-arm awnings for sheltered or budget-conscious positions
- Motorised operation with remote, wall switch or app control
- Wind and sun sensors that retract the awning automatically
- Integrated LED lighting in the cassette or arms
- Drop valances and side screens for low evening sun
Beyond new installations
Refabrics and servicing, including awnings we did not fit.
Replacement awning fabrics
A frame usually outlives its cover by years. If the mechanism is sound but the fabric has faded, stretched, torn or gone mouldy, recovering it costs a fraction of a new awning. We measure the existing frame, order the cover in acrylic or PVC, and fit it on site.
Servicing and maintenance
Awnings are mechanical and they do need looking at. We check and adjust arm tension and pitch, service or replace motors and gearboxes, re-seat brackets, replace remotes and wind sensors, and clean and reproof covers. If yours has stopped part-way out or is sagging on one side, that is usually a repair rather than a replacement.
What we can specify
Frames and fixings
Powder-coated aluminium in anthracite, white, cream or a colour matched to your joinery. Fixed to brick, blockwork, structural timber or through render with resin anchors where the substrate needs it.
Fabrics
Solution-dyed acrylic for colour that holds, or PVC where you want more rain shedding. Plains, stripes and textures, with a water-repellent finish as standard.
Controls
Handheld remote, wall-mounted switch, or app and smart-home control. Wind sensors are strongly recommended on any exposed elevation and are wired in at installation.
Common questions
How far out can an awning come?
Most domestic folding-arm awnings project between 2 and 4 metres. Beyond that the arms need more height above the ground to keep a usable pitch, so the limiting factor is usually the wall, not the awning. We work this out at survey.
Can it stay out in the rain?
Light rain is fine on a decent pitch, and the fabric will shed it. Sustained or heavy rain will pool on the cover and put load through the arms, so an awning should be retracted. It is not a roof — if you want somewhere to sit through weather, that is a pergola.
Will it survive wind?
Every awning has a wind class, and a wind sensor will retract it automatically before it is put at risk. We specify to the exposure of your particular elevation, which on a coastal or open site can mean a different unit than the same house inland.
Do you replace fabric on awnings you did not supply?
Yes, and we do a lot of it. If we can identify the frame and the mechanism is sound, a new cover is almost always the cheaper answer. Send a photo of the awning open and one of the end of the cassette and we can usually tell you straight away.
How often does an awning need servicing?
A service every couple of years keeps arms tensioned correctly and catches motor and bracket problems while they are small. Coastal installations benefit from an annual look.
Tell us about the wall you want to cover.
Send the rough width, how far out you want it to come, and a photo of the wall taken from a few steps back. That is usually enough for us to come back with options and a price range.
Home/Pergolas
Pergolas
Aluminium louvred-roof and fixed-roof pergolas, freestanding or fixed to the house, built to be used in weather that sends an awning back in.
A structure you can sit under when the weather turns.
A louvred pergola gives you something an awning cannot: a fixed roof you can adjust. Rotate the blades open for airflow and dappled light, close them for full shade, and close them again when it rains — water runs into the frame and down through the posts, not onto the table.
Everything is powder-coated aluminium, so there is no staining, no annual re-oiling and nothing to rot at the post bases. Freestanding units sit anywhere on a suitable slab; wall-mounted units use the house for one side, which usually costs less and reads more like part of the building.
- Motorised rotating blades, operated by remote or app
- Fixed-roof and pitched options where adjustment is not needed
- Freestanding or wall-mounted configurations
- Integrated LED lighting and infrared heating in the frame
- Zip screens and glass sliding walls added to any side
- Concealed guttering and downpipes through the posts
How they get specified
Groundworks
Pergola posts need something to bolt to. An existing patio slab is often enough; new or thin paving may need pads underneath. We confirm this at survey rather than on the day of installation.
Sides and screening
Most people start with a roof and add sides later. Designing the posts for screens from the outset means you can add zip screens or glass panels without rebuilding anything.
Lighting and heat
Perimeter LEDs and infrared heaters mount inside the frame with the wiring concealed. Specified up front, they need one supply; retrofitted, they usually need surface trunking.
Common questions
What is the difference between a pergola and an awning?
An awning is a fabric cover that retracts into a box on the wall and comes in when the weather turns. A pergola is a permanent structure with its own posts and roof that stays out all year. Awnings suit occasional shade on a sunny terrace; pergolas suit spaces you want to use regardless of the forecast.
Do I need planning permission?
Often not, but it depends on size, height, position relative to boundaries, and whether the property is listed or in a conservation area. We will tell you honestly if we think your project needs consent. Confirming it is the homeowner's responsibility and we would always rather you checked.
Do the blades keep rain out completely?
Closed blades seal against each other and drain to the frame, so the space underneath stays dry in normal rain. Very heavy driving rain from the side will still get in unless you screen that side.
What happens in snow?
Units are rated for a snow load and the blades should be left closed so the roof sheds as one surface. In prolonged heavy snow we advise clearing it as you would a flat roof.
Tell us about the space you want to roof.
Send rough dimensions and a photo of the area, including what the ground is laid on. We will come back with realistic options and a price range before anyone visits.
Home/Zip screens & outdoor screens
Zip screens & outdoor screens
Tensioned screens that stay put in wind. They take the edge off glare, wind and insects without shutting the space in or losing the view.
The edge of the fabric runs inside the track, so it cannot blow out.
An ordinary outdoor blind rattles loose in the first decent gust. A zip screen has a welded edge that runs captive inside both side tracks, which keeps the fabric under tension across its whole width. That is what lets it stay down in wind, and it is the whole reason the system exists.
Fabric choice does the rest. An open-weave mesh cuts most of the sun and glare while you can still see through it and feel a breeze; a blockout fabric gives full privacy and shade. Either way you get a usable outdoor room rather than a bright, windy one.
- Motorised and manual operation, with remote or app control
- Open-weave, privacy and blockout fabrics
- Clear PVC panels where you want a windbreak with a view kept
- Insect-mesh options for evenings and warm nights
- Recessed or surface-mounted headboxes
- Fitted to pergolas, verandas, balconies, carports and window openings
Where they go
On a pergola
The most common use. Screening one or two sides turns a roofed space into somewhere you can sit through wind and low sun without walling it in.
On the house
External screens over glazing stop heat before it reaches the glass, which works far better than any interior blind on a west-facing room.
Around a terrace
Freestanding posts and tracks let you screen an open patio, a balcony or a carport where there is no structure to fix to.
Common questions
How much wind will a zip screen take?
Considerably more than a standard outdoor blind, because the fabric is held on both edges. Exact figures depend on the width, drop and fabric, and we specify to your site — a coastal frontage and a sheltered courtyard are different jobs.
Can you still see out?
With an open-weave mesh, yes. From inside during the day you keep a clear view out while people outside see very little. After dark that reverses, which is worth knowing before you choose the fabric.
Do they keep rain out?
They shed light rain and stop wind-driven spray, which is usually the point. They are not a sealed wall, so expect some water at the edges in a real downpour.
Can they be retrofitted to a pergola you did not build?
Usually. We need to see the post profile and how the frame is fixed, so a few photos and a rough width is the quickest way to get an answer.
Tell us which side you need screened.
Send the width and drop you are after and a photo of the opening or the structure it would fix to. We will tell you what will work and roughly what it costs.
Home/Garage doors
Garage doors
Insulated sectional, roller and side-hinged doors, motorised as standard, fitted into the opening you already have.
The front of the garage is a third of the front of most houses.
A garage door is the biggest single moving component on a house and usually the most tired-looking. Replacing one changes the front elevation more than almost anything else you can do for the money, and an insulated door makes an attached garage genuinely usable rather than a cold store.
We fit into existing openings in the great majority of cases, so there is no building work and no making good. Doors are motorised as standard with a handset, keypad or app, and every installation includes photocell safety edges and a manual release.
- Sectional doors that lift vertically and clear nothing outside the opening
- Roller doors that coil into a compact box for tight headroom
- Side-hinged doors where the garage is used as a workshop or store
- Insulated panels in a range of finishes and woodgrain effects
- Colour matched to windows, doors or existing joinery
- Motorisation with handset, external keypad and app control
Choosing between them
Sectional
Lifts straight up on tracks, so nothing swings out over the drive. Best insulation values and the most secure of the three. Needs a little headroom inside.
Roller
Coils into a box above the opening, so it needs very little space inside and nothing outside. The right answer for short drives and low or awkward ceilings.
Side-hinged
Opens like a pair of doors. Slightly less convenient by car, but the obvious choice if you use the garage daily on foot as a workshop or store.
Common questions
Will a new door fit my existing opening?
Almost always. We measure the structural opening, headroom and side room at survey and specify a door to suit. Only unusual openings need any building work, and we will tell you before you commit.
How long does installation take?
A straightforward replacement is normally a day, including removing the old door and setting up and testing the motor.
What happens in a power cut?
Every motorised door has a manual release so it can be opened by hand. We show you how it works before we leave.
Is an insulated door worth it?
If the garage is attached to the house or you spend any time in it, yes. It makes a noticeable difference to the temperature, and the doors are stiffer and quieter to run as a side effect.
Tell us about your opening.
Send a photo of the garage front and the rough width and height of the opening. We will come back with the door types that suit it and a price range.
Home/Plantation shutters
Plantation shutters
Made-to-measure interior shutters in hardwood, ABS and painted MDF — including bays, shaped heads and full-height openings.
Made to the window, not trimmed to fit it.
Shutters are joinery, not a blind. Each panel and frame is made to the measurements of your particular opening, which is why they sit square in a bay, follow an arched head and close cleanly against a reveal that is nothing like true. Very few windows are.
Practically, they do three things at once that a curtain and a blind cannot: privacy without darkness, because the louvres angle light up to the ceiling while blocking the view in; insulation, because a closed panel is a second layer across the glass; and they stay looking the same in ten years, because there is no fabric to fade or fray.
- Full-height, tier-on-tier, café style and solid-panel configurations
- Bay windows, arched and angled heads, and full-height door openings
- Painted hardwood, waterproof ABS for bathrooms and wet rooms, painted MDF
- Louvre sizes from 47 mm to 89 mm
- Hidden tilt rods for a cleaner face, or a traditional centre rod
- Colour matched to existing paintwork or joinery
Getting the detail right
Configuration
Full-height panels are the cleanest. Tier-on-tier lets you close the bottom for privacy while the top stays open, which suits front rooms onto a street. Café style covers the lower half only.
Material
Hardwood for the finest frames and the widest louvres. ABS where there is real moisture, because it will not swell or warp. Painted MDF where budget matters more than louvre width.
Fitting
Inside the reveal for the neatest result, or on a face-fix frame where the reveal is too shallow or too far out of square to work with.
Common questions
How long do shutters take?
Made-to-measure shutters are typically six to ten weeks from survey to fitting, depending on material and finish. We give you a realistic date at the point of ordering, not an optimistic one.
Can you do bay windows?
Yes. Bays are measured angle by angle and the frames are made to those angles, so the panels meet properly at each post rather than leaving wedge-shaped gaps.
Do they block the light completely?
Closed louvres cut most of it, but shutters are not blackout — a little light comes through at the louvre edges. For a bedroom where that matters, solid panels or shutters combined with a blackout blind are the answer.
Are they suitable for a bathroom?
In ABS, yes. It is a waterproof material designed for exactly that, and it will not swell, warp or lift the way a painted timber louvre can over a bath or in a shower room.
Tell us about your windows.
Send a photo of the window or bay and a rough width and drop. We will come back with the configurations that suit it and a price range before anyone visits.
Home/Clearance & ex-stock
Clearance & ex-stock awnings
Brand-new awnings, built to order for a customer, never installed. Complete units at well below the cost of ordering the same thing new.
Why we have them.
Awnings are made to order. Occasionally an order cannot be completed — a survey turns up a wall that will not take the load, a sale falls through, plans change, a project stops. The awning has already been manufactured by then, and it comes back to us.
These units are brand new. They have never been installed, never been weathered and are complete with arms, motor and controls. What they are not is flexible: every dimension was set for someone else's wall.
- Brand-new, unused, complete units
- Full manufacturer specification, not seconds or damaged stock
- Substantially less than the same unit ordered new
- Installed by us, exactly as a new order would be
- First come, first served — each unit is one of one
How it works
There is no online shop, and that is deliberate.
Stock changes week to week. A list on a website would be out of date faster than we could update it, and we would rather not sell you something that will not go on your wall.
Tell us your rough size
The width of the wall you want to cover, and roughly how far out you want it to come. An approximate measurement is fine at this stage — we are only checking whether anything in stock is close.
We tell you what fits
We will come back with what we are holding that suits, including the exact width, projection, frame colour, fabric and whether it is manual or motorised, with the price.
Survey, then install
If a unit suits, we survey the wall properly before anything is committed. Clearance stock is installed by us to the same standard as anything else we fit.
Ask what is on the floor today.
Send the width and projection you are after, or just call. If we have something close we will tell you within a day; if we do not, we will tell you that too rather than talk you into the wrong size.
Worth knowing
Clearance units carry the same manufacturer warranty and are installed with the same fixings, sensors and controls as a new order. The only difference is that you are choosing from what exists rather than specifying from scratch.
Nothing is reserved without a survey, and no deposit is taken until you have seen the full specification.
Common questions
Are these damaged or ex-display?
No. They are brand-new units that were manufactured to order and never installed. Ex-display and damaged stock is a different thing entirely and not what we hold.
Can the size be altered?
Not meaningfully. The cassette and arms are built to a set width and projection, and cutting either down is not something a manufacturer will warrant. This is why we ask for your rough size first.
Do I still get a warranty?
Yes. The manufacturer warranty applies as it would to any new unit, and our installation is covered in the same way.
How quickly can it be installed?
Much faster than a made-to-order awning, because the unit already exists. Once the survey is done it is a question of scheduling rather than manufacturing lead times.
Tell us the size you are after.
Send the rough width of the wall and how far out you want the awning to come. We will check it against what we are holding and tell you either way, usually within a working day.
Home/About
Exterior shading and closures, done properly.
Shield & Shade takes on the products we know we can survey, install and look after ourselves — and we add to that range as we grow.
How we work.
Every job stays with the same team from start to finish. Whoever takes your enquiry knows the products, whoever surveys it knows what the installers need on the day, and they all speak to each other directly rather than through a sales desk.
We survey before we quote anything that matters. That means coming out, measuring properly, and looking at what the fixings are actually going into — render over blockwork, an insulated cavity, a timber-framed extension and a solid brick wall are four different problems, and the awning that suits one may not suit another.
If something is not going to work, we say so at survey rather than after installation. It costs us the odd job. It saves everyone the ones that go wrong.
What to expect from us.
- Your enquiry is answered by someone who knows the products, not read from a script. You will get a straight answer on what suits, what does not, and roughly what it costs.
- Surveys are carried out by our own installation team, so the measurements and fixing details are taken by people who understand what has to happen on the day.
- Aftercare stays with us. Servicing, replacement fabrics and repairs are handled in house rather than passed on once the job is signed off.
We install for private homeowners, and for architects, builders and landscapers working on projects where the shading needs to be specified properly rather than added at the end.
What we will not do
Quote without seeing it
We will give you an honest price range from photos and measurements, because that helps you decide whether to go further. We will not turn that into a fixed quotation until someone has stood in front of the wall.
Take a booking online
Surveys are arranged by phone, once we both understand what the job actually is. It avoids wasted visits and it means you speak to someone who knows the product before anyone gets in a van.
Sell you the bigger one
If a 3.5 metre projection does what you need, we will not talk you into 4.5. The wall usually decides this anyway, and we would rather fit the right thing than the dearest thing.
Tell us what you are trying to shade.
Send a few details and a photo or two. We will come back with realistic options and a price range, then arrange a survey by phone once we both know it is worth the visit.
Home/Request a quote
Request a quote
Tell us what you are trying to shade, screen or close in. We will come back with realistic options and a price range, then arrange a survey by phone.
Thank you — that is with us.
We read every enquiry ourselves and will come back to you within one working day. If it is urgent, please call us on 0000 000 000.